Reputable Affiliation O Web Site example essay topic

Introduction Purpose of the web site The University of Glamorgan is an institute of higher learning with a diverse population. Entertainment is provided for such a population in the form of the Students union. The purpose of the web site designed, was to appeal to the diverse student body. It is aimed at attracting students. It is noted that an interesting students union may attract potential students to the institute therefore the importance of advertising the union is further highlighted.

The web site primarily aims at providing a means for the general public, which includes actual and potential students of the University of Glamorgan, to obtain information about the facilities and activities offered at the union in an enjoyable, interactive and hassle-free environment. Target Audience The diversity of the audience interested in the University of Glamorgan students union means that it is vital that the web site highlights the facilities available to cater for different people. The web site aims at people of all ages, because the student body at the university includes both young and mature students, both sexes and all races. The union is also aimed at attracting the young at heart. The facilities, such as Baa bar and Shafts, suggest that the union is a recreational place. The web site addresses this by displaying most of the information in a way that appeals to current, but more important, potential students.

Also, in general the web site aims at showing that the union is a place designed to meet all student queries. The reception area has been included to show that the union caters for those who need information, wish to make a complaint or just want to make suggestions on the union. It is important that current or potential students know their opinions will be taken into account. These points generalise the audience as the student body of the University of Glamorgan. However, in order to cater for the different needs of individual students, it is necessary to subcategorised the audience. The following subcategories were chosen based on interest because they encompass racial, sexual and age differences.

The target audience has been subcategorised as follows: The Pub fanatic Definition - a person devoted to frequently visiting a pub or pubs. [1] This audience mainly comprises of those who prefer a low-key night of drinking, socialising and playing pub games to upbeat tempo that clubbers enjoy. This audience is catered for in the form of Baa bar. The web site addresses the fact that such people would benefit from getting information on the bar in the Union.

This audience may consist of both the old and young but would mostly comprise of the mature students. University of Glamorgan Students Union The Clubber Definition - a person who regularly frequents nightclubs and similar establishments [2] This category of the audience consists of such people. It is vital to reveal that the union has facilities to cater for clubbers, as they usually are of the ages ranging from eighteen to twenty- five, which is the majority age range of the population of students at the University of Glamorgan. The web site also has to show that the union is a better club to frequent than the clubs in nearby Cardiff. Proximity to the students' residences does not work in favour of the union as these clubs provide transport to and from Cardiff.

Therefore, in order to appeal to the student, the union has to advertise Shafts (the union night club) in an interesting and up-tempo way. Audience Expectations of the Web Site Content "Ultimately, users visit your website for it content. Everything else is just the backdrop. The design is there to allow people to access the content. The old analogy is somebody who to see a theatre performance: When they leave the theatre, you want them to be discussing how great the play was and not how great the costumes were". [3] In this statement, Nielsen highlights the importance of web site content.

In order to guarantee that the content in a web site is appropriate, the question of what the audience expects to see in the web site needs to be answered. In the quest to answer this question, I believe, it is important that the target audience is defined and the category the web site fits into is known. Having defined the audience, it is important to categorise the web site. "Since the World Wide Web is still in its infancy it is fair to say that many of the terms associated with it are not those you would find in a dictionary. Different terms relating to the same things are often used by a variety of people until a term emerges as the accepted norm for everyone". [4] It is for this reason that it should be noted that the web site designed might not perfectly fit into one category.

In this case, the most appropriate category has been selected. The web site fits into the Reference / Informational category whose main purpose is to provide information. It is not designed to promote a specific viewpoint or product. The fact that it may attract more customers to the union is merely a perk as opposed to the mission of the web site therefore it is not a commercial web site. "Informational Websites: A Website that is intended to provide information that is useful to visitors and the organization or business that it serves. This Website is not considered a commercial site, although it may stimulate some commerce by virtue of the information contained in it".

[4] Having defined the web site audience and mission, it is easier to provide expectations of the web site content. The type of content expected should be informative, as the site is an informational website, short, because it is aimed a vibrant audience and lengthy text may bore such an audience, and presented uniformly. .".. content types are the twigs that hang on the branches of your Web site tree. They all look a little different, but they are essentially made the same. No matter what kind of content they hold, all content types have many things in common" [5] University of Glamorgan Students Union Also, because the web site is based on a place for entertainment and student politics, it is probable that the audience would expect to find: o information on up-coming social events, o information on the disk jockeys playing in Shafts (the night club), o the range of drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) available, o the expense of the food and drinks available, o details of membership o information on student support o the retail services offered by the union and o information on the union democracy.

Evaluation Criteria Design Web sites have different evaluation criteria. The web site I designed falls under the informational category. Research on this category lead to the discovery of a basic criteria list devised for such web sites. Alexander & Tate [7] believe that the basic criteria for informational web sites are as follows: Authority: generally refers to the author and publishers qualifications.

Objectivity: generally refers to the opinions of the writer. These should not be obvious in an informational site Accuracy: generally refers to the reliability of the information Currency: generally refers to the up-to-datedness These will form the basis of the University of Glamorgan students' union web site. In addition to these the following have been added due to their relevance to the credibility of the web site I designed: Usability: generally refers to how easy it is for users of all abilities to use the site Content: refers to the relevancy of the actual information displayed on the site Layout: refers to the general look and feel of the web site Technical: refers to all other characteristic not in design and content e.g. URL naming, colour and font suitability. Questions about the web site will be categorised into all the above criteria.

Self Evaluation "What differentiates between experiencing and learning is evaluation. An experience changes into learning when it is accompanied by some kind of evaluation" [8] In light of these criteria a self-evaluation of the web site may be conducted. University of Glamorgan Students Union Evaluation Technique "Evaluation is the systematic acquisition and assessment of information to provide useful feedback about some object" [6] After extensive research of different evaluation techniques for web sites, I have chosen to base my evaluation form on the evaluation form designed by Kent State University. Kent University has been on "Yahoo's Most Wired Colleges top 100 rankings 5 years in a row" and amazingly "came 31st in 2001".

Kent State also "received the Cleveland Area Knowledge Industry (CAK I) Award for "Best Technology Transfer Program" in 2001". [7] These are only a couple of the numerous awards and acknowledgements made to the University. The research team dedicates a lot of time to keeping up to date in most technologies. With such credits, I feel the evaluation form designed by Kent State University research team is appropriate to base my web site on. I also chose this evaluation method because it encompasses the five basic web site criteria - authority, objectivity, accuracy, currency and usability. The evaluation technique I used is a combination of the closed-question and open-question questionnaire.

I chose the closed-question feature to ensure a calculated mathematical result (for the purpose of attaining a more accurate outcome) but also felt that the open-question feature would allow users to make suggestions of how to improve on web criteria they felt were not met in the web site. This would also allow the evaluator to justify why they marked down a particular web site feature. Although the majority of the questions are obtained from the Kent University evaluation form, additional questions were added to suite the University of Glamorgan students' union web site. An extract of the evaluation form is displayed below. Criteria category Criteria and types of evidence How the Web site being evaluated met the criterion Rating 1 (Low) 2 3 4 5 (high) 1. Authority with regard to topic-who is responsible for the site? o Author of site (individual / institutional affiliation, organization o Credentials, expertise, experience o Contact information (name, e-mail, postal address) Questions relating open questioning - space to allow closed questioning- Point to criteria category allow user to freely view their rating scale feature in question opinions on particular University of Glamorgan Students Union Web Site Evaluation Enrolment no: 01073478 Course: Bachelor of Sciences in Information Systems Instructors: Mike Reddy Mike Thomas Web Site Title: A Virtual tour of the University of Glamorgan students Union Web URL: Web site presented on CD-Rom Date Visited: 12-May-2003 Brief description of the contents of the site: The web site takes the user on a virtual tour of the University of Glamorgan students' Union building.

There are three quick time panoramas, each showing different view points of the union building. They are all connected via hot spots. However, the user may view the same panorama by also clicking on the navigation tabs provided in the flash interface. The panorama of the bar contains various hotspots, which allow the user to view an object movie and its associated information. In this case, the objects are beverages on sale. The web site also contains a quick time video of a typical night out in shafts - the union nightclub.

Textual information on items displayed is present throughout the web site. University of Glamorgan Students Union Criteria and types of evidence How the Web site being evaluated met the criterion Rating 1 (Low) 2 3 4 5 (high) 1. Authority with regard to topic-who is responsible for the site? o Author of site (individual / institutional affiliation, organization o Contact information (name, e-mail, postal address) o URL type suggest reputable affiliation (. edu = educational institution; . org = non-profit organization; . com = commercial enterprise; . net = Internet Service Provider; . gov = governmental body; . mil = military) o Web site had to be submitted anonymously. o No Contact details stated and link to email author is absent. o Not applicable. Web site handed in on CD-Rom 1 2.

Objectivity-is the purpose of the site clear, including any particular viewpoint? o Statement of purpose / scope o Intended audience o Information presented as factual or opinion, primary or secondary in origin o Criteria for inclusion of information o Welcome page clearly defines the purpose of the web site o Sound and colour will appeal to target audience o No subjective-ness o Criteria specified and followed 1 1 1 1 3. Accuracy-is the information accurate? o Facts documented or well-researched o Facts compare to related print or other online sources o Links provided to quality Web resources o Information based on fact o Comparison with actual Union web site proves accuracy of information o No Links 1 1 1 4. Currency-is the information current? o Evidence of current content o Pages date-stamped with latest update o Site currently created therefore information valid o Not applicable. Work not to be update due to completion criteria on assignment. 1 5. Usability: -is the site well designed and stable? o Site organization logical and easy to manoeuvre o Content readable by intended audience o Information presented is error-free (spelling, punctuation) o Readily identifiable link back to the institutional or organizational home page o Site reliably accessible o Pages loaded quickly o Navigation easy due to links on every page and directions for hot spots in the quick time movies. o Clear and concise o No spelling or grammatical errors o No link to homepage present o URL simple and straight forward o Page containing large video file hinders loading speed o 1 1 1 1 1 6.

Content: - is the content relevant and informative? o Content relevant to the subject and purpose of the website o Content is not misleading and presented in an honest and understandable manner o There is no presence of pop-ups when reading the content. o Sound, media and graphics used relate to the website topic and purpose. o Media used is not offensive. o Text is concise o Language used in content is objective. o Content informative and objective o Prices, opening times, guest appearances based on fact. o Media and sound all demonstrate relevancy to students' Union o No racial or sexual content. o Short and honest information o No opinions sited. 1 1 1 1 1 1 7. Layout: - Does the layout of text, graphics and media have a good look and feel? o Low number of advertisements and banners. o Layout is consistent from page to page. o Consistency in web site design due to use of frames. Top frame always contains a flash interface and bottom- an quick time movie 1 1 8. Technical: - Is the site easy to use for all? o Easy navigation o Interactivity o Accessibility to disabled users o Good URL - catchy domain name. o Interesting user interface o Good use of text and graphics to make site more interesting. o Navigation bars present on all related web pages o Hot spots allow users interactivity. Users have the option to skip flash introduction o Not much consideration made to disabled users o URL merely named "Welcome. html" but consideration made to page title which is "University of Glamorgan students Union" o Flash interface colourful and catchy. o Text to direct users to hot spots present and graphics to support quick time movies present.

1 1 1 1 1 1 Sub-Total by rating of points awarded for each of the criteria 4 2 6 120 Assessment of Web Site Rating based on the total number of points: 140-150 Excellent 100-139 Good 60 - 99 Average 50 - 69 Borderline Acceptable Below 50 Unacceptable Rating based on points: Good Your personal assessment-would you recommend this site? Why or why not? The site needs a few improvements, such as reducing the downloading time for the quick time video of Shafts. A revision of these errors would make the site an even more interesting site to get information on the University of Glamorgan students' union. web Please Note: Minor alterations have been made to the original evaluation form.

University of Glamorgan Students Union Summary The aim of the web site designed is to provide information to a young hearted audience, in a fun and interactive way. In order to be a success, the web site needs to target a specific audience - in this case it comprises of vibrant people. This is because the web site is based on a students' union, which mainly deals with entertainment. The audience is subcategorised into pub fanatics and clubbers. Pub fanatics prefer a low-tempo night of drinking and chatting whereas clubbers prefer loud music, nightlife and live concerts.

Audience expectations could only be listed after defining the audience and the category in which the web site falls. After establishing that the web site was an informational web site, which is aimed at providing information without commercial intent, it was easier to list the assumptions of audience expectation. The audience would expect to find information that is objective and concise. Being a place of entertainment, the audience also expect to fine information on the activities, events and facilities offered. Having collected this information, the criteria for web evaluation could now be designed.

The basic criteria followed by the majority of web sites was maintained but extended to better suite the web site I designed. These criteria included authority, objectivity, accuracy, currency and usability. Categories on Content, Layout and Technical website requirement were added to these. With the criteria set it was now necessary to choose an appropriate evaluation technique. Of the several techniques found during extensive research, the most appropriate was questionnaires.

Further research lead to the discovery of an evaluation form designed by Kent State University and also based on the same basic criteria. This evaluation form became the foundation of the form designed for the University of Glamorgan web site. Appropriate questions obtained from different sources were added to those in the Kent State University evaluation form and the additional categories added as well. These questions were listed under the appropriate categories. With the evaluation form constructed, self-evaluation of the web site could begin.

As the work is my own, the possibility of impartiality is present. To eliminate this, a randomly selected classmate conducted another evaluation of my web site and the results of this, presented in the appendix. On accessing the results of the evaluation, some errors became apparent. It was evident that I had: o made little consideration to disabled users o omitted contact details o omitted a link to the home page Were I to start the assignment again, I would pay greater detail to usability and technical prospects of the web site. Conclusion o Personal experience Media study was an enjoyable experience. On reading the assignment, I was determined to base it on something I loved so as to make it an enjoyable.

My passions for shoe shopping lead me to the decision to base my web site on one of the leading female shoe traders - Faith store. However, the image of snapping pictures of gorgeous shoes while seeping on champagne was quickly dashed when they denied me the authority I needed to take pictures on their premises. The University recreation centre was my next choice. However, this idea was also dashed on discovering that a fellow student was basing their site on the same place. Finally, the decision to base my web site on the University of Glamorgan students' union came was based on three reasons - accessibility (having no car would make carrying the equipment difficult), authority (permission to take pictures was granted) and interest (I frequently visit the union and enjoy being there when I do) With the foundation laid, the assignment was not hard to tackle. Repeated trips to re-shoot the union exterior and reception, persistence with lecturers and extensive research resulted in the development of the website.

Comparison of prototype to original web site When designing the web page I considered adding a game in order to make the site more interactive. Time constraints resulted in this feature being omitted. However, because of the development of the flash interface, I did not feel disappointed with this. I, also, had plans to embed more sound into the flash interface.

However, once this had been done on the original, the thought that the sound could become irritating for some users resulted in the sound present only in the introduction. Generally, besides these two alterations, I followed the prototype. Usability issues "Usability rules the Web". [3] o Page design " As a rule thumb, content should account for at least half of the page's design", [3] The page design aims at displaying more content than navigation. navigation is only a small segment of the top frame leaving approximately 90% of the page for content. The target audience would be more interested in content than navigation as the web site is for informational / reference purposes. o Screen design. ".. you should write 50 percent less text - no just 25 percent less - because its not only a matter of reading speed but also a matter of feeling good". [3] Textual content on the web site is kept to a minimum.

Bearing in mind that the target audience is outgoing and vibrant, it is important that the content be kept to a minimum because such an audience would not like to be bombarded with lengthy reviews or descriptions of the club or pub. More factual and straight-to-the-point information is necessary for this reason. "metaphor can provide a unifying framework for the design that will make it feel like more than a collection of individual items". The metaphor used in the web site design successfully unifies the website. The door that is to be clicked on to enter the union building connects it to the reception area (which is loaded when a user clicks on the door) and shows that they are associated. o International use: Designing for Internationalisation The University of Glamorgan is a diverse population. The University caters for students of various nationalities.

The web site was designed bearing this in mind. Because the target audience is diverse, the web site was designed bearing in mind that some content that is generally accepted in the United Kingdom may be offensive to people of a different nationality. English is the most commonly used language worldwide and that is the language I have used for this site. Enhancements required to improve prototype The following enhancements need to be made: o First and foremost, it would be necessary to make considerations to disabled users as the university of Glamorgan caters for such students. o Downloading speed is also vital and this would also need to be further enhanced. o A link to the home page needs to be included o A means of contacting the author also needs to be added to the site.

Bibliography

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