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:-

• 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.