Slides for the workshop session on Web Site Redevelopment“ (session A6)” at the IWMW 2001 event held at Queen's University Belfast on 25-27 June 2001. See http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2001/sessions.html#a6

1. A6: Web Site Re-development
Miles Banbery,
University of Kent at Canterbury

2. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
Abstract
 How often should redevelopment be done?
 How can we get institutional support for the
necessary work?
 How do you assess what needs doing and the
effectiveness of your current provision?
 Re-development in-house or buy-in?
 What user testing should/can be done?

3. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
Timetable for the session
09.15 - 09.45 Introductions
09.45 - 10.15 Overview of re-development
issues
10.15 - 10.45 Kent redesign case study
10.45 - 11.15 Coffee
11.15 - 11.55 Group work
11.55 - 12.15 Reporting back (5 mins per
group)

4. Introductions

5. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
About you ...
 Who are you?
 What re-development do you want to do?
 How do you know?

6. Overview of
redevelopment issues

7. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
What you have to know ...
 Where are you coming from?
 Where are you going to?
 Why?
 Who wants it / needs it?
 How much will it cost?
 How long will it last?
 How will you know if it is successful?

8. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
But we did the Web
two years ago!

9. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
Who do you have to convince?
 Budget holders
– VFM / cost effectiveness
 Strategists / Management
– Key to delivery of other, wider aims and objectives -
must tie in with institutional strategic aims
 Providers
– Easy to use, better quality information, more
professional look/feel - they need to identify with it
 Users
– Better service - accuracy, personalisation, interest

10. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
Magic phrases?
 Our competitors are doing …
 Legislation (accessibility, widening participation,
trading standards)
 More content / less maintenance per item
 Fast/pretty/useful - razorblade of life
 Design no longer portrays institution as …
 We can make more sales, recruit more students
by ...
 Our users said ...

11. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
(Re-) Development stages
 Strategy
 Structure
 Interface
 Graphics

12. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
Strategic design
 What type of site are you?
 Audiences
– Types
– Needs
 Providers
– Available Information
– Wants
 Available resources - centrally and departmentally
 How will you know how it is performing?

13. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
Assessing the audiences
 Who do you want to come?
– Potential students / staff
– Current students / staff
– Potential conference bookings
– Corporate clients / partners
 What is it they need?
– User questionnaires / analysis
– Market research
– Focus groups
– Comparing rivals’ Web sites

14. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
Assessing effectiveness
 Sales
 Link popularity
 Hits (Web stats)
 Return visits (cookies)
 Downloaded files
 Solicited feedback
 Unsolicited feedback
 Availability of enhanced
services
 Cost-effective
maintenance
 Registered users
 User testing
 Trade publications / peer
review
 Awards
 Share of e-business
against traditional modes
of delivery
 Comparison with
competitors
 World standards

15. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
Structural design
 Information organisation / architecture
 Putting things where people can find them
 There is always more than one way
 How it appears on the screen may not be how the
files are arranged in the folders - but it is easier
that way!
 This is a subjective task

16. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
Criteria for organisation
 Dependent on type of site - product driven or
audience driven?
 Sorted by type of interaction
 Sorted by user intent or user identification
 Hybrids - Major sections plus exceptions and inter-
linked services
 Shallow organisation against deep structure
 How many links to each page should you have?
 There must be more than one way to use the site

17. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
Interface
 What components are on each page? (Don’t forget
the content)
 Navigation
 Usability
 No colour or size at this stage

18. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
Graphic design
 Colour
 Fonts
 Shape
 Size
 Pictures / icons

19. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
The old problem ...
 In house
– Staffing hungry - additional
to normal service
– Short-term contracts
– Recruitment problems
– Control kept on-site
– Custom features
– Matches the institutional
needs
– Needs re-writing when that
is no longer the case
– Wheel re-invention?
 Out-source
– A new view - fresh ideas
– Varied expertise available at
short notice
– External credibility
– Lack of control
– Unknown resource applied
to your project
– Lump sum hungry

20. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
User testing
 Do not rely on your own knowledge of you
customer - use your customers
 Time implications
 Massive gains if mistakes found early on
 The customer is not too stupid to use your site (on
the whole)
 Controlled environments - set tasks
 Watch mistakes and record them - do not prompt

21. Discussion groups

22. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
What we have to do now
1. Problems
2. How we tackled them
3. Recommendations for UK HE institutions
4. Recommendations for external agencies

23. M.E.C.Banbery@ukc.ac.uk : 26/06/2001
(c) 2001, The University of Kent at Canterbury
What you have to do now …
 Get into groups of 3/4
 Nominate a reporter
 Pick a topic from the list of four
 Consider three problems of your choice and find
three possible helpful suggestions or ideas for
each