HTML 4.0 Sourcebook
(Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
Author(s): Ian S. Graham
ISBN: 0471257249
Publication Date: 04/01/98

Chatelaine’s strategy is to provide, via the Web site, a value-added reader service that complements the print magazine. Thus, although the print content is available on-line, the emphasized on-line features are the popular discussion forums and the “Chatelaine Seal of Approval” Web site reviews. According to Paula Gignac, the on-line director for the Chatelaine Connects Web site, the correspondence received to date indicates that the Web site has not led to a loss of subscribers and, in fact, has increased actually increased magazine readership and brand awareness.

Design Tip: Design for the Readers

When designing a content-based Web site, it is important to determine the identity and characteristics of the audience, so the design properly matches the audience’s expectations. Thus for technically sophisticated audience, the design can use more advanced design features, as they are likely to challenge rather than intimidate the readers. On the other hand, a site designed for relatively unsophisticated Internet users should not be challenging and should strive to be as straightforward as possible.

Word magazine (www.word.com) is an example from the former category. This literary Web site “pushes” the envelope of Web design and depends on the use of cutting edge technology to attract and retain visitors. Shift magazine (www.shift.com) falls into the same category. On the other hand, the New York Times Co. (www.nytimes.com) takes a very conservative approach. Their Web site uses a large imagemapped image to make the home page look almost exactly like the front page of the “physical” New York Times newspaper, although the site is also careful to offer a text-based alternative for those who disable image loading. This design apparently gives Internet newcomers a sense of confidence about how to handle the information presented—or perhaps the New York Times was unable to find another design that sufficiently preserved the newspaper’s identity.

Note that although there may be valid reasons for using graphics-intensive designs, many users will be frustrated by the time it takes to download the resulting pages. This is true independent of the style of the site. For example, the New York Times and Shift magazine home pages are very slow to download, as both designs incorporate large image files.

Design Tip: Confronting Design Limitations

The range of possible Web page designs is limited by several issues, most importantly browser compatibility, limited network bandwidth, and the design constraints imposed by the needs of the target audience. It is important to test your design against these limits. In particular, you should preview the pages using as many browsers—and versions of browsers—as possible and also view the pages using a browser connected to the site via a slow Internet connection (for example, using a 14.4 KB modem). This will help to illuminate design problems that were not detected on the machine you used to create the pages or internally within your organization’s high-speed network.

The page design must also reflect download times and computer screen sizes. Thus, each page should not contain more than 1500 words of text—larger pages should be broken into multiple pages, connected by hypertext links. The content does not necessarily need to be rewritten for the Web, but it should be designed to fit within the constraints of the medium.

Design Tip: It Isn’t TV

Reaching past the hypertext model of the Web, some companies are experimenting with the concept of “Web broadcasting” and are applying this approach to their on-line presence. The Microsoft Network (MSN) is betting hundreds of millions of dollars that it can adapt the “feel” of the television model to the Web, complete with its infrastructure of channels, programs, directors and producers, by developing animated content to be passively “watched” by the user. MSN believes that this model will eventually attract a mass audience, which will then allow MSN to generate large advertising revenues in the manner of today’s television networks.

It is possible that, one day, this model will become the reality. However, today’s users are saddled with slow bandwidth, insufficiently powerful computers, and insufficient technical sophistication to keep up with the installation and configuration of the dozens of new applications required to “catch the experience.” Thus it will be quite some time before the Web is able to match television’s major strength—the ability to rapidly deliver real-time animated content. This situation will change as the digital bandwidth to homes increases, but these changes will not happen in the near (or even not so near) future.

Aside from the obvious bandwidth problem, there are also deeper issues that call into question the appropriateness of the “Broadcast Web” approach. In particular, the Web offers more than television, since the Web model can in principle support many different media and significant user interaction. Indeed, most of the more popular Web applications have revolved around tools, such as on-line discussions groups, that build a sense of community. Such issues are simply not relevant in the standard broadcast model.

Design Tip: Advanced Technology

The applications used in the development of a Web site should be based on the priorities of the readers. CANOE (www.canoe.ca) is Canada’s largest Web site and is purely content-driven. The priority at CANOE is to provide content as quickly and effectively as possible. Thus, CANOE regularly adds applications to the site, such as chat tools or special information services, and is constantly updating and adding to the available content. However, the site does not incorporate JavaScript, Java, Shockwave, or other advanced technologies into the site. The experience at CANOE is that such use of advanced technology tends to slow the delivery of content and decrease the accessibility of the content. Indeed, CANOE users frequently praise the site’s “content-first” approach.