About the Web

Never before has there been a greater opportunity for companies of all sizes to communicate a message to a global market. With a professionally designed and marketed web site, Bermuda businesses can reach out to an international business community at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing.

However, as Bermuda becomes the hub for e-commerce, web sites no longer exist solely as an alternative marketing opportunity for businesses. Now with these increasingly competitive e-commerce and e-business markets, an Internet presence is becoming one of the bare essentials for local businesses. With this competitive increase, the difference between high level design and compromise is the difference between success and failure.

With the ever-expanding technical options for communicating on the web, how do local web developers know which option is best suited for their business or clients? Web developers stay abreast of expanding technical options that can enhance a web site, however since every web site is unique, detailed planning and analysis can determine the best technical option.

Web Site Development Methodology

In order to develop a broader perspective of a web site, developers generally draw on many existing concepts and methodologies from software engineering and technical communication practices. The methodology used by many technical communicators, writers, designers and software developers, comprise of six processes and six fundamentals.

1. Audience information -is a store of knowledge about the target audience for a web site, as well as the actual audience who uses it.
2. Purpose statement - defines the reason and scope for the web site's existence.
3. Objectives list  - defines the specific goals the web site should accomplish.
4. Domain information  - is a collection knowledge and information about the subject domain the web site will cover.
5. Web specification -is a detailed description of the constraints and elements that will go into the development of the web site.
6. The web presentation - is the full description of the technical structured (hypertext and other media) by which the web site is delivered to the users.

The communicator develops these fundamentals while engaging in these six procedures.

1. Planning -is the process of defining and gathering information about the web site's audience, purpose, objectives and policies for information development.
2. Analysis -involves evaluating information consistency and accuracy, as well as verifying the technical composition of the web site.
3. Design -is the process of creating a map of the relationships among pages of the web site, and the look and feel of individual pages.
4. Implementation -is the process of creating files of HTML (and associated software, such as java applets).
5. Promotion -involves providing publicly releases for general web site audiences, which consists of potential and current users.
6. Innovation -is the process of continuously and creatively working on improving the web site, to meet user needs.

Defining a Web Site's Audience and Purpose

During the initial stages of a web site's lifecycle, the focus will be on the process of planning and analysis. In particular, local businesses will need to define the objective of their web site and compile audience information. Audience analysis is key in many technical communications tasks. This planning and analysis requires asking and answering questions such as: "Who will use this web site?"  "What will they gain from it?"

A useful method of generating audience information is to compile a list of information about the audience's background, characteristics and concerns. This information may not ever be complete, but developers can compile and maintain a database of information that can expand over time.

In the first stages, one should not try to reach a broader audience (example: everyone using the Internet), but focus on a targeted audience related to the communications objective. For instance, a web site selling computers might define its audience as potential, current, and past purchases of computers.

A web site may also have several audiences for example, in addition to computer buyers other targeted audiences could be company stockholders, employees or suppliers.

Another focus of web site development is to define the site's purpose. It is useful to have a written purpose statement available at all times during web site development stages. Initially, one might state the purpose in general terms, such as to create a presence for our company on the Internet. However, it is in the best interest for the development to make the purpose statement more specific at first, such as to promote and sell more products and services on line.

The purpose statement and audience information are key in the initial planning stages of web site development, and will go a long way towards communicating effectively to a site's targeted audience.

Setting Objectives and Gathering Domain Information

Once the audience and purpose has been defined, the next step is to focus on forming a list of specific objectives, or goals, for the web site to accomplish. For instance, a web site's purpose statement might be to provide information about our company's line of computers and the audience definition might be prospective customers.

An example of an objective list for a web site selling computers might be:

• List the pictures, prices, and schematic of all computers products.
• Provide ordering and service information.
• Provide background (domain) information about computers to interest prospective customers and to help them use our products.

Once a set of objectives as been created, the next step is to compile domain information that supports these objectives. The domain information is a collection of information about the subject domain that the web site will cover. This includes information users will encounter and developers will need, to design or implement the site.

For instance, a web site offering computers for sale might draw on a variety of information about the use, mechanics, principles and specifications for computers. While not all of this information would necessarily be made available to the web user, this domain knowledge may be helpful for the web developers so that they can understand the vocabulary and concepts associated with the products.
Often, this domain information complements the information the web site offers. For example, a modem manufacturer with a solid collection of modem facts might find that interested modem buyers visit that web site for technical information and in the course of the visit, be informed of a company's products.

Designing a Web Site
When designing a web site one should take into account the web site's purpose and audience. A good designer knows how to achieve the effects called for in the most flexible, efficient and elegant way. A thorough grounding in hypertext, multimedia, Java and other programming possibilities, as well as knowledge about how particular sites structures effect an audience is necessary when designing a web site.

Because of the porous quality of a web site, one needs to consider how a variety of audiences might find different "ways into" the information. Hypertext can provide alternate views of information and alternative routes for users to follow based on their needs and interests. A good way to provide this flexibility is to separate information into manageable page-sized chunks, provide cues for the user about the web's information structure and contents, context, and navigation. A web site designer thus creates an overall link architecture for a site by specifying page contents and hyperlinks to connect information along the routes of user needs.

A local web site designer should also create a coherent and consistent "look and feel" for the entire site. One way to do this is to use principles of page layout and design, and provide the user with a variety of visual cues. These cues consistently placed on web site pages, help users navigate through the site. Because a web site is characteristically bound in its use context, these cues should help reveal that context, so that the user can find related information and find how the site relates to other areas of knowledge.

Implementing a Web Site
After the web site design is completed, the next step is to implement the site within its technical makeup, which is based on the defined specifications. The initial implementation might be a prototype, which is not released publicly, but available for analysis and is used by a set of representative users.

A web implementer creates hypertext markup language (HTML), Common Gateway Interface (CGI) programs, and/or Java scripts and/or applets. The implementation process resembles software development because it involves a specific syntax for creating hypertext structures in HTML, or writing programming language code statements in computer files.

Here are key implementation practices:

• First create a stable, extendible directory and file structure to manage the web site's files and/or software components (including CGI or Java programs). 
• Use HTML tools such as editors and authoring environments where helpful. Please note that some of these editors are "translators" from authoring programs meant for paper based publications and are not always customized for hypertext development. 
• Check the web site's implementation in various browsers to ensure that the HTML can be interpreted properly. Use templates for supporting the consistent look and feel, defined in the site's design.

Analyzing a Web Site
The goal of analyzing a web site is to identify problem areas. By examining a web site's elements, one can determine if the site is accomplishing its objectives, to see if it is implemented correctly, and if the domain information is correct and up-to-date.

Key analysis practices are:

• Observing representative audience members using the web site (usability analysis). 
• Evaluating the consistency and verify the accuracy of the domain information.
• Checking the technical implementation of the web site with HTML validation tools.

Web Site Launch and Promotion
The decision to publicly announce the release of a web site should not be made lightly. During the time immediately following its public availability, a newly launched site will receive a great deal of attention from not only the audience members it attempts to reach, but people involved in web resource indexing, as well as automated indexing software.

Once a web site is ready to launch, one can make its existence known to online communities through publicity. In addition, relationships can be formed with other web sites, which reach a similar audience or have been prepared for a similar purpose. Another way to further promote a site is to use specific marketing strategies or business models customized for the environment of the Internet.

When promoting a web site, it is important that online community norms are followed. One should avoid "spamming" (indiscriminately sending messages to large numbers of mostly uninterested people) any communication forum with news of a web site's release. Instead, one should aim publicity to appropriate online (and offline) mailing lists and promotion services.

Ongoing Innovation
Despite the linear description of the processes of web site development described here, the continuous development of a site is on going. Because a web site is a round-the-clock, interactive service, developers should expect feedback from users and anticipate their changing needs.

Key innovation practices are:

• Continuously and creatively working on improving the web site, to meet user needs.
• Based on analysis, user testing and focus groups identify new user needs.
• Identify new technologies that may assist in meeting user needs.

Ultimately the goal of innovation is to continuously improve the quality of a web site by making sure that the processes of planning, analysis, design, implementation, promotion and innovation are ongoing. Developers can share information about the site's elements and ensure that the information on the site meets user needs in terms of both content and interface.

Web Site Design Do's and Don'ts

According toTom Quinn, Director - Professional Services, CCS Group Ltd, in an effort to ensure that a web site is well-developed and functional, one must consider the following design and planning do's and don'ts:

Design
Do: Make sure that when working with a designer that he/she can deliver a slick look & feel which is easy to navigate and makes the user experience more pleasurable. It is important to retain a repeat viewer ship because:

(a) of the products and services sold
(b) they enjoyed the experience and would like to experience it again. A web site is a company's representation electronically. Treat it with the respect it deserves!

Do Not: Businesses do not cut corners on company brochures, so they should not do the same with a web site.

Images
Do: It is important to obtain the correct legal rights to any images used on a website. Check with the graphic designer - the fact that images are used on a company's printed media does not necessarily give them the right to use those images on a web site. Some agencies insist that you pay more to use images electronically. Expect to pay a hefty sum for sole rights to images for electronic use.

Don't: Stealing images from other web sites is unadvisable. A company stealing images for their web site will more than likely face a lawsuit at some point down the line.

Speed
Do: Make the images pertinent and compact, and do not use images gratuitously. Offer users the choice of a text only or a minimal imaged site to improve their access times.

Don't: To attract domestic users in Bermuda, do not design a site, which is full of images, and will take forever to download. Remember the majority of users in Bermuda do not have the same sort of access speeds as those in North America and Mainland Europe.

Site Location
Do: In these days of electronic commerce, being a Bermuda-based company does not necessarily mean that a site is hosted out of Bermuda. Look at comparative costs of hosting sites overseas if location is not an issue, one will find that in many cases that it is cheaper to host a site overseas. If a business does not want its site hosted on-island, various ISP's should be able to offer a package which suits budgetary requirements.

Content
Do: Make sure that a web site is easily updateable as far as content is concerned. It is a well known fact that web surfers regularly revisit sites to check for new information, and businesses do not want to have to go back to the designer every time they want to amend the content. Also, make sure that new information is immediately obvious on the site so surfers do not get lost trying to find it.

Partners
Do: Always keep the following question in mind - "Is this a core competency of ours? If the answer is no, seek external expertise.

Don't: Do not go through the pain of designing components of a site from the ground up when there are potential partners out there who have been through that pain. If a business has the time and resources in-house then this may not be a problem, but such partners can develop plug-in elements more quickly and more cost-effectively than if a business were to start from scratch.

Additionally, Tom Quinn recommends to "keep the site simple, targeted and effective, use a good graphic design team to create the look and feel of the site. Do not be mesmerized by the thought of quick return for minimal investment. A good web site requires a great deal of planning and investment to become successful. Remember that even though e-business promises virtual trading without the need for physical presence, many companies have come unstuck because they still require a physical infrastructure in order to fulfill customer demands."

Conclusion
While the methodology outlined here for developing a web site will not work flawlessly in all situations, it can serve as a basis for approaching many of the issues when developing the site information. To a casual web user, this formal methodology might seem an encumbering amount of complication on what may seem to be only the task of "writing HTML" or creating a "home page." However, identifying processes and elements, and focusing on them need not stifle creativity, in fact, a process approach is an emphasis of many quality improvement programs. And, as many web users might attest, a well-developed web site usually has a far greater value than one that is hastily put together. In particular, a web site intended for business or professional communication needs to not only reflect a consensus of meaning among the sponsors and originators of the information, but it must reach a diverse audience and continuously change as user needs change.