Why are we Here?

Cliff Quinn

The Process and Elements of WEB Page Development

(from http://www.december.com/web/develop.html by John December.)

Developing information for the Web requires a focus on meeting user needs. This involves six elements and these six continuously ongoing processes:

1. Planning: define target audience, purpose, objectives, and policies for information development and use.
2. Analysis: check technical construction of web with validation tools; evaluate information consistency and verify correctness of domain information.
3. Design: separate information into page-sized chunks; connect pages along routes of use and user thinking; provide information,context, and navigation cues; create a consistent look and feel.
4. Implementation: create an extendible directory and file structure; use HTML tools where helpful; use templates for supporting consistent look and feel; check implementation in various browsers.
5. Promotion: target publicity releases for general Web audiences, potential users, and current users; follow online community norms and practices; innovatively connect with users to meet their needs.
6. Innovation: continuously and creatively work for improvement to meet user needs; use testing, evaluation, and focus groups to shift and change web's content as user needs change.

The six elements of Web design:

1. Audience information is a store of knowledge about the target audience for the web as well as the actual audience who uses the information.
2. The purpose statement is an articulation of the reason for and scope of the web's existence.
3. The objectives list flows from the purpose statement and defines the specific goals the web should accomplish.
4. The domain information is a collection of knowledge and information about the subject domain the web covers, both in terms of information provided to users of the web and information the web developers need.
5. The web specification is a detailed description of the constraints and elements that will go into the web.
6. The web presentation is the means by which the information is delivered to the user.