It was brought up through a client comment on this work journal, that a name for the site was not discussed.
My initial thought would be that 'FUCCA Journos' would suffice.
That said, 'FUCCA Journalism' would be a bit more formal and potentially viewed as more professional, thereby appealing to industry representatives.
However, the appeal of 'Journos' and the informal approach is that the site is predominantly aimed at prospective students and they may appreciate the informal touch (makes choosing a university course less scary!)
I am reluctant to suggest site names that far from these two as I feel that they are concise and explain the site efficiently. Anything abstract may only confuse viewers, not to mention hinder 'site-finds' through search engines.
The final choice will of course come down to the client.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Site Revisions
Following the client feedback session, the following is the revised site map, where the 'Speciality' navigation system has been replaced by the 'Yeargroup' navigation.
And the revised 'Main Index' page.
And the revised 'Main Index' page.
Further Client Feedback
Having met the client on Monday (February 16th), the following issues were raised and discussed:-
'Look & Feel'
It was decided that in terms of developing a web presence, the site need not display too great an affiliation with the FUCCA website. The reason for this is that the following FUCCA website negatives were identified:-
Navigation
In terms of navigation, it was decided that the previously discussed navigation via speciality would detract from the message that the course is trying to put across; that cross-media specialisation is what the industry now expects from graduates.
The alternative that was agreed upon was that navigation would be based on yeargroup. This would allow the site user to browse through the site year by year, getting an idea of what was taught in that year, and seeing work examples of students in that group. They could also see how the students developed over time, and a 'finished product'. This final page was referred to as a 'Sales' page, where course outcomes and deadlines would be explained. This would appeal not only to prospective students, but also to industry representatives investigating the course.
Student/Tutor interviews could also be easily integrated into this navigational structure.
Misc
It was discussed that an introduction for the course, and possibly the philosophy (special emphasis on cross-convergence of skills), would be essential information that would need to be included on the site.
It was also suggested that student interviews could be shown through video, rather than just printed interviews, as this makes the statements more real and more human. It seems less like 'propaganda' that the university has created just to sell the course.
'Look & Feel'
It was decided that in terms of developing a web presence, the site need not display too great an affiliation with the FUCCA website. The reason for this is that the following FUCCA website negatives were identified:-
- Difficult to Navigate - The site map is confusing and not as self-explanatory as it could otherwise be
- Hard to Update - The content management system that the FUCCA website utilises is poor and updating the site is very time-consuming
- Not Aesthetically Pleasing - The site's colour scheme (salmon and blush) is not the most visually appealing, and was considered out of character for the image that the Journalism department wishes to put across
- Not Effective at Showcasing Student Work - This was the obvious negative from the beginning and is the reason that my website is being designed
Therefore, the following sites were put forward as good examples aesthetically, that could be emulated:-
The ABC website, abc.go.com, which is sleek and whose black background is more in line with the image that the Journalism department wishes to convey.
The Chris Hoy website, chrishoy.com, which is a minimalist design, though very neat and clean as a result.
Displaying Student Work
It was generally decided that print work could be viewable either as a pdf, or as a jpeg.
Video could be shown via a shockwave media player.
Radio/Podcasts could be put online fully playable as mp3s.
Online work was more tricky as any site uploads wouldbe very large and take great amounts of time. However, the client suggested that a number of his students had put their work online, and so the site could simply provide links to them.
It was decided that the work would need to be contextualised and as such the unit brief could be displayed alongside the work shown.
In addition, it was decided that for showcase purposes, only the best work should be shown. The reason for this being that the course is trying to sell itself to students and employers, and it would therefore need to show the top quality of work that could be achieved.
Navigation
In terms of navigation, it was decided that the previously discussed navigation via speciality would detract from the message that the course is trying to put across; that cross-media specialisation is what the industry now expects from graduates.
The alternative that was agreed upon was that navigation would be based on yeargroup. This would allow the site user to browse through the site year by year, getting an idea of what was taught in that year, and seeing work examples of students in that group. They could also see how the students developed over time, and a 'finished product'. This final page was referred to as a 'Sales' page, where course outcomes and deadlines would be explained. This would appeal not only to prospective students, but also to industry representatives investigating the course.
Student/Tutor interviews could also be easily integrated into this navigational structure.
Misc
It was discussed that an introduction for the course, and possibly the philosophy (special emphasis on cross-convergence of skills), would be essential information that would need to be included on the site.
It was also suggested that student interviews could be shown through video, rather than just printed interviews, as this makes the statements more real and more human. It seems less like 'propaganda' that the university has created just to sell the course.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Client Feedback
I have had some feedback from my 'client', and as this is designed to be a business case study with the focus on responding to client requirements, analysis, and expectations, have decided that the feedback is therefore integral to the design process.
As such, I have included it (with slight editing so as to remove extraneous material).
Feedback is as follows:-
Hi David
...It is important that you generate some original content, including some original writing. We both need to think about what that could/should be. Your analysis of target audience is correct; any such showcase site will have prospective students as a key audience, and they are mainly young people, so right away this has implications for the style of writing; we could also introduce search engine optimization as part of the brief for the writing on the site. One idea for original content might be mini-interviews with students and/or staff...
I take on board your analysis of the UCA website but... that is not necessarily a good starting point for a journalism showcase site. It may be better starting with a blank slate as to look and feel. The emphasis on splitting the media specialties as a basis for navigation is also perhaps not so good: all the industry feedback we are getting just now talks about convergence and cross-media skills. [We] need to be selling [students'] versatility to potential employers - translating that to a navigation structure would take you a different route to that suggested.
The department could buy a domain name and some hosting for this project, in which case you could come up with some possible ideas for a site name, and that in turn could lead to different and interesting ideas as to look and feel.
One final thought is that it might be possible to commission work from other students for the site - eg animation students could supply comic strip style animations. That sort of thing could enliven a site like this, but of course it can also complicate the project - you would have to consider the pros and cons of such a commissioning approach.
S.
As such, I have included it (with slight editing so as to remove extraneous material).
Feedback is as follows:-
Hi David
...It is important that you generate some original content, including some original writing. We both need to think about what that could/should be. Your analysis of target audience is correct; any such showcase site will have prospective students as a key audience, and they are mainly young people, so right away this has implications for the style of writing; we could also introduce search engine optimization as part of the brief for the writing on the site. One idea for original content might be mini-interviews with students and/or staff...
I take on board your analysis of the UCA website but... that is not necessarily a good starting point for a journalism showcase site. It may be better starting with a blank slate as to look and feel. The emphasis on splitting the media specialties as a basis for navigation is also perhaps not so good: all the industry feedback we are getting just now talks about convergence and cross-media skills. [We] need to be selling [students'] versatility to potential employers - translating that to a navigation structure would take you a different route to that suggested.
The department could buy a domain name and some hosting for this project, in which case you could come up with some possible ideas for a site name, and that in turn could lead to different and interesting ideas as to look and feel.
One final thought is that it might be possible to commission work from other students for the site - eg animation students could supply comic strip style animations. That sort of thing could enliven a site like this, but of course it can also complicate the project - you would have to consider the pros and cons of such a commissioning approach.
S.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Site Templates
I've designed some basic site templates to give 'the client' an idea of a layout for the site that I think meshes with the FUCCA website, and is clear and concise so as to allow easy navigation and viewing.
The 'Homepage' is very similar to FUCCA's, though the picture would of course be related to the Journalism Course, and I have not included a 'News&Events' or 'Search' box as I feel they would be redundant bearing in mind the content and size of the site.
For the 'Main Content' page, I have only included 3 of the 4 specialities. The reason for this is that I do not believe it will be possible to gather any Online examples (the inherent number of files required for a website in comparison to a Print piece, and especially compared to Radio and TV pieces, makes the task too great). Furthermore, I am unsure if there are any online works worth displaying. However, a note can be added to the bottom of the page highlighting to viewers that the website they are viewing is the work of an Online specialist.
Were the client to disagree with me, or an optimal method for displaying an Online student's work could be found, all 4 specialities could be shown. If that were the case, I would display the sections in a 2x2 square shape, rather than follow the existing 1x3 layout. This is because I believe a 1x4 would leave the sections too tight vertically.
It should also be noted that in contrast to the current 1x3 layout, the sections could be displayed in a 3x1 form (each stacked horizontally on top of each other). I believe 1x3 is aesthetically more pleasing however, and a 3x1 layout is more likely to require scrolling.
The 'Content' pages, I have laid out with a centralised text box, and a thumbnail gallery displayed on the right-hand side. I intend to have these thumbs enlargeable, either through a flash plug-in, linking to a new window, or auto-prompting the browser to open the image in a new window when clicked.
The 'Homepage' is very similar to FUCCA's, though the picture would of course be related to the Journalism Course, and I have not included a 'News&Events' or 'Search' box as I feel they would be redundant bearing in mind the content and size of the site.
For the 'Main Content' page, I have only included 3 of the 4 specialities. The reason for this is that I do not believe it will be possible to gather any Online examples (the inherent number of files required for a website in comparison to a Print piece, and especially compared to Radio and TV pieces, makes the task too great). Furthermore, I am unsure if there are any online works worth displaying. However, a note can be added to the bottom of the page highlighting to viewers that the website they are viewing is the work of an Online specialist.
Were the client to disagree with me, or an optimal method for displaying an Online student's work could be found, all 4 specialities could be shown. If that were the case, I would display the sections in a 2x2 square shape, rather than follow the existing 1x3 layout. This is because I believe a 1x4 would leave the sections too tight vertically.
It should also be noted that in contrast to the current 1x3 layout, the sections could be displayed in a 3x1 form (each stacked horizontally on top of each other). I believe 1x3 is aesthetically more pleasing however, and a 3x1 layout is more likely to require scrolling.
The 'Content' pages, I have laid out with a centralised text box, and a thumbnail gallery displayed on the right-hand side. I intend to have these thumbs enlargeable, either through a flash plug-in, linking to a new window, or auto-prompting the browser to open the image in a new window when clicked.
Site Map
I've designed a basic 'Site Map' illustrating how a user would typically move through the site. However, the nav bar would allow for extra pathways, most noticeably between the main section homepages.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
FUCCA Website Analysis
The FUCCA website has a somewhat strange layout. Instead of the 'standard' L-shaped nav bar, it is laid out with a double left-hand nav bar. The left of which is the main topics, and the right being the subtopics thereof as to be expected.
The other slightly odd layout issues with the site are the 'Search' box and the 'News&Events' box. Having looked at the site with two different browsers, the 'News&Events' box seems to jump around, its position varying between Firefox and Internet Explorer. However, regardless of browser, the 'News&Events' box placement seems a little odd, almost floating in the page. The same can be said of the 'Search' box, which is placed above the display image. Whilst this is also floating, it looks even more detached from the site than the 'News&Events' box. I believe this is because it is not vertically aligned with any other element on the page. If it were to line up with the right-hand side of the image, it may look a little more integrated. As it is, it too looks detached.
The Journalism pages are bristling with information about the course, though I feel that they are lacking in examples of students work, thus creating the 'gap' that I am seeking to fill with my site. There is only one image available that aims to reflect on the course and this is of the television students. Whilst this shows a little of the facilities and equipment, I still feel that the issue of showcasing students' work is unaddressed.
Furthermore, whilst the page has a lot of textual information and is as a result very informative for the reader, it means that the page requires scrolling. It may be advisable to spread the text over several pages. Whilst this would reduce scrolling, it would make the site-map more expansive and require further 'clicking' on the part of the viewer, and it has been remarked that a 'well-designed' website is one where the viewer can find all of the information within three 'clicks' or 'advances' from the homepage. There are pros and cons of both approaches.
What has been made clear for me though, is that textual information about the course is covered in sufficient depth that it would be redundant for me to convey it as well. The shortcoming is still the showcasing of student work however, which gives my website viability.
In addition, the site has also displayed to me some design conventions that I should adopt; namely a double left-hand nav bar, and the basis for a colour scheme.
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