The W Life Cycle Model and Associated Methodology for Corporate Web Site Development

The last few years witnessed the increasing internal and external use of the Internet by organizations. Web sites grew in sophistication from conventional sites composed of a simple collection of Web pages for public relations or marketing to complex Web information systems dealing with business-to-customer transactions or business-to-business networks. However, most organizations still do not have a formal process of Web site development, and corporate Web sites are often developed in an unorganized and uncoordinated fashion. The results of this chaotic situation include slow delivery, conflicting standards, discrepancies with respect to corporate objectives, and redundant development efforts. To help alleviate this situation, this paper presents the W software life cycle model for corporate web site development along with an associated methodology to guide Web development groups in their endeavors. The proposed process model and methodology are based on insights gleaned by studying development projects for three types of corporate Web sites: intranets, Web-presence sites, and transactional sites. However, because Web information systems are more complex, the article also provides recommendations for how the methodology can be adapted to handle these types of applications better

Development of an intranet website

Established in 1 990, Logical Design Solutions Incorporated (LDS) was among the first to recognize the World Wide Web (Web) as a platform for deploying serious enterprise solutions. LDS provides Global 2000 companies, such as AT&T Corporation (AT&T), with Internet, extranet, and intranet applications that solve real-world business problems. A leader in Web consulting, LDS offers a comprehensive set of solutions and services, from design to development, tailored to organizations with complex enterprise technology needs. In late 1997, AT&T requested LDS to begin developing an intranet strategy that would support AT&T\u27s Cash Balance Pension Plan. AT&T, formerly known as the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is the largest telecommunications company in the United States, and a worldwide leader in communications services. The objective of this thesis project was for the author to learn, create, and document the Analysis and Design, Development and Implementation, and Quality Assurance Testing phases of AT&T\u27s Pension Update Information Center Intranet Website. The author, the HTML developer, was a key team member of LDS\u27s project team. The LDS project team acted as an extension of AT&T\u27s internal management team providing industry-specific knowledge and Web expertise throughout the development of Pension Update Information Center. While the primary business objective of Pension Update Information Center was to maximize internal communications and at the same time, reduce the rollout cost of AT&T\u27s pension benefit program that impacts 72,600 employees, the LDS project team also had to meet the following secondary business objectives: e To reduce call and work volume at AT&T\u27s Customer Care Center (CCC). e Support AT&T\u27s overall pension communication strategy. Establish the intranet Website as a credible, reliable, and engaging source of information. In order for the LDS project team to meet these business objectives, the following three evolutionary phases of Pension Update Information Center had to be achieved: 1 . Analysis and Design during this phase, the LDS project team worked closely with AT&T\u27s management team and formulated Web strategies and requirements that mirrored the business objectives. 2. Implementation and Development during this phase, the LDS project team integrated the formulated business requirements with leading edge technology, a usable interface design, creative look and feel design, and optimized content. 3. Quality Assurance Testing during this phase, the LDS project team thoroughly tested the implemented the Website until all erroneous information was fixed and business objectives were met. After the above three phases were implemented and approved, the LDS project team delivered a Website that contained a viable, successful Web strategy that balanced AT&T\u27s business and enterprise objectives for user needs and competitive market challenges. The documentation that follows discusses the lifecycle approach that the LDS project team used to meet AT&T\u27s objectives and that the author used to gain an understanding of intranet methodology

A phenomenological analysis of an instructional systems design creative project

This research paper is a phenomenological analysis of a creative project involving University of Northern Iowa undergraduate art students in the planning and creation of visual illustrations, graphic design concepts, .html documents, and imagery for a world wide web intranet/lnternet virtual space. This analysis looks at instructional design as a creative process and the phenomenology of the UNI Art/Cat (Art Resources Technology/Computer Assisted Training) computer laboratory. The mission, goals, and objectives of the creative project, experiential and experimental philosophies of education, and the phenomenologies of the instructional design process are the main considerations. The methodology of this thesis is primarily concerned with action research and research as lived experience. The generational aspects of computer hardware and software and the affective aspects of the evolution of the infrastructure upon instructional development is examined. This generation of techno-apparatus includes the Macintosh G3 Personal Computer in a network environment, Afga and Hewlett Packard Flatbed Scanners, Polaroid Slide Scanners, Adobe Graphic Design Software, and Symantec Visual Page Web Design Software. Commentary on the social and bureaucratic considerations in this particular creative project and discussion of the collaboration with UNI Art Department administration, faculty, and students is included with the final conclusions and recommendations

Building capacity in climate change policy analysis and negotiation: methods and technologies

Capacity building is often cited as the reason “we cannot just pour money into developing countries” and why so many development projects fail because their design does not address local conditions. It is therefore a key technical and political concept in international development. Some of the poorest countries in the world are also some of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Their vulnerability is in part due to a lack of capacity to plan and anticipate the effects of climate change on crops, water resources, urban electricity demand etc. What capacities do these countries lack to deal with climate change? How will they cope? What steps can they take to reduce their vulnerability? This innovative and high-profile research project was part of a larger project (called C3D) and conducted with non-governmental organisations in Senegal, South Africa and Sri Lanka. The research involved several participatory workshops and a questionnaire to all three research centres

Blush: An Exploration of Empathetic Cultivation Through Technological Devices

Technology has helped us keep in touch. Letters, telegrams, telephones, email, video chatting, social-networking — all ways in which we have communicated throughout the years. Each innovation has allowed us to lead independent lives from our loved ones and friends, while trying not to lose touch with each other. It’s freed us, but at the same time we’ve become chained it to. We’ve lost our ability to converse and empathize with each other directly — we’ve become more comfortable in front of a screen. Unfortunately for us, digital devices in their current state are terrible forms of communication. It lacks the vital components that are needed to develop empathy for others, which helps us to fully understand other individuals and allow us to become more compassionate towards them. Screens have lead to a world of anonymity and sterile conversations — which in turn has lead to misunderstanding and potential stresses on relationships. This research used lean user-experience design strategies in order to develop a social experience that allows users to visualize and communicate their emotions to one another — allowing them to become more empathetic towards each and act according to other’s emotional states; not just solely by verbal information in which they receive from the sender. Research consisted of surveying the core target audience which was based upon online surveys, paper surveys, in-person interviews, and usability testing. Core design components consisted of user-interface design, product design, information design, and interaction design principles. The overall goal of this conceptual research and experience design was to explore how design could create new uses of current technological devices for social good and improved digital communication — allowing us not to further distance ourselves from each other, but to allow technology to bring us closer together and to help us understand each other more intimately