Website Design

Definition

Website design is the design subactivity that consists of the cohesive collection of tasks involving all aspects of reusing, producing, and maintaining the design of a single website of webpages.

Goals

The typical goals of website design are to design a website that will:

• Be easy to learn and use.
• Be attractive and pleasing to use.
• Enable its users to efficiently perform their duties.
• Be easy to maintain.

Objectives

The typical objectives of website design are to design the:

• Metaphors, themes, and styles of the website.
• Structure of the website.
• Navigation of the website.
• Conventions constraining the website.

Examples

Examples of website design include:

• Design of an eMarketplace website.
• Design of an informational website.

Preconditions

Website design typically may begin when the following preconditions hold:

• The initiation phase has started.
• The user experience team is initially staffed and adequately trained in website design.
• The parts of the system architecture document relating to website design has been produced.

Completion Criteria

Website design is typically complete when the following postconditions hold:

• The website design is documented in the Human Interface Design Document which has:
  • Passed evaluation.
  • Been accepted by the customer.
  • Been delivered to the customer.

Tasks

Website design typically involves the following producers performing the following design tasks in an iterative, incremental, and parallel manner:

• User Experience Team, which performs:
  • Design Reuse
    • Reuse website design conventions.
  • Design Production:
    • Determine Website Metaphors (organizational, visual, functional)
    • Determine Website Themes
    • Develop Site Map:
      • For each relevant requirement, identify the one or more webpage(s) needed to meet the functional requirment.
      • Identify common webpages based on work flow.
      • Organize webpages both structurally (e.g., by inheritance) and navigationally (e.g., via workflow).
      • Produce graphical or textual site map
    • Develop Navigation Approach (Global and Local)
    • Develop the website and webpage conventions:
      • Develop Webpage Layouts:
        • Layout Grid(s)
        • Frames (number, contents, location)
        • Tables
      • Determine the kinds, purposes, formats, and locations of menus.
      • Determine the standard colors, fonts, and placement of all common elements (e.g., buttons, menu items, messages, pop-up windows, multimedia).
      • Produce the cascading style sheets (CSSs).
      • Determine the standard event behaviors (e.g. approaches to mouse-over).
  • Design Documentation:
    • Develop the website design parts of the human interface design document.

Environments

Website design is typically performed using the following environment(s) and associated tools:

• Development Environment:
  • Whiteboards
  • Paper Prototypes
  • Camera and props
  • Graphic Design Tools (e.g., Photoshop, Visio)
  • Typography Tools (e.g., Illustrator)
  • Animation Tools (e.g., GIF Animator, GIFmation)
  • Audio Tools
  • Video Tools
  • HTML, XML, and CSS Editors
  • HTML, XML, and CSS Validators
  • Link Checkers
  • Browser (for debugging)

Work Products

Webpage design typically results in the production of the following design work products:

• Human Interface Design Document

Phases

Website design tasks are typically performed during the following phases:

• Initiation: Started
• Construction: Completed
• Delivery: Maintained
• Usage: Maintained
• Retirement: Not Applicable

Guidelines

• Follow the website design guidelines.