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772 WEBSITEDESIGNwhich often stress the commercial viability and revenue-
generating aspects of a Web site, and more user-centric
design concerns, which usually deal with usability issues
(Murray & Costanzo, 1999). Since the former are very
domain-specific, only the latter will be discussed in this
chapter. In the discussion that follows, references to sam-
ple Web sites will be given.USABILITY ISSUES
The goal of designing a Web site with usability issues in
mind is to ensure that the users of the site find it usable
and useful. Specifically, a Web site should be accessible,
appealing, consistent, clear, simple, navigable, and forgiv-
ing of user errors (Murray & Costanzo, 1999).
The first step in designing any Web site should be the
determination of the purpose of the site. Too often the
rush to incorporate the latest Web technology or standard
prevents a thorough examination and determination of
the most important factor of the Web site, its intention or
purpose. Most Web sites in essence are information dis-
semination mechanisms; their purpose is to publish use-
ful content to as wide an audience as possible. Others also
have a commercial component, with the buying and sell-
ing of goods or services. Still others foster a community
or group activity and are used as collaboration devices.
The Web site’s purpose should drive the design and im-
plementation efforts. A Web site advertising or describing
a company’s products will most likely need eye-catching
graphical designs and images. A commerce site will need
to consider inventory mechanisms and secure transac-
tions. A community site will need to solve problems in-
volving simultaneous collaboration of a distributed group
of users.
It is also important to consider the intended audience
of a Web site. There is a wide range in browser capabilities
and user technical competencies that must be taken into
account. A Web site geared toward a younger, more tech-
nically inclined audience may contain highly interactive
and colorful designs, whereas a corporate site might want
to have a more professional, businesslike appearance. It
is generally a good practice, if not essential, to consider
accessibility issues for all users, including those who do
not have access to high-end graphics-capable browsers.BASIC WEB SITE TYPES
Just as there are several implementation classifications
for Web sites, we can also classify them based on their
purpose. Each type will lead to different choices in the
content, presentation, and logic components and require
emphasis on different usability issues. A single Web site
may incorporate features of more than one basic type.News/Information Dissemination
This type of Web site design is geared toward providing
informational content to the Web user. The content is usu-
ally textual in form, with some graphics or images. The
presentation of the content and its navigation are kept as
clear and consistent as possible, so that the user will be
able to quickly access the desired information. Not sur-
prisingly, newspaper companies usually have Web sites
with online news content (e.g., http:/./www.nytimes.com).Portal
A portal is a popular type of Web site that serves as a gate-
way to other Web sites. The content is usually in the form
of URL links and short descriptions, categorized based on
themes. The links should be organized so that they are eas-
ily searchable and navigable. Major commercial portals
have evolved from simple collections of related URL links
to incorporate more community-like features to prompt
users to return to their sites (e.g., http://www.yahoo.com).Community
Community sites foster interaction among their users
and provide basic collaboration or discussion capabili-
ties. Message boards, online chats, and file sharing are
all typical functionalities of community sites. The open
source software movement has promoted numerous Web
sites based on this type (e.g., http://www.sourceforge.net).Search
There is a lot of overlap between this type of Web sites and
portals. Like portals, search sites provide a mechanism by
which users discover other Web sites to explore. Some so-
phisticated programming logic, the search engine, forms
the foundation of this type of Web site. Search sites
often emphasize simple, almost minimalist interfaces
(e.g., http://www.google.com).E-commerce
This type of site is often a component of other Web site
types and allows users to purchase or sell goods and ser-
vices in a secure manner. Since potentially large amounts
of currency are involved, security is an important consid-
eration, as well as an interface that is tolerant of potential
user errors. An example of a successful commerce site
with elements of a community is http://www.ebay.com.Company/Product Information
With widespread Web use, having an official Web pres-
ence is almost a requirement for corporations. Such sites
usually serve purposes similar to those of informational
and e-commerce sites, but with a more focused interface,
reflecting the corporate image or logo (e.g., http://www.
microsoft.com).Entertainment
This type of site is usually highly interactive and stresses
appealing, eye-catching interfaces and designs. Typical
applications include online gaming sites, where users may
play games with each other through the site, and sporting
event sites, where users may view streaming content in
the form of video or audio broadcasts of live events (e.g.,
http://play.games.com).BASIC DESIGN ELEMENTS
There is obviously no single best design for a Web site,
even if one works within a single type. There are, however,
some guidelines that have gained common acceptance.
Like any creative process, Web site design is a matter of
tradeoffs. A typical usability tradeoff is between making