Stakeholder Session

I think our interview with the Stakeholder, Nancy from Habitat Erie went really well. I felt good about the ideas we exchanged and I think Nancy has the right expectations about what we can do as a group. We accomplished what we set out to do as well. We got a general idea for what the problem is, what we can do to fix it, and we got some specifics. She sort of outlined the site for us, what pages are needed and what is on each page. So I feel like we have what we need to get to work on the site. I don't think I would do anything differently, at this point. As we get to working on the thing I will probably think, "ah, we should of asked x,y, and z," but as of right now I think we're good. The only challenge for me was not having any web design experience, and therefore not really knowing where to start. As of right now, I don't think we have anything left unanswered but if my experience with software development is any indication, I'll think of a few I'm sure in the next few days.

Questions For Stakeholders

Here are some questions I think will need answered:

• What is the number one goal of the website we will be building?
• Who is the target audience?
• What type of content will be presented on the website?
• Are there special logos, color schemes, or other company-specific marketing standards we need to adhere to?
• When does the website need to be up and running?
• Where can we find the information we need to present on the website?
• How can we contact the stakeholders if we have new questions?
  

Good & Bad Web Design

An example of good web design in my opinion is Google: www.google.com (in case you didn't already know that).

I believe Google has good web design for the following reasons:
1. It is very simply laid out
2. It has advanced features for advanced users
3. It does not have too much going on

I like the fact that Google is very easy to use for its main purpose as being a search engine. All I have to do is type in some keywords and hit enter. It is really easy. But Google also has given me the ability to expand its functionality. I can use iGoogle to personalize it, giving me instant access to my Gmail, the weather, news articles and other things in addition to the basic search engine!

An example of bad web design, in my opinion is Angel - Gannon's Online Learning System:
(angel.gannon.edu)

Three reasons for this:
1. Pages do not seem very clean
2. It is difficult/buggy for teachers to use (to post assignments, drop boxes, etc.)*
3. It is difficult to find things

*this could just be the teachers I have had

In my experience with angel the layout is a little bit all over the place. This makes it not ideal for navigation and tends to leave me wanting a little bit more. However, I do like being able to electronically submit assignments using Angel, and it seems to work well enough to be functional and even helpful.