Analysis and Design

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART B

The report includes the analysis and design phase of the new proposed website. The whole process follows the Web Development Process and completed the analysis and design phase.

The analysis phase describes what the requirements of the client are and how it is going to be achieved. In this phase the document covered mission statements, objective and goals, target audience of the website. The analysis phase document ted all possible constraints for building the given websites and what technology is going to be used. The important thing COST is also determined in the document compare to all major competitors.

 The planning part includes people, time and budgeting of the application/website. Allocation of personnel and equipment resources with estimating time, money and monitoring of budget also documented in the report. Next part of the report covers the design phase of the website. The visual design covers the story board which actually discuss the layout of the site, colour contrast, colour combination, navigational structure and the prototype design of a homepage. This part completes the template on which the entire site is going to be built.

Media section of this report covers what multimedia elements will be used and how well they indulge with the design of the website. the accessibility option follows the Web Content Accessibility Guideline. The web development process will follow the standards of W3C and maintain its standards while using naming conventions, file name and other software packages. Testing and maintenance will be an ongoing process and everything will be documented.

 The whole project is well documented and can be used in future as a reference document.

Report - Usability Test

REPORT

            The final step is to put the test result and recommendations in writing. The most important thing to keep in mind when organizing a report, think in terms of improvement ideas, not criticism [Tognazzini]. It is very important to arrange the report in this fashion because if the report will only indicate problems then the management will still have the list of unorganised information or problems and no solutions [McKraken]. I suggested solutions in the report about the problems which we found out during the usability testing.

Ø  The heading was good in red colour it would be great if all the letters are big

Ø  User thinks it is better to have company logo on each page.

Ø  Consistency was not maintained, there should pictures on all the pages in the header or there should be none.

Ø  There should be more section on the website including sports.

Ø  Too much information on the homepage making it difficult to digest all the information it is better to organise it

Ø  The links are broke on the pages that need to be fixed.

Ø  Visitors would be happy if they can search something on website, the search option must be included.

Ø  If there is no information available on the page it is better not to publish that page to publish it leads to frustration and users might not come back to visit the site.

Ø  There should be hyperlink on heading/headlines of news.

Ø  The section of recent news will make it easy for the user to get the latest news.

Ø  Technology section should be added to help everyone learn about technology and new gadgets

Ø  Picture size should be limited to 60K for faster loading

Ø  CSS must be used to present the content and avoid HTML tag's attributes and elements.

Ø  Weather report should be included for the local community.

Ø  The news paper's important information should be available for download.

Ø  Most users preferred to have music on the website and some free stuff for visitors to visit the site continuously.

Ø  Add feedback pages that some actions has been performed or an error occurred.

Ø  Must add adequate error messages and provide help to prevent this to happen again.

            Griddex Solutions recommend all these solutions to make the website better and user friendly so users can interact with the website and visit constantly.

TASKS - Usability Test

User 1 Task:

Age group 20-35

·         Find the latest news

·         Go to article section and find out latest articles

·         Find the information on how to submit article

·         Find out weather report

User 1 test result

            The user was asked to complete few task on the website. The visitor had some problems in finding the latest news. There was no heading or sections states latest news in-fact there was just the heading of news and headlines. It was very confusing for the user to get the latest news on home page or anywhere else on a website. User then jump to second task. The task was not complicated but a user was shocked to see there are no articles available on the website. There was article section and on that page said recent articles but nothing there to read or download. The screen shoot will give the good idea.

The user was so frustrated to find out that there is no information about the weather of local area or the city. Moreover if youngster wants to submit the article there is no information available on how to submit article or information. These test helped GRIDDEX solutions to come up with solutions and design the better webite.

User 2 Task:

Age group 35-45

·         Find out upcoming events

·         You want to call or email editor to make sure that they received your article. Is appropriate email id or phone number available to contact the person?

·         Find latest sport news

·         Search for particular article using search facility

User 2 test results

            This user was in middle age group and use to read newspaper online and on the go to keep up to date. The mission of Independent newspaper was to provide information about local events in the community. We asked user to find the information about recent events but the user failed to do it. Unfortunately, there was no information existing on about events on a website.

The visitor was happy to find the information about the particular person to confirm about the article submission. Numbers and email address were available on website to contact for desired query. There were only heading of Sports and small news about it but the user was unable to find separate sports section or more news about sports. There was no search facility available on the website to search article.

User 3 Task:

Age group 45+

·         Find out for the local festivals

·         Find the links for different sections on website

·         Find the national news from home page

·         Look for local doctor in the town

User 3 test result

            This user was of adult group and use internet every day. The person was asked to complete series of task. The user was happy to see the contrast on the website because it separates it menu bar from the main content. The user was happy to find the navigation and can easily navigate between pages on website. 

The other task was to find national news page was clutter and full of text and images. It was very difficult to find the information. The user’s next task was to find the doctor in the town but it was very unpleasant that no information was available on that and there was also no option of help in the entire website.

Questionaries:

Instead of using closed questions (MCQs), I have decided to ask series of open questions to get more clear view of the website.

·         What did you like best about the website?

·         What improvements you think would make the site better?

·         What are the worst parts of the website?

·         What do you think about the content of the website?

·         Was it easy to find information on the website?

·         Is there any option you like to be on website?

·         How was your overall experience?

USABILITY SCRIPT

Testing Script:

            Good day dear friend, my name is Fahad MEMON and I am going to walking you through this usability test session.  Before we begin, I would like to read the information for you to make sure we don’t miss anything. You probably know why we have asked you to come but let me explain to you again, Kansas State University. We are working on design of a website and as a part of the process, what it is like to actual people or users and what elements of the design need to change or add.

            If you find some options are not easy to use or you are facing difficulty in finding or performing particular task, so will other people and appropriate changes are required to make it improve and efficient and that is our job.

            As you use the site, try to think out loud means to say what you are looking at, what you are thinking and what you are trying to do. I will ask you about this as much as possible this will be a big help for us (Krug S.).

            Don’t be scared if you do something wrong as this test is not to test you and not a reflection of your abilities. The website is being tested here and this is important to improve the site, so we are expecting the honest reaction from users.

            Do you have any questions before we start? Good! Thank you very much for your time in helping us to test this website. Your feedbacks are very important to us to make this website better.

TEST

            The test has been carried out on different age group people with different task. The purpose of the test was to identify the problems with the usability. Everyone had series of task to complete during the test and the facilitator was taking notes of all their actions and behaviours. We used think out loud approach as it was very much related to our series of task. The facilitator then analyse the result after the end of the test. The users also been asked to answer few other questions about the website after finishing all the tasks.

            The approach Griddex Solutions used for the test is open questions approach. We trim down the candidates list and asked few questions after all tasks have been completed.  This approach helped me a lot to learn about people that I haven’t had thought before the test, Dana Chisnell. This also enriched my research and enhanced my designs. With this approach candidates were more interested in giving some useful information about the website features and draw backs. Once everything is completed we came up with few new and different ideas which will really help users to interact with the upcoming system/website/application.

Assessment 1 - Report

Introduction


        Designing the website as an art and make it user friendly is an attitude. This blog entry includes 3 criteria to assess the website for ITC-589 assignment. There were few options available to select the particular website for review and suggestions for improvement. I have chosen to go for local community newspaper website in Australia. The URL of the site is http://www.nvi.com.au/

The website contains the news of local community and some important national news. It also includes the sports section which holds the news about local sports and what is happening around the area. The upcoming events section shows forthcoming events in surroundings. There is a page or a link that says Article on the website which indicates there are different articles and another link about Advertisement. The target audience is local people living in that area. The age group I think is between 12 and 65 in other words according to website there is something about everyone.

The aim of the website is to provide information with regards to what happened, what is happening and the coming activities specifically in that area and what are the chances of improvements in the local community. Moreover to provide articles and events details for everyone so more people can read and participate respectively.

Criteria


People access website more nowadays then decade before. Different types of devices available which supports web browsing and easy access to information. According to Morris, T. there are few options or criteria available to get the idea of the website that how well it is designed and how good it is in regards of content and structure. I am going to discuss 3 criteria and match against website and proposed the recommendations for improvement.

Look and Feel

        Look and feel of any website is very important and a great chance for a user to visit the site again. According to Joel Sklar, “The look and feel is both the way your Website works and the personality it conveys to the user. The website design must be portable and this is also a secret to be successful. The more portable the website is the better chance for it to gain success around people.

        The design of nominated website is good but not portable. You can’t see the same page in Chrome and Opera browsers. Things are slightly different in both browsers as well as on other handheld devices. I think website designer forgot to test on different environments. It is indeed design for the low bandwidth but the information is not easy accessible. The important ingredient is missing on this website and that is “SEARCH” option. There is no search option or page available to search for particular content.

Page Layout


Page layout is most important part of designing a website and for a website. If user lands on the website, is there interesting information available on home page? Is there a company logo, name or tagline which defines the purpose of website visible on the page? Is the navigation consistent? All of these things does matter for a successful website campaign. If the website and information is catchy user will definitely browse the website or visit it again.


Page layout of the Namoi Valley Independent website does not follow basic website design practice by Terry Morris. The site header and logo is there but not consistent and one of the pages got no picture while other got small company name and logo. There is inconsistency in layout and does not follow basic principles. There are lots of white spaces on the page and there is no balance of text, graphics and white spaces. Home page also lacks compelling and interesting information and is not appealing for users / visitors.

Navigation and functionality


Last but not the least the navigation and functionality options are very important for any websites. Navigation help users to find the information they are looking for and also help them to jump from one page to another. The functionality of website covers internal links of the website. The mailto option, hyperlink and bookmark on website should not be broken and work properly.


Navigation and functionality on http://www.nvi.com.au/ is fine. All main navigation links are clearly and consistently labeled and easy to find. Some information is given on the main page but there is no separate navigation link available on site. All main navigation hyperlinks are working but internal links are broken. The functionality of website is poor, internal links are broken and instead of use few words as a hyperlink the whole section was hyperlinked. There is hyperlink functionality for different articles but all of them access the same page. The Navigation and functionality feature is poorly designed for the website.

Recommendations


       Well, according to Terry Morris and Joel Sklar the website should follow the basic principles of website design. I think one of the best ways is to design a website portable. XHTML, CSS, HTML5 and Java-script should be use to make it browser compatible. The concept of “Design for Low Bandwidth” should be followed and decrease the size of images used. One of the important features should be added for the website “The Search Option”.

         The site header, company logo and there sizes should be the same throughout the whole website. The header and footer should be consistent and follow the basic website design principles. The best think to use proper white spaces, the contrast between the color should be maintained and balance between text and graphics must be sustained. I would love to add important information on the home page and make headings and text clearly visible.
       
          In the end the navigation and functionality should be fixed to make it site user friendly. The main navigation links follow the proper hyperlinks and pages must contain contents. The email option would be a great addition to the current website and it will also maintain the relation between businesses. Broken links internal or external should be fixed and must go on appropriate pages. I would love to add few things for kids so they can also visit the website and learn some interesting things.

References

• Felke-Morris, T. (2012), Basics of Web Design HTML5 & CSS3, Pearson Education: Boston.

• Felke-Morris, T. (2009), Web Development and design foundations, Boston: Pearson Education.

• Joel Sklar, (2009) Principles of Web Design, Course Technology.

Recommondations

Recommendations


       Well, according to Terry Morris and Joel Sklar the website should follow the basic principles of website design. I think one of the best ways is to design a website portable. XHTML, CSS, HTML5 and Java-script should be use to make it browser compatible. The concept of “Design for Low Bandwidth” should be followed and decrease the size of images used. One of the important features should be added for the website “The Search Option”.

         The site header, company logo and there sizes should be the same throughout the whole website. The header and footer should be consistent and follow the basic website design principles. The best think to use proper white spaces, the contrast between the color should be maintained and balance between text and graphics must be sustained. I would love to add important information on the home page and make headings and text clearly visible.

3 Criteria

Navigation and functionality


Last but not the least the navigation and functionality options are very important for any websites. Navigation help users to find the information they are looking for and also help them to jump from one page to another. The functionality of website covers internal links of the website. The mailto option, hyperlink and bookmark on website should not be broken and work properly.


Navigation and functionality on http://www.nvi.com.au/ is fine. All main navigation links are clearly and consistently labeled and easy to find. Some information is given on the main page but there is no separate navigation link available on site. All main navigation hyperlinks are working but internal links are broken. The functionality of website is poor, internal links are broken and instead of use few words as a hyperlink the whole section was hyperlinked. There is hyperlink functionality for different articles but all of them access the same page. The Navigation and functionality feature is poorly designed for the website.

2 Criteria

Page Layout


Page layout is most important part of designing a website and for a website. If user lands on the website, is there interesting information available on home page? Is there a company logo, name or tagline which defines the purpose of website visible on the page? Is the navigation consistent? All of these things does matter for a successful website campaign. If the website and information is catchy user will definitely browse the website or visit it again.


Page layout of the Namoi Valley Independent website does not follow basic website design practice by Terry Morris. The site header and logo is there but not consistent and one of the pages got no picture while other got small company name and logo. There is inconsistency in layout and does not follow basic principles. There are lots of white spaces on the page and there is no balance of text, graphics and white spaces. Home page also lacks compelling and interesting information and is not appealing for users / visitors.

1 Criteria

Look and Feel

        Look and feel of any website is very important and a great chance for a user to visit the site again. According to Joel Sklar, “The look and feel is both the way your Website works and the personality it conveys to the user. The website design must be portable and this is also a secret to be successful. The more portable the website is the better chance for it to gain success around people.

          The design of nominated website is good but not portable. You can’t see the same page in Chrome and Opera browsers. Things are slightly different in both browsers as well as on other handheld devices. I think website designer forgot to test on different environments. It is indeed design for the low bandwidth but the information is not easy accessible. The important ingredient is missing on this website and that is “SEARCH” option. There is no search option or page available to search for particular content.

Criteria

Criteria


People access website more nowadays then decade before. Different types of devices available which supports web browsing and easy access to information. According to Morris, T. there are few options or criteria available to get the idea of the website that how well it is designed and how good it is in regards of content and structure. I am going to discuss 3 criteria and match against website and proposed the recommendations for improvement.

Introduction

Introduction


        Designing the website as an art and make it user friendly is an attitude. This blog entry includes 3 criteria to assess the website for ITC-589 assignment. There were few options available to select the particular website for review and suggestions for improvement. I have chosen to go for local community newspaper website in Australia. The URL of the site is http://www.nvi.com.au/

The website contains the news of local community and some important national news. It also includes the sports section which holds the news about local sports and what is happening around the area. The upcoming events section shows forthcoming events in surroundings. There is a page or a link that says Article on the website which indicates there are different articles and another link about Advertisement. The target audience is local people living in that area. The age group I think is between 12 and 65 in other words according to website there is something about everyone.

The aim of the website is to provide information with regards to what happened, what is happening and the coming activities specifically in that area and what are the chances of improvements in the local community. Moreover to provide articles and events details for everyone so more people can read and participate respectively.

Assessment Item 2 Part A

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART A

The report files the findings of a usability test of the website http://www.nvi.com.au. On March 27 this usability test was performed by GRIDDEX Solutions. The intention behind this usability test was to access the usability for the users of NVI website.

There are some characteristics of the website which are positive

o   The user thinks the picture with the text is nice and give the smooth effect

o   The headline are big enough to catch attention

o   The contrast for the navigation stands out on white background

o   The Name of the website looks good in red colour.

Some areas required some enhancements

o   Too much information on home page but still manageable

o   News website should be updated frequently

o   Links should be provided with news headlines

Areas need improvement [DialogDesign]

o   Quality issue: the pages are too long to load, need to separate presentation layer. Using of CSS is better option

o   Search problem: There is no search facility available on the website. Required a search option

o   Broken links: Links for different pages need to be fixed.

Griddex Solutions reports based on the usability problems which were found during the test.

o   Quality should be increase by limiting the size of the image.

o   CSS should be used instead of JavaScript for getting similar results.

o   HTML tags elements and attributes should be avoided to decrease load time

o   Search option should be included fot customer need

o   News should be break down in different sections.

Fahad MEMON

GRIDDEX Solutions