Web plan

Goals

XHTML 1.0 Strict/ CSS 2.1
• Aids cross browser compatibility
• Reduces load times
Measurable via the W3C validation service

Maximum of 3 clicks from home page to get to desired content.
• Aids usability of the website
Measurable during usability testing.

Implementation of CMS
• Used to tailor the website for specific purposes
• For quick updates and to manage content effectively

150k page size limit
• To control page load times
Measurable using the Firefox Developer's Toolbar.

Long Term Goal

High Search Engine Rank
Measurable by monitoring the rank in popular search engines over a long period of time.

Target Audience

Primary Target Audience – College
Steve is an academic primarily a Mac user but on occasion uses Microsoft Windows. Internet access is through the college’s high-speed Internet connections. The purpose of his visit to the website is to assess the work contained within the portfolio. The website will also be seen in a presentation, displayed on a projector.

Industry Professional
James is a 36-year-old industry professional. He runs his own design agency web and computer savvy with a keen eye for clean design and usability. Paul is primarily an Apple Mac user but is also familiar with Microsoft windows. He accesses the website using a MacBook Pro using a high-speed broadband connection. Paul’s primary purpose for visiting the website is to view the online portfolio of a potential employee. He has found the portfolio by copying the address from a CV.

Student
Scott is an 18-year-old sixth-form student who is looking to enter into higher education. After finding the HND Interactive Media website for Wakefield college he is keen to find more about the learning on the course and therefore heads to find previous student’s work. Scott is very creative but has basic computer skills.

He is looking to find a very clear and easy to follow portfolio showing an obvious progression. Scott is unsure whether he wishes to take a career in web design or solely graphic design, therefore he is wanting to see a wide variety of techniques and final products on show.

Scott is a life long Microsoft Windows user who accesses the Internet through a shared home broadband connection.

Delivery Requirements

XHTML 1.0 Strict
XHTML will be used to define the overall structure of the web site. It will contain content, either for static pages or as an output from the CMS. Using well-structured XHTML documents will aid search engine optimization as well as usability.

CSS 2.1
CSS will be used to stylize the pages in the portfolio. It will be used to define the layout of each page as well as typographical styling, managed from a single document. This will allow for site wide changes to the layout quickly. CSS enables the style and content of the website to be kept separate making it easier to add, remove or update content without the risk of styles being changed.

PHP5
A PHP Hypertext Preprocessor is needed to process PHP elements of the CMS as well as my contact form.

MySQL
MySQL will be used in conjunction with PHP by the CMS system to access, display, store and edit information contained within a database. All data managed by the CMS will be stored within the MySQL database.

CMS
A Content Management System will be used to manage dynamic content such as portfolio work. The use of a CMS will allow content to be changed at ease from a web based GUI (Graphical User Interface) and allows the portfolio to be tailored to specific purpose.

IMAP
IMAP will be used to access emails stored on the remote server which have been sent via the feedback/contact form on my portfolio. IMAP is the new standard for email, all messages are kept on the remote server.