TONIGHT’S FIRST QUESTION
WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES
A GOOD WEBSITE?
...
PREPARE TO DISCUSS

TONIGHT’S LESSON
LET’S LOOK AT A WEBSITE.
LIKE A THEME PARK.

WEBSITE = THEME PARK
+ CREATE AMAZING ATTRACTIONS
+ GIVE VISITORS A WARM WELCOME
+ MAKE IT EASY TO SEE IT ALL
+ MAKE SURE THEY TAKE SOUVENIRS
+ INVITE THEM BACK FOR MORE

WHO WILL OUR
VISITORS BE?

TARGET = VISITORS
+ HOW DO WE DETERMINE TARGET?
+ WHAT IS THEIR AGE RANGE?
+ WHAT IS THEIR PSYCHOGRAPHIC?
+ ARE THEY ONLINE?
+ WHAT WEBSITES DO THEY USE NOW?
+ WHAT “THEME” WILL ATTRACT THEM?

WHAT ATTRACTIONS
WILL WE FEATURE?

CONTENT = ATTRACTIONS
MAKE A LIST OF POSSIBLE CONTENT
+ WHAT DO THEY NEED TO KNOW?
+ WHAT DO THEY WANT TO SEE?
+ WHAT DO THEY WANT TO EXPERIENCE?

HOW WILL THEY GET
AROUND THE PARK?

SITE ARCHITECTURE = MAP
+ ORGANIZE INTO CATEGORIES
+ DETERMINE EXACT PAGES
+ REMEMBER 1 PG CAN HOLD MORE
THAN 1 THING.
+ BUILD A ROUGH WIREFRAME
+ BUILD A SITE MAP

SITE WIREFRAME

SITE MAP

HOW DO WE
WELCOME THEM?

DESIGN = EXPERIENCE
+ EASY TO SEE WHAT THE THEME IS
+ NOT OVERWHELMING
+ CALL TO ACTION FOR MAIN AREAS
+ EVERY PAGE IS HOME PAGE

WHAT WILL THEIR
EXPERIENCE FEEL LIKE?

DESIGN = EXPERIENCE
+ GET PROFESSIONAL DESIGN
+ DESIGNER + DEVELOPER NEED TO
BE ON SAME PAGE
+ TELL DEV ABOUT ALL FEATURES
+ DOES IT NEED TO HAVE A CMS?
+ CHOOSE A DEVELOPER
+ CHECK EVERYTHING RELENTLESSLY

INTRODUCING
CINDY HONICKMAN

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
+ SCREEN RESOLUTION
+ TYPE OF CONTENT
+ HOW MANY PAGES?
+ COLOR
+ NAVIGATION
+ IMAGERY
+ CLIENT PARTICIPATION

MARKETING CONSIDERATIONS
+ What do you want them to do on the site?
+ Make it obvious to them
+ Use a layout that’s easy to understand
+ Use calls to action
+ Use imagery that directs their attention
+ Forms are important for tracking
+ Don't bury important pages

WHAT SOUVENIRS CAN
WE GIVE THEM?

SUBSCRIPTION = SOUVENIR
+ FRESH CONTENT IS KING
+ BLOG / NEWS
+ FORMS
+ EMAIL LIST
+ SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES
+ RSS SUBSCRIPTION

HOW CAN WE MEASURE
ATTENDANCE?

ANALYTICS = ATTENDANCE
THINGS WE CAN TRACK
+ Most popular pages
+ Number of hits per page
+ Amount of time spent on the page
+ How they found your site
+ Referrals from Twitter, Facebook, etc.

ANALYTICS = ATTENDANCE
THINGS WE CAN DO
+ See which visitors “converted”
+ Modify the site based on findings
+ Ex. Add calls to action on popular pages
+ Ex. Try to reduce “bounces”

HOW CAN WE GET
THEM TO COME BACK?

MARKETING = RETURN VISITS
+ SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
+ SOCIAL MEDIA
+ PAID SEARCH
+ VIRAL / WORD OF MOUTH
+ E-MAIL MARKETING

EXAMPLES:
THE BAD

EXAMPLES:
THE GOOD

THE ASSIGNMENT
(IN CLASS)

DISCUSSION
PICK A NUMBER BETWEEN
1 AND 5

Joe’s Fitness Center needs a
website. He offers personal training,
group exercise classes, and of
course equipment.
• What information would potential gym
members want to learn from the site?
• What should his call to action be?
• What can he do to make his site stand out?

DISCUSSION
LAST WEEK’S BLOG

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
CHOOSE A WEBSITE
DRAW OUT THE SITE MAP
(USE ILLUSTRATOR OR
PHOTOSHOP)
BLOG ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THIS ARCHITECTURE
(INCLUDE IMAGE)