Web Site Design Committee

VPAST Lecture

April 12, 2000

First Generation Web Site

• October 1995• Strict navigation• Real content is two

clicks down• 17 useful links• What is under each

button?• Missing information

Second Generation Web Site

• March 1998• Promoted 4 links of

each second-level page• Much content is one

click down• 51 links• Busy appearance• Second-level pages

bypassed

Third Generation Objectives

• Cleaner appearance

• More information intense

• Stronger external focus

• Reasonable load time

• Ready for review by May 1, 2000

Design Compromises

• Clean appearance vs. information intense

• External focus vs. internal focus

• Impressive graphics vs. load time

• Individual vision vs. committee design

Dynamic HTML Popups

• Dynamic popup windows give a clean appearance and more links

• Popups can overlay other content and have links

• Loaded as part of the original HTML page• “Mouseover” can activate -- no click needed• Not separate browser windows• Additional development time and testing• Redundant versions needed

Evolution of Link Organization

• Generation 1: Topic menus that lead to departments

• Generation 2: Additional subject-based menus that cross department boundaries

• Generation 3: Addition of audience-based menus

External Focus

• Don’t know or care about the organizational structure

• Look by service, topic, or audience

• Additional directory: majors

• Additional directory: services

Demonstration

New Features

• Clean appearance• Increased

information intensity• Audiences on home

page

• Popup menus• Additional external

focus• Reduced server

load

Features Carried Over

• Multiple access methods

• Directories on home page

• Search on home page

• Rotating graphics• Event graphics• Text link

• Consistent navigation with second-level pages

• Fits in small windows (640x480 pixels)

• Reasonable load time

• Changing date

Features Avoided

• No plugins• No Java (does use

JavaScript)• Browser version

requirements

• No cover page• No animation• No sound• No frames

Feedback

• Committee web page: www.ksu.edu/committees/webdesign

• Mail to webmaster@ksu.edu.