Determine the target audience.

Explain the importance of on-going research.

Medium to large web sites are designed and developed by production teams:

• Team composition:
• Writers
• graphic designer
• art directors
• programmers
• server administrators
• project managers

Some people just do it all. You need a solid plan of action before getting into web production, understanding that taking a few courses in html and image editing will not do it. Use proven planning methods to help you get on the right track.

Determine Your Mission and Objectives.

The purpose of making the website is the specific mission. Establish the mission to motivate you. Start regular Brainstorming sessions with your team and clients.

Determine what you want your website to be or do, and what your objectives are. Whether you are creating a purely entertainment website, or informational, persuasive (commercial online store), promote an organization, deliver news…

The purpose of your site should determine your mission.

Everything should be targeted towards achieving that clear mission which should define the goals throught the planning and development process.

Before starting the development process, ask questions about the fundamental nature of your objectives, and record them. This will help you focus on meeting your goals.

Why am I building the website?

To provide a variety of multimedia – web design and hosting services, and advertise hardware products, provide computer consulting and support information.

What is our mission?

To become a source of information a business hub, connecting consumers with the service or product that will benefit them,finding practical solutions to their technology, and multimedia design needs.

Who is my target audience?

For Multimedia web design services and hosting are targeted to the Middle high and high end class of businesses and individuals (estimated income of $50,000+).consumers looking for ways to advertise their product or service on the internet.

Small business and individuals with products or services in high demand, Realtors, Lawyers, Merchants, Artists (galleries), Family (galleries)

 

What value will you provide your audience?

• Web Presence
• Web Design
• Hosting
• Internet Advertising
• Business technology consulting
• and computer training and support.

What niche will your site fill?

• There are few resources that meet all the computer needs of a small starting business or an individual.
• A typical client will seek help in all aspects in establishing a web presence.
• We plan to fill every need, for design, development, marketing, and computer support (for the purpose of having the client be effective and develop their internet skills so they can update their own content.)

What will be the user’s mission while at your site, and what do you want them to accomplish at your site?

• The user’s mission is to find the right information about a product or service they are seeking. By looking at product and/or service lists, or requesting a free courtesy appointment to discuss specific customer needs and concerns.
• The customer needs to feel secure, and confident with manner in which we approach them with layout and content.

What will keep users coming back to your site?

• For Consumers to be satisfied:
• We can provide them with results in a timely manner.
• They know they’ll find the information to their specific needs.
• They know they will be treated in an ethical manner, and they will be given a competitive deal.

How will you measure the success of the site?

• Web site Traffic
• Membership
• Sales
• user feedback

Note: Continue to write questions, and answers, and connect goals with specific tasks. Brainstoming sessions are a great way to get reveal your basic goals.

Develop detailed combination packages.

• Network layout and design based on computer products, software, system configurations.
• Website features and detailed plans.
• Offer technology consulting services, with one time free consultation.

Identify your Audience

• The audience varies based on the service we provide.
• Service type Web design Multimedia services Web Hosting

Customers in needs of:

• new website
• modifyingexisting websites.
• Adding dynamic features such as:
• chatrooms,
• product store,
• database,
• Video
• 600-1200 +
• Video Production:
• Film and Edit,
• data transfers
• Internet streaming
• DVDs
• Multimedia presentations

Providing production of:

• Infomercials, Independent films
• Products or service advertisings clips.
• Special events
• Business inaugurations
• Music video clips.

 

 

 

Tech Consulting Service

• Training
• Users in search of comprehensive information and training to install and operate system that will serve a desired purpose.
• $150 per 2 hour interval.
• Custom System config
• Pre-packaged systems for home or office, 2 or more computers.
• Customers in search of product and configurations that will enhance their office computer systems layout.
• Internet Marketing services:
• Providing effective targeted marketing for internet, and print
• provide market research for product and services’ estimated demand
• Hybrid Marketing:Sponsored listings through Google and Yahoo.
• Web submission.
• Conducting Traffic analysis and reports.
• Small business clients wanting to increase their volume traffic over the web. And seeking keyword management service that will improve their product or service demand.
• Identifying your Audience
• Determine each primary audience for each individual service or product to be marketed.
• Don’t try to be every thing to everyone, but instead do one target at a time, advertising other related services or products individually. A general focus is too broad to leave a lasting impression on one specific service.
• The goal is to attract and retain users, and the audience needs to feel that their needs are being met in your site. The narrower your audience, the more likely you will be able to meet their specific goals, which builds confidence and loyalty. Determining your audience can also provide a lot of direction throughout the development cycle.
• A specific audience may be of a class of people with similar lifestyles, and one can assume they will like the same things, therefore making it easy to market.
• On the other hand, the same development principles might not be as effective when applied to an audience with a different life style, culture, or subculture.

Who will be interested in this site?

The answer should impact your design, content, services. If the website is dedicate to a specific group of people, a match of colors or texture and content can be adapted to their current education level and common taste, color scheme, accuracy and clearly written content with supporting data, and so on.

What is your target age range?

Determining the demographics of the site can help in deciding color scheme, font size, and use of language.

Young audience

aggressive color scheme

smaller fonts

less sophisticated language in favor of idioms and popular expressions

Assume a higher level of computer and Internet experience, which opens the door to all sorts of "cool" features, like Flash animations, cascading menus, and interactive games.

older population

Sophisticated language with less slang

larger text

dampened color scheme 

Where will users most likely access the site from?

Determine if your audience will be at work, home, or at school can significantly impact design and style decisions.

Home users might access the site through the use of a modem, limiting their browsing capability, while work users, may have limited time to browser unless they are doing research, but they may have a fast internet connection, allowing them to browser faster.

 

What will be the likely geographic locations of the audience?

 

If English and Spanish or a global scope, keep the language simple when it is directed to different cultures.

 

Will your web site be directed toward repeat visitors?

On going research:

Capture user statistics by analyzing traffic, user operating systems, browsers, time on site, …this statistics cab help develop, modify and improve the web site.

1. Why is it important to determine your target audience?

Because, your target audience will have a significant impact on the design and content choices you make.

2. Why is it important to do on-going research?

By knowing your audience, you can determine user trends and utilize services that help to capture them. User trends will help you decide which technology, approaches, and design concepts you want to pursue or avoid.

Metaphorical Design

Using themes that place the web site design in a familiar context, you can make the website more effective. This helps create a sense of place, feeling of orientation that improves the overall usability of the site.

A cognitive design can enhance a site’s message and reinforce the identity or brand the site seeks to convey. A common theme throughout a site provides a framework for consistent design and effective navigation scheme that increases interest and immerse the user into the site.

Using a graphical theme combined with a style of writing will help the site have a metaphor tide to its purpose so it looks invisible. Don’t expect a metaphor to work all the time. Make sure the audience can relate to the experience. When developing a metaphor try to look at the idea from multiple angles, if possible in group brainstorming session.

A site metaphor isn't necessarily for every site. You might determine that your design is best achieved without a contextual theme of any kind, and rely instead on the organization's brand identification.

 

 

Content Outlining and Storyboarding

Objectives

• Examine outlining and storyboarding.
• Identify two advantages to drafting a site flowchart.
• Once your mission is solid, you have your goals defined, and have developed a good theme. The next step is to build the framework by outlining its content.
• Effective content should reveal the preliminary structure, and include most essential features, providing the foundation to build.
• The outline should include:
• An overview of the site’s metaphor and how it relates to its content.
• Page by page description of the site’s content.
• Page by Page description of interactive components (optional)
• Indication of other technologies (dhtml, image maps,etc) optional.

Brainstorming content

Group all the great ideas and locked them up. together with a development group or client.

You should visit questions like:

•  How will you communicate your brand? (if applicable)
•  What content will make this site unique and attractive?
•  What will keep visitors coming back?
•  What sort of interactive content does the site need?
•  Should the site include some form of entertainment to keep people interested?
•  Should we build a community through message boards, memberships, chat areas, and special interest areas?
•  What multimedia components might facilitate meeting our objectives?
•  Should we include a mission statement and/or company profile?
•  Should the site include a help section that allows users to provide feedback and contact the organization?
•  Should the site include product pictures and descriptions?
•  Should the site include descriptions of services, fees, and related information?
•  How can the site be categorized? Should it be categorized?
•  Will the site require the use of forms?
•  Will the site need to be tied to a database?
•  Should we include external links? To what sites?

It will ultimately depend on the development environment, group or individual dynamics. Clients should be involved in the planning phase, in addition to “their must have” and “would like to haves”.

Use large sheets of paper, a whiteboard, or overhead and record any idea that comes to mind even if unsure.

•  How important is this information or category?
•  What are the objectives of this category of information?
•  Is this content of general or special interest?
•  How should this information or category be accessed?
•  Should this information be on the home page, or buried deeper in the site?
•  Will this information change or remain static?
•  How will these categories be related? Where do they belong in the linking scheme?
•  Does this information belong in sub-category of another section?

Prioritize content in the following way:

• Priority 1
• Priority 2
• Priority 3
• welcome statement
• catalog pages
• message board
• logo/slogan
• research tips
• chat room
• primary navigation links
• membership form
• famous quotes
• daily content
• membership information
• suggestion "box"
• dynamic content that's user-specific
• information on upcoming features
• special promotions
• information about the company/FAQ
• contact information
• transaction policies

The content of every site will be different and call for unique prioritization. Prioritize content in terms of development schedule.

Storyboarding

Before you get started with the design, draw out a storyboard and flowchart for the website. Save time by making a plan of action and following it. In storyboarding producers draft out the sequence of scenes on separate boards. A storyboard can be a series of sketches of pages as you envision them. It should include enough detail to build from it. Storyboarding is a common planning tool in the creation of web sites, to establish an overall flow, and develop a conceptual model, where each component can be divided and worked on individually. Looking at the big picture, each board serves as a thumbnail sketch which is just a page in the site, allowing you to see the navigation flow of the web page. Label each with a number like: #1 of 20, or 1A(homepage), 1b and so on.

There are many structure types:

Linear structure is the most simple and predictable. Users know where to proceed. Sites that fit a linear structure might include: narratives, tutorials, or instructions, articles, artistic galleries, or chronological or alphabetical arranged content. Hierarchical structures: are more common and better suited for websites. Start with general information, and allows users to drill down to a greater level. The web structure typifies sites that contain a multitude of links, both internal and external. It also allows the user to go in whatever direction that might interest them. It can also lead to confusion, and a sence of being lost in the site. Providing a logical structure will help visitors use the site better.

We will organized material may be required prior to creating a logical site structure. Pages with a general focus usually appear before pages with a more specific focus. The difference between a storyboard and a flowchart is best suited by separate sheets of paper depicting content and sequence of pages. For each page include its filename, and brief summary of its content. Indicate the relationships between the pages, categories, and subcategories.

Why is it important to outline and storyboard your site?

Outlining will help you establish priorities for your content, and begin to reveal the information structure that you will eventually build. Storyboarding helps you determine what will be required in the project, the content involved on each page, and the site's general navigational sequence and structure. 

What are two advantages to drafting a site flowchart?

Flowcharts help to reveal the logical structure or your site and arrange content sections. You can also create an online site map based on your finalized flow chart.

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