Session5 DesigningBuildingAndEvaluatingWebSites

Electronic Commerce
COMP3210
Session 5: Designing, Building and Evaluating Web

Sites
Dr. Paul Walcott
2
Dr. Paul Walcott - Department of Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics, University of the West Indies,
Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, W.I.; email pwalcott@uwichill.edu.bb; © 2005
Session Objectives
• The objectives of this session are:
– To analyse some basic Web site design
principles
– To construct a Web site using e-commerce
and Web-based software
– To apply five criteria in order to determine the
credibility of an Internet source
– To test the usability of Web sites
Web Site Design Principles 1,2
• In this section we will:

– Briefly discuss
interface design
– Present some Web
site design principles
http://www.cybermarket.co.uk/ishop/images/923/429_904.jpg
Web Site Design Principles
Cont’d
• What is an interface?
– It is the front end (or user controls) of a device
• E.g. a remote control is the interface for a
television set
• Or a light switch is the interface for an electric light
Cont’d
• So what makes a good Web interface?
– It must be easy to use
• The Web site functionality must be easy to deduce
– Important items are always available, yet not intrusive
• E-commerce site should provide links to the checkout
– The purpose of the Web site must be immediately
understandable; things must be arranged logically
• This includes no cryptic icons
– In addition, the site should be interesting and colourful
(without being irritating)
•
Cont’d
When designing a Web site the designer must
consider:
– The type of screen or device that the Web page will
be displayed on (is it in colour etc.)
– Whether the page will be printed
• Although this is a secondary issue
– The size of the screen
• The designer unfortunately does not have full
control over these media
Cont’d
• It is important to set a Web site theme.
This is a multi-step process:
– Set the Web site goals
– Determine your audience
– Define the look and feel of the Web site
Cont’d
• To determine the goals of your Web site
consider asking the following questions:
– What is the purpose of creating your Web site?
– Should I concentrate on only one goal?
– What will happen if the goals change and how will it
affect the maintenance of the Web site?
• Goals need to be balanced against available
resources and time
Cont’d
• To determine the audience of the Web site
consider the following factors:
– Visitor’s age: young, elderly or ageless?
– Language: is there a requirement to support more
than one?
– Culture
– Income group: who can afford your product/service?
– Educational sophistication: scientific Web sites have
less images
– Attention span: after a few clicks the visitor might
leave
Cont’d
• When considering the Web site look and
feel it is important to communicate:
– The company’s logos, name, products and
location
– The unique qualities of the company
Cont’d
• Design principles
– Nonlinear presentation
– One or two screens
per page
– Simple navigation
– Small graphics for
faster page loading
– Appealing visual
effects
Cont’d
• The WWW is characterised by:
– Non-linear information delivery
– Pages that are viewed on desktop PCs, Notebooks
computers, Web-enabled mobile phones and Palm
PCs
– Multiple Internet connection options including Fibre
optic lines, TV cable and dial-up phone lines
• These characteristics must be considered when
designing a Web site
Cont’d
• Nonlinear Presentation:
– Traditional media, e.g. a lecture, present
information in a linear way
– A Web site should utilize multi-
dimensional hyperlinks for quick, user-
centered navigation
Cont’d
• One or Two Screens Per Page:
– The home page of a Web site should be no
longer than one or two pages
• Effective home pages present corporate
information, logos and links on the first or second
screen
• This prevents the need for a significant amount of
scrolling, since the top of the page is what a visitor
sees when entering the site
Cont’d
• Simple Navigation:
– The layout of a Web site should be clear
and simple allowing easy navigation
• Hyperlinks should be grouped together logically
• Each hyperlink should connect a major topic or
category e.g. Products
Cont’d
• Navigational links could be presented as:
– A bar of file folders
– A line of small rectangular or oval buttons
– A list of underlined text
• For easy navigation links should be placed:
– On the left, right or top side of the screen
– Or frames could be used which freeze the navigation
controls on the screen
Cont’d
• Smaller Graphics For Faster Page
Loading:
– The larger the graphics the longer a Web
page will take to load, especially on a
narrow-band connection (e.g. dial-up)
• Visitors will probably get fed up and leave the site
Cont’d
• As a general rule:
– JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group
image format) is a 24-bit (16.7 million colours)
image format
– Photographs should use the JPEG format
– A JPEG pictures on a Web page should be
smaller than 50KB
– Not more than two (2) 50KB JPEG images
should be on a single Web Page
Cont’d
• Alternatively:
– The GIF format (Graphics Interchange Format
by CompuServe) is an 8-bit (256 colours)
image format
– The GIF format is therefore suitable for
navigation buttons, logos and Icons
– Navigation buttons should be smaller than
5KB each
• Typical buttons are 1-2KB each
Cont’d
• Appealing Visual Effects:
– Appealing visual effect can be made using
the right combination of style, layout and
colour
• 12 point Times New Roman or 11 point Arial fonts
are typically used for regular text
• Headings are usually in a different colour, bold or
in a larger font
Cont’d
– Colour contrast between text and background
is crucial
• It is best to use a light background colour and dark
text
– Special effect (e,g. blinking text) are suitable
for short text strings, e,g, “Special Offer” not
long sentences
– Always check the page layout on 12.1” – 15”
diagonal screens since this is the monitor size
for the average user
Cont’d
• Some additional design hints include:
– Always ensure that the user can get to all
important pages (e.g. product
descriptions) using a small number of
mouse clicks
• Users get fed-up after a few mouse clicks
– Always design your Web site for the
slowest connection speed, and the earliest
browser used by your target audience
Cont’d
• Some additional design hints include:
– When creating information sites include a lot of
white space; make the pages simple and
uncluttered
• Users get fed-up after a few mouse clicks
– Always write an outline for your content and
decide whether each major topic will be on a
separate Web page (recommended); and which
sub-topics require their own pages
Constructing a Web Site 3,6,7,8
• Software and
hardware
requirements
http://www.madventurer.com/images/photo-building-house-past-project.jpg
Constructing a Web Site Cont’d
• From the company goals you should be able to
estimate
– The number of visitors that will use your site
– The number of pages viewed by the average visitor
– The average and maximum allowed size of each page
– The maximum allowed number of simultaneous
visitors
• This allows the software and hardware
requirements to be determined
• First let us review some fundamentals
about Web clients and servers
Web Clients and Servers
• When an individual connects to the Internet to
view a document, they become a client on the
Webs client/server network
• The client/server architecture is used for LANs,
WANs and the Web.
• Typical request serviced by servers connected
to these networks include request to print, to
retrieve information and to access databases
Web Clients and Servers
• Web servers typically have
– More memory
– Larger and faster disk drives than client computers
• Web browser software e.g. IE, Netscape and
Firefox is the software that makes computers
work as Web clients
• The Internet connects several different types of
computers together, therefore Web software
must be platform neutral
Dynamic Content
• A static page is an unchanging page retrieved
from a disk
• A dynamic page is a page created by a
program (script) based on user input
– E.g. a Web client inquires about the status of an order
and the Web page that is returned is created from
information stored in a database
• This property (being dynamic) can affect the
performance of the Web Server
– static pages are delivered faster than dynamic pages
Dynamic Content
• The first Web site to provide dynamic pages
used server side scripting
– Programs running on the Web server that create web
pages
– These technologies are slow
• Newer technologies used for generating
dynamic content include:
– Microsoft’s Active Server pages (ASP)
– Sun’s Java Server Pages (JSP)
– Apache’s PHP Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)
Dynamic Web Pages: The Future
• Some critics say that ASP/JSP/PHP etc.
do not solve the problem since they simply
shift the responsibility of Web page
creation from people to programs
• A project that is currently underway to
tackle the problem of dynamic Web page
creation is the Apache Cocoon project
Dynamic Web Pages: The Future
• The Apache Cocoon project:
– Is creating a Web development framework that
• Allows programmers to query the system using data in XML
format
• Receives output in multiple formats including HTML
– The content is stored in XML tags which describes the
semantics (meaning) of each content item
• A Java servlet handles the information request
• A style sheet is applied to the data
Servers
• A Server is any computer used to provide
files or make applications available to
other computers connected to it through a
network
– Server software refers to the programs that
run on the server
– Web Servers are connected to the Internet
and serve Web pages (e.g. Apache)
Servers
– E-mail Servers handle incoming and
outgoing email
– Database Servers are server computers on
which database management software runs
Web Client/Server Communication
• When a Web Client requests a page from a Web
server the following occurs
– The request is converted into HTTP by the browser and
sent to the Web Server
– The Server receives the request and retrieves the
information requested by the Client
– The Server formats the information using HTTP and
sends it back to the Client
– The Client displays the information in the browser
• Web pages may take long to appear because each
page element requires a separate request/response
2/3-Tier Client/Server Architecture
• The typical Web Client/Server model is two tier
because it has one client and one Server
• In the three-tier Client/Server model the third tier
includes Server applications that supply
information to the Web Server
– E.g. a catalog style Web site with search, update and
display functions: the catalog database and database
management software would make up the third tier
Web Server Hardware
• Web Servers have
more memory, faster
hard drives and faster
processors (or
multiple processors)
than desktop
machines
Cost
• A high-end desktop PC with 512MB RAM, 3GHz
processor, a 200GB IDE drive, a good monitor
and DVD/CD-RW drive cost between US$2000 -
$4000 (in 2004)
– A low end Web server might cost the same amount
• Companies spend between US$6,000 and
$400,000 for a Web server
• Suppliers of these servers include Dell, Gateway
and Hewlett Packard
Web Server Architectures
• Server farms refer to large (hundreds, or
thousands) of Web servers used to handle daily
traffic on large Web sites
• A Centralised architecture uses a few very
large and very fast computers
• A Distributed/decentralised architecture uses
a larger number of less powerful computers
• The Centralised architecture requires
– Expensive computers
– Is more susceptible to technical problems
• If one or a few of the servers are available then a
large proportion of the site is unavailable
– As a result a backup/recovery plan is
essential
• The Distributed/decentralised architecture:
– Spreads the risk over a large number of servers
– The smaller servers are less expense that larger ones
(the cost of 100 smaller servers is usually less that
the cost of one large one)
– Additional hubs and switches are required to link the
servers together and to the Internet
– These sites might also use load-balancing systems
which are an additional cost
Load Balancing Systems3
• A load-balancing switch:
– A piece of network hardware that monitors the
workload of servers attached to it
– Assigns incoming web traffic to the server with
the most available capacity at the given time
Why Load-balance?
• Allows Highly-Trafficked Sites To Maintain Fast
Response Times
• Server Redundancy - If An Application Server
Goes Down, Your Site Stays Up
• Better Site Performance = Better User
Experience = Better Sales Results
• Readies Your Hosting Configuration For Traffic
Growth & Intense Traffic Spikes
Simple Load-Balancing
• Traffic enters the site
from the Internet through
a router (not shown in
diagram)
• This traffic is then
directed to the
appropriate Web server
by the load-balancing
switch
www.inetu.com
Load Balancing
Systems Cost
• Load-balancing
switches and software
cost between
US$10,000 and
US$50,000
www.inetu.com
• It should now be clear
what hardware and
server software is
required to construct a
Web site
• In this next section we will
discuss the client-side
and server-side software
used to construct Web
sites
Client-side Technologies
• Client-side Web technologies include:
– HTML
– XML
– JavaScript
– VBScript
– Java Applets
Server-side Technologies
• Server-side Web technologies include:
– Perl/CGI
– JSP
– PHP
– Microsoft ASP
• These technologies will be discussed in
the next session
• In addition to the client-
side and server-side
software that has just
been discussed, it is also
important to know the e-
commerce software that
is available to
businesses, who either
want to host their own
Web sites, or want to
outsource the hosting
function
Finding and Evaluating Web Hosts
• When a company takes on the responsibility of
hosting their own Web site this is called self-
hosting
• Small and mid-size businesses tend to
outsource to a third party, i.e. use a Web hosting
service provider
• These third parties are called Internet Service
Providers (ISPs), Commerce Service Providers
(CSPs), Managed Service Providers (MSPs) or
Application Service Providers (ASPs)
Finding and Evaluating Web Hosts Cont’d
• To find a host a company must determine what
type of service they require, for example:
– A shared hosting service where the Client’s Web site
is on a server which hosts other Web sites
– A dedicated hosting service where only the Client is
hosted on the Server
– Or, a co-location service where the Client installs his
own hardware and software, and rents a physical
space, a reliable power supplier and an Internet
connection
Finding and Evaluating Web Hosts Cont’d
• A list of Internet service providers can be found
on:
– http://thelist.internet.com
– http://www.hostindex.com
– http://www.tophosts.com
– http://www.hostSearch.com
• Exercise: use the above sites to find ISPs in
North America
Electronic Commerce Software
• The software requirement for e-commerce
site vary tremendously and are dependent
on several factors including:
– The size of the enterprise and its projected
traffic
– The budget
Electronic Commerce Software Cont’d
• All e-commerce solutions must provide at
least the following:
– A catalog display
– Shopping cart capabilities
– Transaction processing
Electronic Commerce Software Cont’d
• Larger e-commerce site require additional
functionality, such as:
– Middleware that links the company’s existing system
(inventory control, order processing and accounting)
to the e-commerce system
– Databases and Applications
– Supply chain management software
– Customer relationship management software
– Content management software
– Knowledge management software
Catalog Display
• This is used to organise the goods being sold
• Static catalog
– This is a simple list written in HTML that appears on
one or more Web pages
– To add or delete items from the catalog it is require to
edit the HTML pages
• Dynamic catalog
– Information is stored in a database
– May feature photographs of items, detailed
descriptions and search facilities
Catalog Display Cont’d
• Smaller Web stores selling fewer than 40 items
only need a list of products or product categories
– Images of all the products might be able to fit on the
same page
• Larger stores require
– More sophisticated navigation, and product
organisation tools
– Also they must often alternative ways of finding
products, e.g. product categories as well as a free-
text search capabilities, e.g. “stereos”
Shopping Carts
• In the earlier years of e-commerce text forms
were used to enter orders. These forms were
error prone because customers had to:
– Write down product codes, unit prices and other
information about the products before going to the
order form
– Customers also had to write down the price of the
item which was often on another page
Shopping Carts Cont’d
• Modern shopping carts keep track of the items a
customer selects, allowing them to add or
remove items, or simply to view the cart
• All information about the item, including its price
and product code are stored in the shopping cart
automatically
• The clicking of a button (e.g. the checkout
button) executes the purchase transaction
• Some Web commerce sites allow the
storage of items in a shopping cart over a
period of days, allowing the user to come
back and pay for the items at that time
• Companies that sell shopping cart
software include:
– http://www.salescart.com/
• A one off cost of $250-$400
• ASP, ASP.Net & PHP
– http://www.webgenie.com/
• Single User license $495
• Perl/CGI
Transaction Processing
• Transaction processing occurs when the
Shopper proceeds to the virtual checkout
– At this point volume discounts, sales tax and shipping
costs are calculated (sales tax and shipping charges
must be kept current)
– These calculations must also include any coupons,
special promotions or time sensitive offers (e.g. make
a purchase by a given date and get a discount)
– A secure communication link is subsequently
established to transmit payment information
Middleware
• Links the e-commerce software to existing
system
• Middleware may be written in-house or bought
from middleware vendors or consulting firms
• The total cost of a middleware implementation
can range from $50,000 to millions
– E.g. of middleware vendors are www.beasys.com and
www.broadvision.com
Databases
• A database manager stores software in a highly
structured way
• The database structure determine how easy the
database manager can retrieve the information
stored in the database
• Smaller e-commerce sites can use low cost
databases such as Microsoft Access
Databases Cont’d
• Larger e-commerce sites require more
expensive data management software
such as:
– IBM DB2
– Microsoft SQL Server
– Oracle
• These packages cost between US$5,000
and US$200,000
Databases Cont’d
• An increasing number of companies and
organisations are beginning to use MySQL
which is open source software
– Customers pay for service support if required
Application Integration
• Application programs perform specific functions,
e.g. creates invoices
• An application server receives its input from
Web servers which in turn is supplied by the
user
• The function of the application software is
dictated by the rules of the business; this is
called business logic
Application Servers
• Application servers are divided into two groups:
– Page-based application systems which return
pages generated by scripts containing rules for
presenting the data
• Examples include Macromedia ColdFusion, Java Server
Pages (JSP), Active Serer pages (ASP) and PHP: Hypertext
Preprocessor (PHP)
• This technology works well for small to mid size sites
Application Servers Cont’d
– Component-based application systems
separate the presentation logic from the
business logic. Each logical component is
created in a separate module
• E.g. Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs), Microsoft
Component Object Model (COM) and Object
Management Group Common Object Request
Broker Architecture (COBRA)
Web Services
• An accepted definition. is not yet available
• However it is a combination of software
tools that allow application software in one
organisation to speak to application
software in another organisation over a
network
Web Services Cont’d
– E.g. a mortgage application service company
obtaining information from consumers
– forwarding the information to a Building
Society for a mortgage decision
– decision is relayed back to the service
company
• These services use XML
E-Commerce Software for Small to Mid-Size E-
Businesses
• E-commerce software for small to mid-size
business is typically provided by commerce
service providers (CSP)
• CSP have the advantage of
– Offering free or low-cost e-commerce site building
software
– Cost typically less than US$20 month
E-Commerce Software for Small to Mid-
Size E-Businesses Cont’d
– Service appropriate for small businesses
selling no more than 50 items
– Transaction volumes of fewer than 20 a day
• E.g. ValueWeb hosts over 180,000 Web
site for over 130 countries
Mall-style CSP
• Provide small businesses with:
– An Internet connection
– Web site creation tools
– Little or no banner advertising clutter
– Shopping cart software, and payment processing
• The monthly fee is higher than lower-end
providers (therefore less ads)
– May charge a one-time setup fee
– Percentage or fixed charge for every transaction
Mall-style CSP Cont’d
• Examples include eBay Stores and Yahoo!
Stores
Estimating Operating Costs For Small Web
Business Using ISP
• The first year cost (in US dollars) for Web businesses
that sell less than 50 different items
– Initial site setup fee $200
– Annual maintenance $1200
– Domain name registration $70
– Scanner or digital camera $500
– Photo editing software $100
– Occasional HTML design help $400
– Merchant credit card setup $200
– Total first year cost $2670
Cost of Self Hosting a Site for a Small Business

• Setup and Web site maintenance includes
– Equipment: (server and network gear) one time cost of
US$3000 - $20000
– Communication: T1 or fractional T1 cost US$1200 -
US$12,000 per year
– Physical location: (e.g. room security, air conditioning
and communication access) cost $5,000 a year
– Staff: minimum cost US$50,000 - US$100,000 annually
– Total cost US$60,000 - US$100,000 or more for the
first year, and about the same in subsequent years
Cost of Self Hosting a Site for a Medium-
Size and Large Business
• The startup cost is US$100,000 -
US$500,000
– Recurring annual cost of 50% this amount
• Large businesses spend US$1 million -
US$50 million to launch, with 50%
recurring annual cost
Software Tools For Medium-Size to Large E-
Businesses
• The software tools for midsize to large
businesses include:
– Macromedia Dreamweaver
– Microsoft FrontPage
– Visual Studio .Net – for dynamic pages
– Shopping carts, content management software
– Middleware
Software Tools For Medium-Size to Large E-
Businesses Cont’d
• Buying and using mid-range e-commerce
software has an annual cost of US$2,000 -
US$50,000
– Offers connectivity to database systems
– Provides connections to existing inventory control
software
– E,g, IBM Websphere Commerce Professional Edition
(cost US$80,000 per processor)
E-Commerce Software for Large Businesses
• Higher transaction loads required
• Software cost much more
• Extensive support for B2B commerce
• Requires several dedicated computers, Web
server systems and firewalls
• E.g. IBM WebSphere Commerce Business
Edition
Customer Relationship Management
• The goal is to understand the customer’s
specific needs and customise the product
to suit them
• A customer whose needs are being met
exactly is willing to pay more for goods or
services
Customer Relationship Management Cont’d
• CRM software requires input from
– Sales automation
– Customer service centre operation
– Marketing campaigns
– Customer activity data from the Web site
• This helps managers to:
– Gather business intelligence
– Plan marketing strategy
– Perform customer behaviour modelling
– Product and service customisation
Customer Relationship Management
Cont’d
• E.g. Siebel Systems; price starts at around
US$200,000; an average of about
US$5,000 per user
Supply Chain Management
• Helps to coordinate planning and operations with
industry partners
• SCM software helps with
– Planning: helps companies develop coordinated
demand forecast using information from partners
– Execution: helps with warehousing and transportation
management
– E.g. i2 Technologies. A wholesaler with 3-4
distribution Centres might have to pay US$1 million
for the SCM software
Content Management Software
• Used to update or maintain Web site
content
• Allows control of large amount of text,
graphics and media files
• E.g. Documentum which cost between
US$200,000 - $500,000
Knowledge Management Software
• Helps companies to
– Collect and organise information
– Share information among users
– Enhance the ability of users to collaborate
– Retain knowledge gained to be used by future users
– E.g. IBM Lotus Discovery Server
– KM software can cost between US$50,000 to US$1
million or more
Evaluating Web Sites 4
• The Internet provides a

rich source of information,
however
– Although it is tempting to
think that everything is on
the Internet, it is not
– There are many Web sites
with inaccurate, confusing
and misleading information
http://www.class.uidaho.edu/psyc218/images/evaluate.jpg
Evaluating Web Sites Cont’d
• Since there is no editor in charge of the
Internet it is necessary to evaluate Web
sites before using the information on them
• Many criteria have been suggested in the
literature for the evaluation of the
credibility of an Internet source
• However the criteria that this course will
adopt are:
– Authority
– Accuracy
– Objectivity
– Currency
– Coverage
Authority
• Authority is concerned with the credentials of the
author of the information
– Who has created the Web page content?
– Is there any author contact information?
– What degrees or experience does the author have?
• These questions help to determine whether the
author is a reliable source or even an expert in
the subject area
Accuracy
• This is concerned with the accuracy of the
information contained in the Web site
– Can any of the facts be verified against another
source?
– Are there spelling or grammatical errors (since this
helps to indicate whether the author took care in
writing the material)?
– Is there a person or body responsible for the accuracy
of the information (e.g. the Publishers of a Journal do
blind peer reviews)?
Objectivity
• This is an attempt to determine whether
the information is objective or biased
– Does the author have a clear point of view?
– Is the site run by Government, a University or
a business trying to sell a product?
Currency
• This is concerned with the publication date of the
article
• On Web sites this is not always clear
• Information that is updated regularly is more
likely to be useful as references for research
papers
• Web sites with links that go nowhere (i.e. dead
links) often indicate that it has been abandoned
or that the information is simply not up to date
Coverage
• This is concerned with whether information
about a given topic is covered in-depth
• Shorter articles, which are most common on the
Internet, tend not to have the depth of
information required for research papers
• Articles for bibliographies or a list of references
provide a valuable source of additional articles
that can be used
• Typically, the order of importance of
sources are:
– Peer-reviewed Journals
– Peer-reviewed conference proceedings
– .gov, .edu sites (run by the government and
Universities)
– .org, .com, .net sites (run by individuals or
companies)
Web Site Usability 5,9,10,11
• “From whence we
came”
– Early Web sites simply
provided information
and often did not
include e-mail
addresses; those who
did did not have
enough staff to
respond to the email
Web Site Usability Cont’d
• A visitor should be given access to the:
– organisation’s history,
– A statement of objectives/mission statement
– Information about products or services
– A way to communicate with the organisation
• Every visitor to a Web site is a potential
customer
– It is difficult to meet all the needs of visitors
• Some of the motivations of visitors include:
– Learning about products and services
– Buying products or services
– Obtaining general company information
– Identification of the management team and
their contact information
– Obtaining company financial information in
order to make investment decisions
Meeting Visitors Needs
• To meet the needs of Web site visitors you must
consider:
– The expectation level and experience when they enter
your site
– The communication channel used to connect and the
bandwidth
– The web browser used
– The add-ins available for the browser being used
Build Flexible Web sites
• Separate version with and without frames
• Text-only versions (for visually impaired people
who use special browser software)
• Get user the option to download smaller
versions of graphics
• If audio or video clips included, give user the
option to select the connection type (so that
adjustments may be made for bandwidth)
Build Flexible Web sites Cont’d
• Let users select the level of detail, viewing
format and download format
• Offer visitors multiple information formats
(e.g. HTML, PDF or Excel spreadsheet for
financial data)
Macromedia Flash
• There has been some controversy
surrounding the use of Macromedia Flash:
– The files (which are not rendered in HTML)
take a long time to download, especially if you
do not have a broadband connection
– Few major e-commerce sites use these type
of animated graphics pages
Macromedia Flash Cont’d
– Some tasks however do lend themselves to
animation (e.g. pants fitting at
http://www.leefit.com/)
– One solution is to offer Flash or non-Flash
pages
Web Site Design Goals
• A Web site developer should try to meet the
following goals:
– Provide easily accessible organisational information
– Provide a two-way communication link with the
organisation
– Encourage return visitors (e.g. announce upcoming
content) and keep the attention of existing visitors
– Provide full access to products and services
Customer Trust and Loyalty
• Customer trust/loyalty translates to return visits
– A customer that purchases a product from a business
and gets good service will begin to trust the business.
Multiple good experiences leads to loyalty
• A 5% increase in customer loyalty can yield 25-80% profit
• Customer service on E-commerce sites
– Research indicates a rating between average to low
– There is often a lack of integration between the call
centres and the Web site
– E-mail responsiveness is also an issue (slow or no
replies to emails)
Usability Testing
• Companies are only now performing usability
testing on their Web sites
• Average e-commerce sites frustrate up to 70%
of their users (resulting in the user leaving the
site without purchasing anything)
– Sites are confusing or difficult to use
• In many cases simple changes can improve the
usability of the site
(See http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/ and http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ for
further details)
Customer-centric Web Design
• The following guidelines serve to meet the
needs of the customer (as opposed to any Web
site visitor):
– Arrange links in the way that a customer would use
them
– It should be possible to access information quickly
– Keep product and service descriptions simple, do not
over sell by including a lot of marketing
– Keep the language simple and jargon free
Customer-centric Web Design Cont’d
– The Web site should work with the oldest
browser, running on the oldest computer at
the lowest bandwidth
• This might mean several different versions of the
Web site are required (what about the cost of
updating content?)
– Label all navigational aids clearly
– Test text visibility on smaller monitors
Customer-centric Web Design Cont’d
– Choose colour combinations that would not
impair the vision of colour-blind visitors
– Test the usability of your site using potential
users
• Always ensure that enough information
has been provided for the customer
otherwise they will go elsewhere.
Web site Response Times 9,10,11
• The required response time for hypertext
navigation is one second, therefore your
Web pages should be no more than 3KB
(assuming a 28.8kbps modem which most
users have).
• The above limitation rules out most
graphics
Three Important Response Times
• The basic advice on response times are:
– 0.1 seconds for a user to feel that a system is
instantaneous
– 1.0 seconds for the user’s thought to remain
uninterrupted
– 10 seconds for keeping a users attention
• Generally, the response time should be as fast
as possible
Continuous Feedback
• When an immediate response is not possible
continuous feedback should be provided
• Myers11 suggests a percentage completed
indicator, if the operation takes more than 10
seconds, which has three advantages:
– It assure the user that the system has not crashed
– It indicates how long the user has to wait
– It provides the user with something to look at, which
makes the wait less painful (for this reason a graphic
progress bar is far better than text)
Continuous Feedback Cont’d
• When the amount of work to be done by an operation is
unknown a percentage completed indicator might be
inappropriate
• In this case a number of progress indicators are still
available:
– If an operation goes through a defined set of steps, these steps
could be displayed as they are started and completed
– As a last resort progress indicator, such as dots printed on a
status line or a spinning ball could be used – which indicates that
the system is working
Continuous Feedback Cont’d
• For operations that complete within 2 – 10
seconds a percentage done indicator is
unnecessary
References
[1] Darnell, Rick, et al., “HTML4: Unleased”, Sams.net Publishing, First Edition, 1997
[2] Zhao, Jensen J., “Web design and development for e-business”, Prentice Hall,
2003
[3] INetU, “Load Balancing”, 2004. Online document available at
www.inetu.net/services/loadbalancing.php
[4] Burrell, Carolyn, Hingley, Chris, “Evaluating Business Web Sites”, 2002. Online
document available at
http://avconline.avc.edu/library/Distance_Ed/Business/eval_business_web_sites.h
tm
[5] Nielsen, Jakob, “Flash: 99% Bad”, Alertbox, Oct. 2000. Online document available
at http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20001029.html
[6] Schneider, Gary, P., “Electronic Commerce: The second wave”, Thomson Course
Technology, Fifth Annual Edition, 2004
[7] W3C, “HyperText Markup Language (HTML) Home Page”, 2004. Online document
available at http://www.w3c.org/MarkUp/
[8] Deitel, H., Deitel, P., Nieto, Frank, L., Lin, Ted, M., Sadhu, Praveen, “XML: How to Program”,
Prentice-Hall Inc., 2001
References
[9] Jakob Nielsen, “Why this site has almost no graphics”, 2005. Online document
available at http://www.useit.com/about/nographics.html
[10] Jakob Nielsen, “Response Times: The Three Important Limits”, 1994. Online
document available at http://www.useit.com/papers/responsetime.html
[11] Myers, B. A., “The importance of percent-done progress indicators for computer-
human interfaces.”, Proc. ACM CHI'85 Conf. (San Francisco, CA, 14-18 April),
1985, 11-17

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Session 5: Designing, Building and Evaluating Web

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