Al's TAFE Certificate IV I.T. (Website Design) Exercises

Semester TWO

Lesson 5 » Developing a Site Specification.

Exercise 1

Dear Sir/Madam,

When you hire us to develop your site, it will be consistent with your image and goals. This worksheet will aid in determining the best content and features for your site. Based on the site/page structure and options you choose, we will design a unique and creative site that meets your specific requirements and budget. Please fill out this worksheet as thoroughly as possible. Once complete, mail it to the address at the end of this document. From your responses we will draft the site specifications, which will determine your costs. If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. At the end of this document you will find the answers to some frequently asked questions that may be helpful. Remember, you don’t have to be a computer guru to have a website, so don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Contact Information
Your name: Andrew Kendall
Phone:
Company: Kendall Canvas
Fax:
Title: Owner
E-mail: andrew@kendallcanvas.com.au
Address:
City: Wagga
State: NSW
Postcode: 2650

Marketing Information
Do you have a current business plan? Supply a précis here: Yes. I will provide you a copy soon.
Do you have a Mission Statement? Yes. I will provide you a copy soon.
Do you have a Positioning Statement? Yes. I will provide you a copy soon.
Do you have a marketing plan for your Website? NO

Project Scope
Personal or business site? Business
For Internet, Intranet or Extranet use? (see FAQ’s at end of document for explanation) Internet
New site design or a site makeover? New Site
If applicable, indicate your domain name, (e.g. www.mysite.com.au) www.kendallcanvas.com.au
What is the purpose of your Web site? attracting customers in canvas products
You could tick some of these examples:

Describe why you want the web site or makeover and what you hope to accomplish with it: To attract customers to sell canvas products to so I can make money and expand my business. Ooh. and because my dad is doing it for free!!!!

The site design and writing style will be affected by your target audience. Consider:

Identify your target audience. Generally, members of the general community. Other possibilities are, camping stores, trucking owners, camping park operators, boat owners, boat repairers/resellers, motor vehicle repairers / resellers etc...

Please list the addresses of some sample websites that you like or resemble the type of functionality you envision for your site.www.webworkshop.net.au/~akendall/, www.hanlon.com.au , www.websitesthatsuck.com(just kidding)

What is your approximate budget or budget range for this project (this will help us determine if your budget can accommodate the features you desire or if the project should be done in phases)?NIL. my dad will do it for free...I hope!!! He is only just starting off in his business. Being that it would only be a small site (approx 6-8 pages) I would estimate a budget of around $500 - $600.

What is your approximate annual budget for other site expenses, such as hosting and updates? NIL. my dad will do it for free...I hope!!! Being that it would only be a small site, I would estimate a budget of around $100 - $200.

What is your desired completion date? By end of the year.

Please describe the overall impression you want to leave with your visitors, e.g. high quality merchandise, elegance, sense of humor/fun, professional, knowledgeable, etc. Quality product at reasonable/comparable price with warranty. Informative (regarding materials used etc..) All questions/requests answered. Most importantly I want them to come back. Hopefully they will save my site in their favorites.

Other ideas you have for your site. Add a shopping cart at a later stage and possible market overseas.

Organize The Layout

The next step is to create an outline of the information your site will contain. Basically, identify what topics you want to cover and what you want to say about each one. Identify all the content information and resources you will need to collect or have created to achieve the goals you have set for your webpages. Depending on the purpose of your site, this would include, but not be limited to: text or ad copy, photos, logos and graphics, your color preferences, etc. If you do not know how to answer a question or would like assistance in making a decision, please indicate so under the appropriate response and us will contact you to discuss it.

Each website consists of a main page (a.k.a. home page), possibly link pages and a navigation system to connect them. The number of pages needed is not only determined by how the information should be logically organized, but also by file size. Too many or too large graphics or photos, animation, sound, and special effects all add to the file size and may need to be split up into more web pages. We will analyze and organize the data that you provide into an appealing, logical and easy-to-navigate design. Please provide us with all the raw data you want included on the site. Incomplete information often results in higher costs. A separate sheet would be appropriate for this section.

Typical Business Site Flow Diagram

Block Diagram

Home/Splash page

If you are up to drawing a site diagram like the one above, then attach a separate sheet.

Please tick all the “sections” that you feel you would like on your site (pages may have different titles and there may be more than one page to a “section.”)

Additional site features desired

Specify The Details – Page Elements

Web page header (usually a company logo or graphic on a business site) choose one:

Text: Do you plan to write your own copy (text) or have us write it? Can you write it please?

Photos/images: Do you want photos, drawings or clipart on your site?. I have some, but will need more.

  • How many of each?
  • Photos: approx 20
  • Drawings:
  • Clipart:

Will you be providing them or do you need photos taken and/or graphics created? I have some, but will need more.

If you will be providing them, do they need to be scanned or are they already on disk? Some of each.

If on disk, what file format are they in? JPEG

Will the graphics we create be used in print media or will they be for web use only? Web only

Additional Desired Elements (indicate yes or no)

  • Hit counter? (This will give you the traffic statistics for you site and will be invisible to the user)
  • Animation? Caution* Maybe a small animation in the Logo and possible a 'Specials' button.
  • Audio? Caution* No
  • Video? Caution*No

*Note: These files may be quite large and may slow down the load time of the page.

  • Database Connectivity? N0
  • Do you intend to integrate a database or databases into your site? No
  • If yes, is it an existing database or do you require one to be created?N/A

NOTE: Given the vast possibilities regarding integrating database connectivity into a Web site, we will contact you for more details before a quote can be calculated.

Hosting

When you purchase your own domain you also need a place for it to reside. This place is called a “server” - you will need to buy space from a website hosting provider. Whether you already have server space or not, it will have to meet certain specifications and the provider will have to allow us access to it. If you don’t have a provider, or are willing to compare the plans of your current provider to the plans we offer, we would be happy to submit a comparison of the features and costs as part of our quote.

  • Do you currently have server space for your site? NO
  • If yes, what is the URL (site address) of the provider and which plan do you have? N/A
  • Would you like to receive a quote which compares costs as well as features between your current provider and the plans we offer? n/a
  • If you do not currently have a provider, would you like a quote for appropriate server space to be included in our quote? YES
  • If you do currently have a Web site, can you or your host company provide us with the traffic statistics? No
  • How many e-mail accounts do you need? (e.g. andrew@kendallcanvas.com.au , webmaster@kendallcanvas.com.au , etc.) 2

Promotion

The number one reason people use the web is to find information. Whether you have a business site or a page for your baby's picture, you will want your pages to be accessible, and though we are not a marketing firm, us will advise you of recommended ways to promote your site. This basic information is a FREE service that comes with your Web design package.We do not offer PR services, and we do not guarantee top search engine listings. We will code your site using the current recommended methods for search engine optimisation. Are you interested in a quote for an initial search engine submission program? YES

Monthly Maintenance Plan

When a site is submitted to a search engine, they first scan your site to retrieve information about it. This information is later built into their enormous indexes so that searchers can retrieve the information. The search engines may revisit your site every month or two to update their information, but pages can disappear from search engines. If a scan doesn't find your page just once when a search engine tries to revisit, the page is dropped. This can happen any time the networks are very slow, for example. When you contract a Monthly Maintenance Plan with us, we will revisit the search engines monthly to check your listings. If they have disappeared, we will resubmit them. If they are not at satisfactory levels, we will submit recommendations to you for improvement.

After putting time, effort and money into your website, you'll want people to easily find your site and visitors to have a pleasurable experience so they will come back. We can help ensure this with not only a great design, but through our Monthly Maintenance Plan.

Updates

Once visitors find your site, you'll want them to come back. If you want your site to have lasting value, the content and perhaps even design, should be updated periodically. If the information on your site becomes static, people will not visit it, and your site will die.We offer a price-protection guarantee that will allow updates to your site on an as-needed basis or on a regular, more frequent basis, depending on your needs, without worrying about our fees increasing. You will receive our current hourly rate for the entire length of the contract!

Once you have approved the final draft of your site design and content, any changes beyond necessary functional changes made to meet the original specifications will incur an additional charge. Update pricing is based on our current hourly rate, which can be changed without notice, but contracting for even occasional updates will reduce your costs and protect you against price increases for the length of the contract.

  • Are you interested in contracting us for site updates? YES
  • How often will your site require updating? Quarterly
  • How extensive would the updates be? minor with the exception of adding a shopping cart feature at some stage down the track (possible 12 months time).

Computer and Internet skills

Please describe your level of expertise using a computer and the Internet.

If you have comments, questions, additional information or need features not covered in this worksheet, please feel free to submit them. Very limited.

Thank you for taking the time to fill out this worksheet. You have just taken the first step to an engaging, attractive and useful website!

Sincerely,

Web Site Designer

FAQs or Frequency Asked Questions

Q How long will it take to complete my Web site?
A This depends entirely on the scope of the project and how timely you supply your data. Your quote will include due dates for data, a timeline of milestones with required payments and the projected completion date.

Q What is the difference between in ISP and a website hosting company?
A An ISP is an Internet Service Provider, a company that provides you with the dial-up service (Internet access) that connects you to the Internet. A website hosting company provides server space to host your website. A hosting provider usually also includes many other features in their plans which are useful to administering a Web site. You do still need to have an ISP for your internet access in addition to your website hosting company.

Q What specifications must my site hosting company meet?
A This will vary depending on your site specifications and what is required for your site features to function. At a bare minimum, you will need your own cgi-bin directory and at least one POP3 e-mail account. The amount of space you will need depends entirely on how large the files are which make up your site. We will include server recommendations in your site specifications.

Q What is the difference between Internet, Intranet and Extranet?
A Basically, the Internet is the network that includes the World Wide Web, an Intranet is a network internal to a company, and an Extranet is an “extra” version of a company’s Intranet, sometimes designed to give people outside the company, such as independent resellers, access to internal company information.

Q I’m not sure how to answer some of the questions on this worksheet. Can I still get a quote?
A Not to worry. We are here to help. It does save time if you can answer the questions to the best of your knowledge, but if any important information is missing we will guide you through the needed information.

Q What is “Flash” animation?
A Macromedia Flash is a sophisticated animation program that allows a designer to incorporate dynamic animated and interactive features into a Web site. Flash animation is a time-consuming design process and can be quite costly (Visit www.macromedia.com for more information).