Overview of the process
Phased development defined
Structured site development divides site creation into two broad
phases: design and production. The phases are actually the same
activity. The first pass through development is the design loop.
All subsequent passes, even if they result in major site
enhancements, are part of the production phase.
Phased development allows the image of the site (its
look-and-feel) to evolve separately from the structure of the site
(where it is stored and how it is broken into pages). A site's
image is for its consumers while its structure is for the people
working on it.
The primary products of the design and production loops are the
pages used at a Web site and the organized inventory of URLs
constituting those pages. The pages are logical representations of
stored data. Both loops work regardless of whether pages or places
where the pages are stored get designed first.
The process itself encourages designing a storage architecture
for the pages before designing pages. Pages and their URLs are
uncovered during requirements interviews. The bias is deliberate.
The process aims to extract page ideas from the user community
without directly asking anyone to assume ego responsibility for a
creative product. This depressurizes the most crucial aspect of
site building.
In summary, we have:
Design: The first loop through the development process.
The goal is to analyze, specify, and build a structure. It begins
with user interviews for themes, related clusters of pages,
services, and URLs to create the structural elements of the site.
The URLs are mapped and built into pages, and the Web site is
served.
Production: Subsequent loops through the development
process supplement, expand, and elaborate on the site theme and may
create new themes. Keep the site thematically sound. Refine or
augment the page collection by building and populating new site
sections with new pages.
The content lifecycle defined
The entire site development process defines a content lifecycle.
During this lifecycle, user requirements are converted to a set of
URLs displayed through a themed set of Web pages. The output of any
step in the content lifecycle is input to the next step.
You start by finding themes and go through to designing the
directory structures where you will store your pages. You interview
users to find themes and services that are catalogued in a set of
design requisitions for later mapping into directory structures.
Mapping intangible ideas into a physical system of storage can be
as simple as setting a correspondence between specific themes and
specific directories, or as abstract as defining a directory that
will contain only URLs that get accessed or updated at the same
point in time.
This directory structure is populated over time with URLs
pointing to data, URLs pointing to executables, and files
containing configuration information. If this directory structure
is centralized, information consistency and version consistency are
easier to maintain.
Once a structure is defined and built, the work involves adding
new themes (that usually modify the structure) and presenting an
existing structure through new themes. Theme development is
creative work, done by developers
and users together.
The content lifecycle outline
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Step 1: Gather requirements from users
Input: User questionnaire
Input: Imposed page themes
Output: Requirements notes
Step 2: Parse collected requirements notes
Input: Requirements notes
Output: Design requisition
Step 3: Build URL descriptions based on final parsing
Input: Design requisition
Output: URL descriptions
Step 4: Map directory structure based on final parsing
Input: Design requisition
Output: Directory structure
Step 5: Populate directory structure to create content
Input: URL descriptions
Input: Directory structure
Input: Imposed page themes
(input here particularly for design loop)
Input: Existing client data
Output: Stratified URL set
Step 6: Build and edit pages
Input: Stratified URL set
Output: Content-edited site
Step 7: Test all pages
Input: Content-edited site
Output: Validated site
Step 8: Serve Web pages to users
Input: Validated site
Output: Web site
Return to Step 1
Input: User questionnaire
Input: Client predetermined needs
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The editorial process is apparent. At step 1, user statements
are collected: this is reportage; at steps 2 and 3, the statements
are analyzed: this specifies the audience; at step 4 the directory
is mapped: this organizes the material; at step 5 the directory is
populated: this is building the content; at step 6, the actual
content and line editing occur; at step 7 is pilot testing the
content; at step 8, the audience is served; then the cycle repeats
for the next edition.
(Site development is not system design or coding. The process
specifies the services that executables provide, but it does not
specify the analysis, design, or implementation for those
executables.)
[header]
Design
Description of design
Design is the methodical creation of a site. Design is the first
pass through the content lifecycle; every subsequent pass through
the content lifecycle, even though creative design is involved, is
production.
Design includes gathering requirements, writing specifications,
building the directory tree, building the URL inventory, sorting
the URL inventory, and building the page set. Design is the kickoff
phase of site publishing. The ongoing production of thematic
content is the production phase.
The goal of design is to build an organized collection of URLs,
which is the backbone of any site. In such a set, the total
inventory of URLs is systematically sorted into a well-organized
directory tree. The lowest level subdirectories within a properly
stratified URL collection contain a related collection of URLs. The
strength of the thematic relationship binding a particular
collection of URLs, its cohesion, reflects the quality of content
you have at your site.
Requirements gathering
During the requirements interviews, listen carefully to users
for statements you can translate into themes, classifications,
services, and URLs. A theme unifies a page set; a classification is
a means of identifying the cohesions used to sort URLs into a
stratified URL set; a service is a request for system services such
as ftp or a database search ; a filename is the unit of storage for
transmitted data and is synonymous with a URL.
Collect these observations in the design reference.
The design outline
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Step 1
Determine client needs by interviewing users at all levels
(1) Interview to determine the business environment
(A) Budget
(a) Current budget for Web site
(B) Workforce size
(a) Portion of workforce to access site
(b) Volume of access (system load)
(C) Business sector
(a) Competitors
(D) Corporate image
(2) Interview to determine the technical environment
(A) Existing platform(s)
(B) Existing technical staff
(C) Security requirements
(3) Interview to determine the Web environment
(A) Desired content, features
(B) Desired links to external/Internet sites
(C) Desired performance, expandability
Step 2
Parse, map, and populate the Web site design
(1) Request implementation of technical specifications
(A) Hardware and software recommendations
(B) Hardware and software performance requirements
(2) Edit user-supplied content; create novel content
(A) Text
(a) Inventory and categorize existing URL items
(b) Select URL items for Web inclusion
(c) Convert selected URL items to Web format
(B) Graphics
(a) Inventory and categorize existing URL items
(b) Select URL items for Web inclusion
(c) Convert selected URL items to Web format
(C) Executables
(a) Analyze requirements
(b) Design code structure
(c) Implement
(d) Test/debug
(e) Acceptance test
(D) Web system specification
(a) URL specification
(b) Theme/page structure
(c) Directory structure
(d) Link structure
(e) Site customization by department/location
(f) Network services
(3) Place selected URL items at specific Web sub-sites
(4) Documentation specifications
(A) Procedural structure/schedule
(B) Associated documentation
(a) User manual
(b) Systems manual
(I) Maintenance
(II) Backup
(c) Style manual
(I) Text
(II) Graphics
(d) Production schedule
(I) New content
(II) New executables
Step 3
Test the populated site
(1) Test/debug all links
(2) Test/debug system security
Step 4
Open site to beta users
(1) Train beta users
(2) Collect beta feedback
Step 5
Open site to all users
(1) Orient/train all users
(2) Collect user feedback
Step 6
Create site backup 0
(1) Lock site
(2) Archive site
(3) Unlock site
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[header]
Specifying URLs
The more precise the description of a URL, the easier it is to
find it or build it from scratch.
Characteristics of specified URLs
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(1) URL identification/URL name
The name or identifying designation of the URL
(2) URL theme/potential URL themes
The unifying concept of material contained in the URL
(3) URL classification/URL potential classification
The unifying concept of material contained in the URL
(4) URL structure description
The physical and logical organization of the URL
(A) URL content type
The data type of the URL contents
(B) Primary/secondary keys
The indexing keys of the URL, if it contains records
(5) URL contents summary
The unifying concept of material contained in the URL
(6) URL characteristics
The URL properties
(A) URL owners
The creators of the URL
(B) Read/write permission
The access rights to the URL contents
(C) URL I/O (delivery services)
The means used to examine the URL
(a) Ftp
File transfer protocol
(b) Http
Hypertext transmission protocol
(c) Print
Hard copy or hard copy image to disk
(D) Security requirements
The protection allocated to the URL contents
(a) Password
User identification with secondary identification
(b) Encryption
Scrambling the URL contents
(E) Display formatting
The appearance of the URL when viewed
(a) Font/point
Typeface characteristics
(b) HTML/text
Markup language characteristics
(c) Pagination
Logical division of the URL into segments
(F) URL size
The physical space required to store the URL
(7) URL access summary
The log of accesses of the URL
(A) Access (hit) frequency
The log of number of uses of a URL
(B) Times of availability
The schedule of availability for using a URL
(8) URL storage location
The backup site of a URL
(A) URL backup location
The backup site of a URL
(9) URL archive summary
The schedule of URL maintenance
(A) Backup schedule
When a URL is archived
(B) Revision schedule
When a URL is revised
(C) Retirement schedule
When a URL is removed from service
(10) Associated URLs
The URLs used along with a URL
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[header]
Production
Description of production
Production is the daily operation of the site after you complete
the design. The same development cycle used in design applies to
production, but the goal now is the regular creation and stocking
of content. Though the goal is different, the process of
interviews, URL set stratification, test, and rollout is the same.
Now, however, stock is renewed and retired. Production constitutes
every pass through the content lifecycle after the initial design
pass.
A collection of pages connected by a theme is called a page set.
The look-and-feel of a good Web site depends on the thematic
quality of its page sets. Themes create the conceptual structure of
the stratified URL set. Each theme is a window on the contents of
the stratified URL set and can be unique enough to appear as a
different site entirely. This is true even though the underlying
URL repository is unchanged.
Good page sets (and good pages) provide context, navigational
tools or controls, and points of reference for the user. Good page
sets have fresh information and valid links, and load fast. The
purpose of production is to build and maintain this themed page
set.
The page is the unit of work within a page set. Using good pages
requires minimal technical knowledge.
Iteration
Content iteration: Where the URL inventory does not
support a theme, add to the inventory or truncate the theme.
Performance iteration: Where the stratified URL set
diminishes network performance, modify the stratified URL set or
trade off performance.
The production outline
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Step 1
Determine new client needs for site content
(1) Interview for content
(repeat parts of design step 1 if needed)
(A) Interview to determine the Web environment
(a) Desired content, features
(b) Desired links to external/Internet sites
(c) Desired performance, expandability
Step 2
Parse, map, and populate the Web site
(1) Create content (use parts of design step 2 if needed)
(A) Text
(a) Inventory and categorize existing URL items
(b) Select URL items for Web inclusion
(c) Convert selected URL items to Web format
(B) Graphics
(a) Inventory and categorize existing URL items
(b) Select URL items for Web inclusion
(c) Convert selected URL items to Web format
(C) Executables
(a) Analyze requirements
(b) Design code structure
(c) Implement
(d) Test/debug
(e) Acceptance test
(D) Web system specifications
(a) URL specification
(b) Theme/page structure
(c) Directory structure
(d) Link structure
(e) Site customization by department/location
(f) Network services
(2) Edit user-supplied content
(A) Text
(a) Inventory and categorize existing URL items
(b) Select URL items for Web inclusion
(c) Convert selected URL items to Web format
(B) Graphics
(a) Inventory and categorize existing URL items
(b) Select URL items for Web inclusion
(c) Convert selected URL items to Web format
(C) Executables
(a) Analyze requirements
(b) Design code structure
(c) Implement
(d) Test/debug
(e) Acceptance test
(D) Web system specification
(a) URL specification
(b) Theme/page structure
(c) Directory structure
(d) Link structure
(e) Site customization by department/location
(f) Network services
(3) Place selected URL items at specific Web sub-sites
Step 3
Test the populated site
(1) Test/debug all links
(2) Test/debug system security
Step 4
Open site to beta users
(1) Train beta users
(2) Collect beta feedback
Step 5
Open site to all users
(1) Orient/train all users
(2) Collect user feedback
Step 6
Create site backup n
(1) Lock site
(2) Archive site
(3) Unlock site
Step 7
Maintain/sustain the site by cycling through
the content lifecycle
(1) Replenish/expand content
(2) Replenish/refresh/expand links
(3) Replenish/refresh/expand pages
(4) Market site internally
(A) Create hunts, games, chats, conferences
Step 8
Run post-implementation review
(1) Build user survey
(2) Build focus survey
(3) Distribute user survey
(4) Conduct focus surveys
(5) Collect user surveys
(6) Analyze user surveys
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[header]
Library
Your library is your content, defined as your information and
the software that manipulates and displays it. You need schedules
and procedures controlling how content items are changed, and you
need a directory architecture where you store your content.
Management
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(1) Process plan
(2) Forms
(A) Change request
(B) Job description
(C) Page description
(D) Page set description
(E) Test specification
(F) Lifecycle
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Analysis
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(1) Requirements definition
(2) Diagrams
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Design
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(1) Object/structure charts
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Programming
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(1) Programmer's Handbook
(A) Platforms
(B) Tools
(C) Source code
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Testing
Architecture
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(1) Physical structure
(A) URLs
(a) Master listing (one file, for rapid testing)
(I) Interior URLs
(II) Type (*.html, *.gif, *.jpeg, *.txt, ...)
(III) URLs called or linked
(IV) Date(s) tested
(B) Global URLs
(a) Type (*.html, *.gif, *.jpeg, *.txt, ...)
(b) URLs called or linked
(c) Date(s) tested
(2) Master tree (interior directory structure)
(A) Subdirectories
(a) Name
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Logical structure of the architecture
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(1) Page index
(A) Access pages
(2) Page themes
(A) Support pages
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[header]
Deliverables
Your deliverables are the tangible products of building the
site. Each development stage produces specific deliverables you can
use to determine whether you are on schedule and whether the work
is of sufficient quality.
Design step 1: Determine client needs by interviewing users at
all levels.
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(1) Design requisitions
(A) Description of current business environment
(B) Description of current technical environment
(C) Proposed URL inventory
(E) URL specifications, if needed
(F) Proposed directory tree
(2) Production schedule
(A) URL revision schedule
(B) List of required tests
(C) Test schedule
(D) Administration schedule (backups)
(3) Documentation inventory
(A) List of proposed and required documentation
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Design step 2: Parse, map, and populate the Web site design
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(1) URL inventory
(2) Directory tree
(3) Specific pages and storyboarded page sequences
(4) Style manuals (copy, HTML, code)
(5) System configuration files
(A) UNIX/X
(a) Linux
(b) Sun OS
(c) Solaris
(d) BSD
(B) MVS
(C) Windows NT
(D) Mac OS
(E) OS/2
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Design step 3: Test the populated site
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(1) Debugged, tested site
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Design step 4: Open site to beta users
Design step 5: Open site to all users
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(1) Debugged, deliverable, working site
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Design step 6: Create site backup 0
Production step 1: Determine new client needs for site content
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(1) Design requisitions
(A) Proposed URL inventory
(B) URL specifications, if needed
(C) Proposed directory tree
(2) Production schedule
(A) URL revision schedule
(B) List of required tests
(C) Test schedule
(D) Administration schedule (backups)
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Production step 2: Parse, map, and populate the Web site,
including independently generated content
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(1) Debugged, tested site
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Production step 3: Test the populated site
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(1) Debugged, tested site
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Production step 4: Open site to beta users
Production step 5: Open site to all users
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(1) Debugged, deliverable, working site
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Production step 6: Create site backup n
Production step 7: Maintain/sustain site by iterating through
the content lifecycle
Production step 8: Run post-implementation review
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(1) Review results
(2) Analyze results
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[header]
Sample phased development project
Table sections
- Define: Determine the type of site you want
- Rollout: Build your site
- Production: Maintain and evolve your site
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D e f i n e
Gather and refine requirements and expectations
(1) Managing expectations
(A) Rollout sequence
(a) Smaller documents first
(b) Smaller and larger documents together
(2) Technical preparation
(A) User training
(B) User workstation configuration
(3) Existing editorial style
(A) Internet/Web communication modes and site purpose
(a) Information
(b) Transaction
(c) Interaction
(B) Desired level of rendered/published quality
(a) Presentational
(b) Informational
(C) Style manual for current Web
(a) Templates
(b) Guidelines
(c) Automation tools
(4) Degree of hyperization
(A) HTML
(B) Microsoft and HTML
(C) Microsoft and RTF and HTML
(D) Using Microsoft-compatible viewers
(5) Special considerations
(A) Challenged users
Articulate goals
(1) Technical integration?
(A) Standard configuration
(a) Microsoft applications
(b) Microsoft languages
(B) Modified configuration
(a) Mixed vendors
(C) Standard Internet configuration
(a) Linux/X
(b) Berkeley TCP/IP stack
(c) Apache httpd
(d) Sun Java
(D) Protocol menu
(a) http
(b) ftp
(c) listserv
(d) news (NNTP)
(e) RDBMS
(I) Oracle
(II) SQL Server
(2) Sharing information easily?
(3) Subsuming page creation and delivery under the desktop
application metaphor?
(4) Page delivery from local servers?
(A) Servers based in departments and accessed off
central menu
(5) Access?
(A) Repositories
(B) Major databases
(C) Global spaces
(a) General circulation newsgroups
(b) Broadcast mail
(D) Local spaces
(E) Private spaces
(a) Mail
(b) Limited circulation newsgroups
Define target content pool
(1) Host systems software and hardware
(2) Content
(A) Documentation
(B) Database
(3) Elemental and compound document formats
(A) Current
(B) Six-month projection
Select documents for publication
(1) Internal documentation
(A) Text
(B) Tables
(C) Database
(2) Memos, announcements
(3) Calendars, schedules
(4) Stock files
(A) READMEs
(B) Icons
(C) Image library
Audit existing Internet communications operating
architecture
(1) Network topology
(2) Network bandwidth
(A) Current
(B) Six-month projection
(3) Server OS
(4) Http server
(A) Vendor
(B) Configuration
(5) Production tools
(A) Site development and management tools
(a) Check-in and check-out
(b) Indexing
(c) Searching
(d) Versioning
(e) Security
(B) Document development and management tools
(a) Authoring
(b) Page layout
(c) Graphics
(d) Format conversion
(C) Database publishing tools
(D) Programming tools
(6) Production (site development) lifecycles
(7) User workstation tools
(A) Officeware
(B) Internet suite
Select tools for conversion to Web
(1) Document development tools
(2) Raw conversion tools
(A) MS Word to HTML
(a) HTML Transit (InfoAccess), for example
(b) Transit Central (InfoAccess), for example
(3) Document development and management tools
(A) Framemaker, for example
(B) Interleaf, for example
(4) Site development and management tools
(A) InfoSeek, for example
(a) Indexing
(b) Searching
(5) Programming tools
(6) Graphics manipulation tools
(7) Database publishing
(A) Database
(B) Database to HTML converters
(8) Other
(A) POSIX support for non-UNIX systems.
R o l l o u t
Draft style manual for master documents,
server-side-includes, and cascading style sheets
(1) Physical style (form)
(2) File naming conventions
(A) Filename (coded per department)
(B) Extension (reflects document type)
(3) Word template
(A) Font specification
(a) Families
(b) Sizes
(c) Permissible dingbats
(B) Column width (one)
(C) Page breaks
(a) Headers and footers (none)
(D) Section breaks
(4) Usage
(A) Assists indexing, searching, editing
(B) Uniform terminology, abbreviations, first use and
definition
(5) Access
(6) Excel style
(7) Powerpoint
(8) Graphics
(9) Raw HTML content
(10) Live content/applets
Structure site
(1) Entry points
(A) Spin 1: Site as Table-of-contents
(B) Spin n: Site by Format
(2) Thematic structure
(3) Build physical directory structure
(4) Configure httpd to point into the physical
directory structure
(5) Set site security configuration
Set publication schedules
(1) Internal documentation
(A) Text
(B) Tables
(C) Database
(2) Memos, announcements
(3) Calendars, schedules
(4) Stock files
(A) READMEs
(B) Icons
(C) Image library
Stage site rollout
(1) Deliver as raw files
(A) Microsoft format
(B) PDF format
(2) Deliver as Table-of-contents
(3) Deliver as Table-of-contents plus Format
(4) Deliver indexed
(5) Manage users
(A) Configuration files
(B) Access privileges
(C) Orientation and training
Convert database to Web
(1) Convert database from foreign to standard format
(2) Select Web database publishing tool
Index site content
(1) Select indexing tool
Stage site rollout
(1) Deliver as raw files
(A) Microsoft format
(B) PDF format
(2) Deliver as Table-of-contents
(3) Deliver as Table-of-contents plus Format
(4) Deliver indexed
(5) Manage users
(A) Configuration files
(B) Access privileges
(C) Orientation and training
Performance test and audit site content
(1) Access speed
(2) Appearance under different browsers
(3) Dead links
P r o d u c t i o n
Update site content
(1) New content
(2) New formatting
(3) Flagging new content
Performance test and audit site content
(1) Access speed
(2) Appearance under different browsers
(3) Dead links
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