Web Design - El Centro College
 
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Site Guide

Let's create the Site Guide for your project page. In the "real world", your Site Guide should include:

  • goals & objectives for the site
  • who your targeted audience is
  • your site map
  • project timeline, cost estimates
  • notes from team meetings
  • maintenance plan
  • site contract copies

Additionally, it may include:

  • file naming format
  • site usernames & passwords
  • information on the software used to create the site
  • team contacts (name, phone numbers, email addresses)
  • server details (location, instructions)

Your Site Guide should include:

  • goals & objectives for the site
  • who your targeted audience is
  • your site map
  • title of each page
  • brief description of the topic & page contents
  • mapping of the navigation/linkage between pages
  • image information
  • visual details(fonts, colors, styles…)
  • project timeline and deadlines/work chart and schedule
  • maintenance plan
  • team contacts (names & email addresses)
  • URL of the website

The Site Guide should contain the answers to the following questions:

1. What type of website is it?(news, informational/advocacy, advertising for a fictional company)

2. What is the topic of your website?

3. What information will you offer at the site (sub-topics for your other pages)?

4. What are the key messages you want your site to say to users?

5. What "group" are you targeting? What are the demographics (age, income, gender, culture, interests…)How will you tailor your page to this group? (ex: a page of children's poetry might use bright colors and images of teddy bears).

6. What is the site's "personality" (affective)? Example - serious, funny, cutting edge, upbeat…

7. What features will create an interest in returning to your page?

8. What aspects of your page will need to be updated and how frequently?

9. What future enhancements would you like to add to your page?

10. Market Research: Locate at least 2 websites on the same subject/topic as your webpage and answer the following question about them. Write your answers on a separate sheet of page and attach to this worksheet:

  • Web address/URL:
  • Who is responsible for this page?
  • What are the sections/subsections of this site?
  • What type of site is it and who is their target market? Are they successful in targeting this audience?
  • Are you on the index/home page or an internal page? Can you easily identify where you are in the site, how to get "home", and how to connect to additional site pages (ease of navigation)?
  • What do you like or dislike about this site?

11. Storyboard and Site Map. Attach a sketch (storyboard) of your website.

Include the title for each page, brief description of the page contents,arrows displaying linkage between the pages, and what kinds of imageswill be included on each page.

 

Remember that site simplicity is fine!

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