Download How usable is your web site

How usable is your web site
David Strom, [email protected]
MPA Seminar
10/1/98
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Outline
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Making navigation easier
Using portal posting sites
Managing and developing web content
Static vs. dynamic content
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Making navigation easier
• Understand the kinds of search tools
available
• Using site maps, navigation bars, consistent
paths
• Being able to “breadcrumb” back out
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Good and bad site examples
• Subaru vs. BMW
• Amazon vs. Barnes and Noble
• Cheaptickets.com vs. Expedia
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Commonly available search
utilities
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Altavista.com
Infoseek’s Ultraseek Server
Glimpse (glimpse.cs.arizona.edu)
Netscape Catalog Server
Microsoft Index Server
More at:
webreview.com/wr/pub/pt/Search
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Using portal posting sites
• submit-it.com
• register-it.com
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Dealing with their behavior
• Some use <META>, some use <TITLE>
• Keep descriptions at top of your home page
short and sweet
• More at:
webreview.com/97/10/17/webmaster
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Keep them out of your site
• Exclude cgi-bin, test directories
• Create a robots.txt file that starts with
– User-agent: *
– disallow: /cgi-bin/
• This doesn’t always work
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Another kind of site: tracerlock
• Keeps track of who is saying things about
you
• www.peacefire.org/tracerlock
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Managing and developing web
content
• Find a managing editor
• Run a test web
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Find a good managing editor
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Understands English syntax, grammar
Detail-oriented
Knows enough HTML to be dangerous
Understands the differences between print
and electronic publishing
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Standardize on the right content
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Navigation tools, icons
Images, colors, sizes
Type, backgrounds, white space usage
Contact info and placement of links
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Contact information is critical!
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Same format
Every page
So people can find you in the real world
Should include phone, fax, email, postal
address
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Are content publishing products
useful tools?
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Good for getting a web created
But you have to live inside them forever
It is easy to have broken links
You still end up adjusting their code
manually
• WYS is not always WYG!
• Sometimes it is better to just use Wordpad,
FTP the files!
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Typical products
• Microsoft Front Page, IIS
• Netscape Web Publisher (part of Enterprise
Server)
• Astra SiteManager (merc-int.com)
• WebAnalyzer (incontext.com)
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Maintain a test web
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Check and validate your links, spelling
See your site from different browsers
Make sure navigation makes sense
Mirror your web locally for backup
Try out changes before going to production
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Pick your management style
• Divide and conquer: different departments
author different pages
• Control freak: one person responsible for
group of pages
• How do you implement change controls?
• What happens when you have multiple
webs and locations?
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Static vs. dynamic content
• Some static pages still necessary
• What kind of database expertise is needed?
• What technologies to use?
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Various dynamic content
technologies
• Cold Fusion (www.allaire.com)
• Microsoft’s IIS, Active Server Pages
• Other database-driven webs
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Panelists
• Bob Matsuoka, Soho Internetworks,
[email protected]
• Paul Pugh, MediaTruck,
[email protected]
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Discussion topics
• What kind of programming expertise is
needed?
• What parts of your site remain static?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of
each technology?
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