Table of Contents
There are at least four design issues that must be addressed when developing a website for e-commerce:
choosing the user interface for the content;
choosing the required images;
choosing the appropriate technology;
devising the directory and file structures that will allow for the development and maintenance of the site.
The first aspect belongs to the discipline of human-computer interaction (HCI) and the second to graphic design. This course does not cover graphic design, but will mention some of the computer graphics technologies involved. The unit examines elements of HCI as it applies to the Web in order to explore how websites can be made more usable, especially for potential customers.
The fourth choice does not directly affect the user. It is concerned with the organisation of the HTML files, the graphics files (e.g. JPG files), etc, on the server. Of course, a failure to properly organise these components of a website can lead an inability for the site and its developers to quickly respond to changing business priorities and circumstances.
Internet commerce has become a major part of business. In North America the June 1999 Internet Demographic Survey by CommerceNet and Nielsen Media Research estimated that 228 million adults used the Internet and the Web. An estimated 55 million people were shopping on-line, i.e. investigating products and services but not necessarily buying them. Of these, 28 million had completed a purchase transaction on-line. British Telecom has predicted that by 2005, 40% of all European business will be conducted on the Internet. The British Government has appointed a special adviser to help businesses convert to e-commerce on the assumption that failing to do so will mean their going out of business. Recognising this, browsers running on personal computers are no longer assumed to be the only means for potential customers to access a site. They are connecting via dedicated Internet appliances, such as phones with built-in browsers, via interactive TV, via hand held devices, etc. A website designer must, therefore, guarantee that consumers will
find the business website that they are developing
consider it interesting and attractive
find it easy to use
and be encouraged to return.
How do we, as developers of Internet commerce websites, attain these goals? To answer this, we begin by examining an approach to website design, and follow that by highlighting what a designer should not be doing.