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How usable is your web site

How usable is your web site. David Strom, david@strom.com MPA Seminar 10/1/98. Outline. Making navigation easier Using portal posting sites Managing and developing web content Static vs. dynamic content. Making navigation easier. Understand the kinds of search tools available

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How usable is your web site

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  1. How usable is your web site David Strom, david@strom.com MPA Seminar 10/1/98

  2. Outline • Making navigation easier • Using portal posting sites • Managing and developing web content • Static vs. dynamic content

  3. Making navigation easier • Understand the kinds of search tools available • Using site maps, navigation bars, consistent paths • Being able to “breadcrumb” back out

  4. Good and bad site examples • Subaru vs. BMW • Amazon vs. Barnes and Noble • Cheaptickets.com vs. Expedia

  5. Commonly available search utilities • 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

  6. Using portal posting sites • submit-it.com • register-it.com

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. Another kind of site: tracerlock • Keeps track of who is saying things about you • www.peacefire.org/tracerlock

  10. Managing and developing web content • Find a managing editor • Run a test web

  11. Find a good managing editor • Understands English syntax, grammar • Detail-oriented • Knows enough HTML to be dangerous • Understands the differences between print and electronic publishing

  12. Standardize on the right content • Navigation tools, icons • Images, colors, sizes • Type, backgrounds, white space usage • Contact info and placement of links

  13. Contact information is critical! • Same format • Every page • So people can find you in the real world • Should include phone, fax, email, postal address

  14. Are content publishing products useful tools? • 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!

  15. Typical products • Microsoft Front Page, IIS • Netscape Web Publisher (part of Enterprise Server) • Astra SiteManager (merc-int.com) • WebAnalyzer (incontext.com)

  16. Maintain a test web • 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

  17. 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?

  18. Static vs. dynamic content • Some static pages still necessary • What kind of database expertise is needed? • What technologies to use?

  19. Various dynamic content technologies • Cold Fusion (www.allaire.com) • Microsoft’s IIS, Active Server Pages • Other database-driven webs

  20. Panelists • Bob Matsuoka, Soho Internetworks, bob@sohonet.com • Paul Pugh, MediaTruck, ppugh@mediatruck.com

  21. 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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