Multimedia Website Report - Case Study Example

Multimedia Website Report Table of Contents Introduction...........................................................................................................................2 1.1. Aim and Objectives........................................................................................................2 1.2. Rationale.........................................................................................................................3 1.3. Target Audience.............................................................................................................3 2. Analysis and Requirements Phase.........................................................................................3 2.1. Types of requirements....................................................................................................3 2.2. User requirements...........................................................................................................3 2.3. Client requirements.........................................................................................................4 2.4. Technical requirements................................................................................................. 4 2.5. Survey and critique of similar websites..........................................................................5 2.6. Analysis of requirements.................................................................................................5 3. Design Phase..........................................................................................................................5 3.1. Web designs....................................................................................................................6 3.2. Web layouts.....................................................................................................................6 3.3. Wireframes......................................................................................................................7 3.4. Conversation maps...........................................................................................................7 3.5. Storyboards......................................................................................................................8 3.6. Structural chart.................................................................................................................8 3.7. Categories of information................................................................................................8 3.8. Paper prototypes...............................................................................................................9 3.9. Formative evaluation of designs......................................................................................9 4. Implementation Phase.............................................................................................................9 4.1. Functions and features of the website and the justification.............................................9 4.2. Usability and accessibility...............................................................................................10 5. Evaluation Phase....................................................................................................................11 5.1. User evaluation................................................................................................................11 5.2. Client evaluation..............................................................................................................11 5.3. Technical evaluation........................................................................................................11 5.4. Human Computer Interaction (HCI) evaluation..............................................................12 6. Conclusion..............................................................................................................................12 7. Bibliography............................................................................................................................13 Multimedia Website Report 1. Introduction 1.1. Aim and Objectives 1.1.1. Aim The multimedia website under study is aimed at improving the organization’s flexibility and ability to effectively respond to advertising and marketing initiatives in the sense of reduced delivery time and reaching a wider market at a well managed risk free atmosphere and highly integrated principles of operation. 1.1.2. Objectives Basing on the aim above, the objectives herein are as follows: i. To effectively improve target incentive opportunities through improved representation of the available products. ii. To reach as many people as possible who potentially form both local and international market population for our products and service. iii. Be proficient in providing for our customers’ requirements that are in line with our scheme of services and field of products. iv. Ensure free, secure, faster, and 24/7/365 availability of our services and products at large. 1.2. Rationale This website is set to provide the best and reliable collection point of all video, audio, pictorial and written programmes that may meet the requirements of our customers and are also within the specifications of all countries laws and regulation mandates. This means therefore that forbidden information, though may be a requirement of any of our clients, will not be available. 1.3. Target Audience As a multimedia organization, our website will be available to all interested clients who may wish/ want to get any of our services or product; but limited to individuals with bad intensions of maliciously attacking and trying to break into our website without any authorization as will be determined by our security applications incorporated into the website. 2. Analysis and Requirements Phase System analysis involves a critical investigation and study of any real system, with the intension of getting to understand and document all the features of the system and concluding with a specification of the system (in this case a multimedia website). 2.1. Types of requirements As broadcasting and marketing media, this website will support various features such as live TV and radio, pre-recorded video, photos, images and animations. Therefore, plug-ins and media player applications will be necessary to allow for multimedia experience on the web. Other features would include embedded media, audio, picsearch, pinterest e.t.c. 2.2. User requirements User participation and involvement in the website designing and development phases induces a general perception of psychological state of all parties involved participation in the in the portal, hence intervening and influencing the entire relationship between user participation and their satisfaction with the system. Users’ involvements add value to the end products by ensuring complete and satisfactory development in regards to users, organization itself and the system experts. Below is an illustration of the above explained information in relation to user behavioural attitudinal model in regards to their involvement in any system development process. 2.3. Client requirements Clients form the market population served by the website. In this case the whole world would be able to access our portal; however, the individuals who shall be served through this application shall become the clients. Taking the large number of clients into consideration, not all their requirements will be fulfilled by this single application. Never the less, a rational of their demands would be reached to achieve their satisfaction levels by used of their feedback information about this system. 2.4. Technical requirements In this view, the application will be tested it meets clients quest to communicate effectively with a visible language; information displayed is easily perceived by visitors to the site; the web pages are simple and principled; all web contents are written in short and concise phrases that customers can understand with ease and quickly; the design allow users to see for themselves the functions available for their use; both dynamic and static contents are used in concise to manage users’ attention; good navigation principles are used i.e. horizontal navigation; and lastly determining if the site allows users to explore the available services by themselves and not driving them to sign in or register, which may be unnecessary for first visitors who are just interested in having a look at the produces and services you offer (A study of on-line retailing 2000 – Forrester Research: www.forrester.com). 2.5. Survey and critique of similar websites Though well designed, a survey of similar websites revealed lack of users’ involvement during the development process; hence under utilization by the intended market. For instance, the extensive use of well done graphical contents and series of visual and audio contents slowed down loading speeds of page contents. In areas of poor network receptions, such sites cannot be used at all. Consequently, lack of page maps and security measures barred full use of the applications and caused fear to their customers when it comes to keying-in information i.e. during the online purchasing stage. 2.6. Analysis of requirements Experts would consider several factors during their analysis. They would into the general web appearance; good graphics that go hand in hand with the line of operation of the business; communication measures put in place to ensure effective links between the business and its customers, flexibility in terms of transactions methods to use, communication means to use i.e. through telephone calls, e-mail and website links. A good database must also be structured to carry all that information intended for the site. All these factors must be built with the business factor in mind. 3. Design Phase 3.1. Web designs A well designed and developed multimedia portal indicates the products and services available in it and also allows its visitors to achieve their desires. Therefore, upon the completion of this multimedia portal, it will fulfil the requirements of both the market population and the initiating company’s demands. This web design will hence merge the interest of the involved parties in its application and use. 3.2. Web layouts A prerequisite designing helps in web page arrangements and their contents. The systematic order of the various components of a website gives a submissive outlook that enables effective and smooth navigations. Large amounts of animation and images will be avoided to ensure that the site is simple and quickly loads to the required customers’ search. This is a strategy aimed at making this site more attractive, likable and user friendly in terms of quick responses. 3.3. Wireframes Website wireframe is a screen blueprint or a visual guide demonstrating the skeletal framework of the website. This factor illustrates page layout or arrangements of all the web contents i.e. interface elements, navigation features and their interrelations in achieving the basic goal of the website. Wireframes sees into types of information displayed, functions’ range available, priorities of information and functions available, information display rules and impacts of various situations on the display. For our cases study, below is our wireframe. 3.4. Conversation maps This is a complete list of all web pages that are accessible or would otherwise be accessible to the users if the application is hosted. For our case, below is the conversation map. 3.5. Storyboards This is a technique , forming part of planning, that is used mostly by software application developers to help them remain focussed and be on truck as was the basic and main intension of coming up with the idea of the system. 3.6. Structural chart Structural chart in this situation is meant to depict the systematic breakdown of the multimedia website application into each and every section that is manageable. An example is: 3.7. Categories of information systems involved Being an integration of several functionalities with a single application, this portal will serve as a decision support system through its automatic generation of reports about its usage; knowledge management systems for creating and sharing pieces of information; and transaction processing systems. 3.8. Paper prototypes Paper prototyping helps in HCI to come up with an effective software application which is able to meet users’ needs and ultimate expectations. It is very crucial and quite necessary as it provides useful feedback information that can be used to enhance the software design. 3.9. Formative evaluation of designs According to Smith and Ragan (1999), at the end of each phase of developing this application, formative evaluation is necessary to before the commencement of the actual development of the subsequent phase. Tasks that have to be performed include goal reviewing, task analysis review and assessment specification together with blueprints review. 4. Implementation Phase 4.1. Functions and features of the website and the justification This multimedia content portal will be able to effectively meet the user requirements of providing up-to-date content management and aggregation features that will its advanced interaction with its viewers. A multimedia portal will serve the following functions: Presenting a number of content types in a single, good and branded experience which creates true “destinations” and impressive experiences for viewers. Features which enable for these include webcast/ webinars, supporting resources for downloads e.t.c. Event-and portal-level reporting; which allows for the system administrator to track users’ activities across many content sets, giving back meaningful feedback on the pieces which resonate most with viewers. Working with the webcast provider to come up with multimedia content portal, hence creating an ease on reliance on self internal IT and web development teams, and provide faster path to market. At times creating compelling contents may be costly and time consuming; a multimedia content can help save the situation by making one get more out of an investment by extending the shelf-life of his/her multi-media assets. Customer branding ensures that the feel and look of any portal is consistent with the rest of the campaign, existing web properties and corporate identities. Cross-promoting older videos or webcasts through their presentations alongside newer and related contents to facilitate. 4.2. Usability and accessibility Being a multimedia website, its sole function would be to advertise, receive feedbacks and spread information about products and services that are available in stock of the organization concerned for marketing. These concepts are also objectively aimed at determining the ability of users who may have disabilities, i.e. physical disability, visual disability and hearing disability, to effectively perceive, clearly understand, navigate through and efficiently interact with and continuously contribute towards the web applications enhancements. To ensure that usability and accessibility are achieved, the following factors will be taken into account: use of link texts that give descriptions of destinations; use of the ‘alt’ attribute for all visual features on the WebPages; enhanced diction and readability of all contents; provision of text version of all audio and video contents; use of site maps, search mechanisms and place holders; well organized and consistent WebPages and links; versatile webpage; no distractive features i.e. unrelated pop-ups; provision of good control measures over the website; and regularly test the website for usable accessibility functions. 5. Evaluation Phase 5.1. User evaluation User evaluation is known for its critical role in identifying the technical and practical accessibility of the website from the end-users viewpoint. According to a survey done about this multimedia website, developers found out that user evaluation is very important as it provided the most reliable information on the web standards conformance (i.e. determining whether the website will be able to achieve its purposes ones availed for use in the market). 5.2. Client evaluation A on a sample of clients demonstrated that every client/ customers to a multimedia website has unique tastes and feelings on how an effective multimedia site should be. Besides, some clients were found to be experts in using technological inventions and innovations while others were not. Therefore, it was concluded that an important focus should be on the design so that the end system can be able to address fully the customers’ unique characteristics of striving to achieve their business needs. 5.3. Technical evaluation Technical evaluation, as done by the application experts, was set to determine factors such as stickiness which is more or less concerned with addressing both general and specific design factors such as scrolling efficiency, availability of floating hyperlinks, GUI quality, site map utilization and feedback mechanisms availability; accessibility, availability and both hardware and software compatibilities; consideration of sensitive issues of insecurity and privacy that are incorporated into the website to enhance protection of web data; and possibility of customization and globalization of the web contents and interfaces because of the wide reach of this application and its services. 5.4. Human Computer Interaction (HCI) evaluation HCI evaluation was done to test and authenticate that the interactions between users and the application was more user friendly, usable and receptive to all users’ needs. This evaluation involved critical study, planning and designing of the interactive features that supported a fully fledged interaction between the application users and this multimedia website application. In scientific terms, HCI was the classified as the intersection of computer science and user behaviour science in this context. After effective HCI evaluations and implementation of the factors decided upon, communication barriers (if any) between the users’ cognitive model of their requirements and application’s implementation of the given task was successfully accomplished. 6. Conclusion In summary software application design, development, testing, implementation and maintenance should involve key and consistent role players to represent organization’s management team, application developers and intended user population. These incorporations will ensure complete and comprehensive software development that will be able to satisfy its implementation targets. Considering multimedia website development, which is under the study, customers’ and the management requirements must be set forth for its effectiveness when implement. Failure to either of the two factors will lead to subsequent collapse of the system. Works Cited Berkeley University (2002), Evaluating Web pages: Techniques to apply and questions to ask, http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html Smith, P. and Ragan, T. (1999), Instructional design (2nd Ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. State of Connecticut Web site Accessibility Committee (2004), Universal Web Site Accessibility Policy for State Web Sites - Version 4.0, http://www.cmac.state.ct.us/access/policies/accesspolicy40.html (accessed: 2004) Svet, B. (2003). Personalization and Customization in eCommerce, State University of New York, Buffalo http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~sbraynov/seninar2003/presenttations/lecture.pdf (accessed: 2004) Wentzell, B. (2003), Characteristics of a quality educational Web site, http://catnet.sdacc.org/articles/tech_ID74.pdf (accessed: 2004) Xanthidis, D., Nicholas D. (2004). “Evaluating internet usage and ecommerce growth in Greece”, Aslib Proceedings, Vol. 56 No. 6, pp. 356-366 Turban E., Lee J., King D. and Chung H. M. (1999) Electronic Commerce: A Managerial Perspective. Prentice Hall. A study of on-line retailing 2000 – Forrester Research: www.forrester.com. Molich, R., and Nielsen, J. (1990) Improving a human-computer dialogue, Communications of the ACM 33, 3 (March), 338-348. 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