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These design notes present a framework for considering the design
of a web site, focusing on a web site for a local or regional Quaker
Meeting. They can be given as a presentation for local meetings
or other groups on request.
Contents
- Purpose
- Content
- Positioning
- Site Structure
- Implementation
- Tools and Services
- ISP Requirements
1. Purpose (Why)
1.1 Objectives
1.1.1 Information only?
1.1.2 Outreach?
- Generate email / phone contact
- Encourage visitor to meeting?
- Show what we are doing
- Testimonies?
- Quaker Work?
- Measurable targets?
- Part of a co-ordinated plan?
1.1.3 Campaigning?
- Must be topical
- Hard work
- Partnerships?
1.1.4 Meeting Support?
1.2 Target Audience
- Public?
- Enquirers?
- Attenders?
- Members?
- Committee members?
- Friends from other meetings and abroad?
- Other?
1.3 Most Wanted Response
- What action do you want your visitors to take?
- How can you make that clear?
- How will you get repeat visitors?
- Visitor registration?
- Newsletter?
- Other follow up?
1.4 Privacy
1.4.1 Public
Good for outreach activities.
1.4.2 Private
Good for:
- Community building
- Meeting support
- Committee support
- Minutes
- Calender
- Archives
2. Content (What)
2.1 Destination Areas
- Spirit
- Buildings
- Lettings
- Children's activities
- Meeting times and places
- Other?
2.2 About
- Find Us
- Contact Us (preferably a form)
- Links
- Help Frequently Asked Questions
3. Positioning (Where)
3.1 Keywords for Search Engines:
- Quaker
- Friends
- Town
- Other?
3.2 Domain Name
- www.town-quakers.org.uk is recommended
- Not a free ISP's name
- Other?
4. Site Structure (How)
4.1 Level 1 - Home page
- Make the <h1> Title </h1> the same as the <TITLE>,
both echoing the domain name and target keywords.
- The <h1> Heading catches your attention
- The <h2> sub-heading then draws you into the introductory
text,
- Which communicates:
- The site Purpose
- The site Contents
- Navigation links then enable you to go deeper into the site
for specific content
- Keep it fast, with very limited graphics.
- The objective of the Home Page is to stop visitors moving
on immediately.
4.2 Level 2 - Subject Areas
- See Destination Content Areas above
- Expand on the Keywords for each area.
4.3 Level 3 - Detailed Content
As appropriate.
Maximum three clicks to access any content.
5. Implementation
5.1 Navigation
Horizontal tabs at the top of each page, or vertical table down
the left hand side, but probably not both for a relatively simple
meeting site.
If you must use graphical buttons keep them very simple (small
file sizes).
Add a plain text [ menu ]
[ like ] [ this
] in the footer (which is good for ancient browsers and blind
reading software).
5.2 Graphical Design
- Logo (top left hand corner, linked to Home Page)
- Colours
- Graphics
- CSS Style Sheet.
5.3 Usability Guidelines
Home Page:
- Design for 800 x 600 without scrolling
- Intuitive navigation links then enable you to go deeper
into the site for specific content.
- Multiple menues or routes
- Keep it fast, with very limited graphics on the home page
References:
6. Tools and Services
6.1 Off-line Development
- Page development and editing
- Graphic design and manipulation
- Site Design
- Local Test
6.2 Web hosting ISP Requirements
- Service & support
- Apache (Unix, Linux) or Windows 2000?
- Forms or cgi support
- Multiple Email forwarding
- Web traffic statistics
- Your own Domain name, eg www.town-quakers.org.uk
6.2 Site Publishing
6.3 Site Update
7.0 ISP Requirements
7.1 Commercial web hosting
(as opposed to dial up)
7.2 Requirements
- Good telephone user support
- No adverts
- Own propoer domain name
- Forms support (probably vias cgi script)
- Multiple email forwarding
- Linux / Unix rather than NT/Microsoft (recommended)
- Performance statistics
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