Technical documentation
Background information
Purpose of site and target audience
The main purpose of the site is to establish PSD's company image and give them a 'presence' on the internet. The partners did not want an ordinary undistinguished company image, they want to provide a 'professional yet personal' approach to business and wanted the web site to reflect this. They felt that by possessing a web site they would then have a platform to advertise products and publish news in a creative manner.
Originally, the partners would have loved to see international investors and large organisations make contact with them through the site so they still remain the main target audience. However even with the emphasis on larger groups they still have a couple of products for individuals and smaller clusters of people.
Is the web site fit for purpose?
At the beginning of the development process I agreed four clear main goals with the partners. The first was that the website would establish a “professional yet personal” company image. I would readily assert that I have met this goal in an effective manner. By just a quick glance at the end product, anyone will recognise that it is a “professional” web site. And when users delve further into the site, especially on the partner biographies page, they will most certainly get a sense of the open and “personal” approach to business Pipeline Software Development adopts.
The second goal was to attract and entice global investors and large organisations. This is done initially on the ‘home’ page and in a more vivid way later on, on the ‘about’ page. The sheer number of case studies (included on that page) gives any prospective customer an instant realisation of the quality and capability of all of PSD’s products and services.
The third goal was to advertise products and publish company news. This is achieved creatively on the ‘home’ page and effectively on the ‘products’ page. Throughout the entire development process I have been delighted with the gracious liaisons I’ve had with the partners. And fulfilling this goal was made so much easier due to the terrific ideas that they gave me particularly during the interview. It is essential to give credit where it’s due and so I here I must thank Ryan for the “What’s in the Pipeline?” concept. This part of the ‘home’ page gives all new visitors immediate access to up-to-date company news and provides existing customers with a valuable source of information. I must also thank the partners for providing me with very detailed and well written product information. This will most certainly impress any potential customers. The implementation of Ryan's blog also helped to achieve this goal. Broadcasting fresh content throughout the entire site via XML RSS/Atoms feeds lures visitors as well as publishes company news in a creative manner.
The forth and final goal was to ensure that all the information on the website is accessible to all. To help attain this objective in Unit 5 I referred to a selective group of end-users. This bunch all used the Microsoft Windows operating system but not it’s built in web browser: Internet Explorer. Because of this I assumed that they must have become dissatisfied with the default browser and started the search for a better web experience somewhere else. So I sent the second prototype to them along with a more detailed questionnaire. The feedback received from them was both comforting and challenging. Many of them were pleased with the valid XHTML 1.0 Strict mark-up that I had used and with the ‘skip to content’ feature that was already provided, but some wanted more. Two of these suggestions stuck out above the rest: a style sheet switcher and a form validator. Both of these features would make use of some JavaScript. Thankfully I had enough time to research more about theses functions and was able to able to implement them in a useful way. An article on A List Apart was incredibly helpful.
By meeting all four main goals I can most definitely say that the web site is fit for purpose.
Website structure
To improve the usability and the functionality of the web site, I decided to place all the main pages into a continuous cycle. This “cycle” will start with the home page and continue to loop forever. All users will be able to clearly identify what stage of the “cycle” they are currently in.
There are three pages in the web site that I have decided not to place in the “cycle”. These are:
- The accessibility statement;
- the privacy policy;
- and the legal disclaimer.
All three of these pages will be able to be accessed from the bottom of each page.
Click next to learn about the site's accessibility and legal compliance.