Site analysis
2007.07.23 07:48
Standards-Based
Standards-based design insure the consistency of the visual presentation of the design across browsers and platforms. Insuring the separation of content and presentation allows the broadest market access to information contained on the site.
A semantically coded, valid page offers the visitor to the site access to the information in the manner they desire to receive it. Cel phone, pda, mac, pc…a valid page using standards would be an engaging experience in spite of the viewing method. Absent of styling the site should revert to a document similar in style to a standard Word document.
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a system is usable by as many people as possible without modification. It is not to be confused with usability which is used to describe how easily a thing can be used by any type of user. One meaning of accessibility specifically focuses on people with disabilities and their use of assistive devices such as screen-reading web browsers or wheelchairs.
Usability
Usability is a term used to denote the ease with which people can employ a particular tool in order to achieve a particular goal. Usability can also refer to the methods of measuring usability and the study of the principles behind an object's perceived efficiency or elegance.
In human-computer interaction and computer science, usability usually refers to the elegance and clarity with which the user interface of a computer program or a web site is designed.
Design
Design, usually considered in the context of the applied arts, engineering, architecture, and other such creative endeavors, is used as both a noun and a verb. "Design" as a verb refers to the process of originating and developing a plan for a new object (machine, building, product, etc.). As a noun, "design" is used both for the final plan or proposal (a drawing, model, or other description), or the result of implementing that plan or proposal (the object produced).
Designing normally requires considering aesthetic, functional, and many other aspects of an object, which usually requires considerable research, thought, modeling, iterative adjustment, and re-design.
Branding on the web
Branding remains one of the most essential assets a business entity maintains. It is the sum total of all the consumer knows about a company. If the brand does not present the proper image in a consistent manner across media than the business will suffer.
Consistency
Is the experience the same across all touch-points? Does the core messaging and its presentation remain consistent across media? With various outlets to get your message across it is ever more important to think globally for the presentation of your branding across these mediums. What will the presentation look like in: print, outdoor, online, mobile, etc. If the consumer is presented with opposing or conflicting brand messages per the vehicle, they will not trust the message or the brand.
Competitive Analysis
Websites do not exist in a vacuum and we must gauge current market trends and best practices within the industry. Surveying the competitive and complementary markets allows us to measure the implementation of the latest technologies on the web. It provides a barometer by which we may measure the subject site against likely competition as well as like-minded businesses which our consumer may visit.
Standards-based design insure the consistency of the visual presentation of the design across browsers and platforms. Insuring the separation of content and presentation allows the broadest market access to information contained on the site.
A semantically coded, valid page offers the visitor to the site access to the information in the manner they desire to receive it. Cel phone, pda, mac, pc…a valid page using standards would be an engaging experience in spite of the viewing method. Absent of styling the site should revert to a document similar in style to a standard Word document.
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a system is usable by as many people as possible without modification. It is not to be confused with usability which is used to describe how easily a thing can be used by any type of user. One meaning of accessibility specifically focuses on people with disabilities and their use of assistive devices such as screen-reading web browsers or wheelchairs.
Usability
Usability is a term used to denote the ease with which people can employ a particular tool in order to achieve a particular goal. Usability can also refer to the methods of measuring usability and the study of the principles behind an object's perceived efficiency or elegance.
In human-computer interaction and computer science, usability usually refers to the elegance and clarity with which the user interface of a computer program or a web site is designed.
Design
Design, usually considered in the context of the applied arts, engineering, architecture, and other such creative endeavors, is used as both a noun and a verb. "Design" as a verb refers to the process of originating and developing a plan for a new object (machine, building, product, etc.). As a noun, "design" is used both for the final plan or proposal (a drawing, model, or other description), or the result of implementing that plan or proposal (the object produced).
Designing normally requires considering aesthetic, functional, and many other aspects of an object, which usually requires considerable research, thought, modeling, iterative adjustment, and re-design.
Branding on the web
Branding remains one of the most essential assets a business entity maintains. It is the sum total of all the consumer knows about a company. If the brand does not present the proper image in a consistent manner across media than the business will suffer.
Consistency
Is the experience the same across all touch-points? Does the core messaging and its presentation remain consistent across media? With various outlets to get your message across it is ever more important to think globally for the presentation of your branding across these mediums. What will the presentation look like in: print, outdoor, online, mobile, etc. If the consumer is presented with opposing or conflicting brand messages per the vehicle, they will not trust the message or the brand.
Competitive Analysis
Websites do not exist in a vacuum and we must gauge current market trends and best practices within the industry. Surveying the competitive and complementary markets allows us to measure the implementation of the latest technologies on the web. It provides a barometer by which we may measure the subject site against likely competition as well as like-minded businesses which our consumer may visit.