Week 13DIFD 321

The Business of Web Design

Linking and Thinking

• Linking and Thinking– History of the Web• CERN• 3 tools provided by Tim Berners-Lee

– URL– HTTP– HTML

• W3C – World Wide Web Consortium

New Rules for Growth

• New Rules for Growth– 1,000 in 1992, 10,000 in 1993– Free to distribute code in April 30, 1993– Mozilla and Microsoft’s browser hit the

market shortly after– Netscape Navigator was released for free

in 1994, by 1995 they had 75% of all web traffic

– Speed to the market, meant big time growth

– Yahoo when IPO in 1996– But how did the web make money??

After the Bubble Burst

• After the Bubble Burst– With little revenue streams, IT

budgets were slashed and the web geniuses became idiots.

– What did we learn?• People drive the web, not business• Technology changes faster than people• The internet is still in its infancy• New Channels do not replace old ones• New Changes require new thinking

Business Fundamentals

• Business Fundamentals– Change Begets Change– As far as the web is concerned… Soft assets

are more important than hard assets.• Customer Satisfaction• Employee Satisfaction

– Prioritizing Expense– Increasing Value– Abundance is more valuable than scarcity

• Fax Machine• Email

– Increasing Returns• Microsoft

Expanding the Circle

• Expanding the Circle– Access for the Disabled– Access for the Disadvantaged– Access on the Go

The Information Age is History

• The Information Age is History– Information as Currency– Communication is vital

Mission-Driven Design

• Mission-Driven Design– The Process• Analyze• Organize• Humanize• Energize

– Indentify the Visitor (user)

Organizing the Trip

• Organizing the Trip– Where to go?– Information Architecture– Site Map– Page Map– Usability • Scrolling• Click Counts

– Simple is better

Developing the Look and Feel

• Developing the Look and Feel– Logos vs. Brands– Style guides

Building the Site

• Building the Site– Functional Specs– Technical Specs

• Compatibility• Speed• Scalability• Efficiency

– Prototype– Sandbox– DEV/TEST/UAT/PROD

Forms, Function, and Feasibility

• Forms, Function, and Feasibility– Defining Design• Interaction Designers• Functional Designers• Business Designers

Interaction Designers

• Interaction Designers– Desirability• Useful• Fun• Meaningful

– Team• Leader• Architect• Designer• Writer

Functional Designers

• Functional Designers– Standards

• HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.– Interoperability

• Cross browser• Cross-platform• Cross-device

– Team• Leader• Architect• Coder

Business Designers

• Business Designers– Team• CEO• Managers

– Does the site make financial sense?

Governing the Web

• Governing the Web– Freedom of Speech– Freedom of Spam– P2P

• The rest of The Real Business of Web Design

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