Towards Effective Web Site Designs: A Framework For Modeling, Design Evaluation And Enhancement

Effective Web site design is critical to the success of e-commerce. Therefore, the evaluation and enhancement of a Web site design is of great importance. In this vein, accessibility is important and has been examined by a lot of researchers from different points of views. By and large, Web site accessibility is a structural problem and may be analytically investigated using mathematical approach.

We propose a framework for representing real-world design problems as generic Web site designs, which then can be mapped into accessibility models analyzable or solvable using established analytical techniques. The framework consists of generic design and graph models, with the necessary mapping.

We describe a generic Web site design using its objective and constraints, which correspond to important design requirements. By representing design problems using well-defined structures and rigorous analysis methods, this framework measures Web site accessibility using systematic and quantifiable approaches rather than qualitative ad-hoc practice.

Hence, the framework facilitates the overall Web site design process, enhances design quality, and increases ease of analysis, implementation and continuous improvement.

Automatic Runtime Validation and Correction Of The Navigational Design Of Web Sites

Essential to an audience driven Web site design philosophy is the organization of information and functionality according to the requirements of the different audience classes. However, at design time, it is often difficult to correctly assess the different needs and requirements of the different prospective users of a Web site.

This may result in a non-optimal navigation structure, which will decrease the usability of the Web site. In this paper, the authors describe how to correct, at run-time and automatically, possible flaws in the design resulting from incomplete requirement assessment, using adaptive behavior.

By observing the browsing behavior of the users, the requirements for the different users are validated and the Web site is adapted according to adaptation specifications made by the designer. These specifications express when and how the Web site needs to be adapted and are expressed using an adaptation specification language.

The work is presented in the context of an audience driven design method but the authors also elaborate shortly on the applicability of the technique in general.

Accessible Web design relies on HTML and CSS as Web standards, and is finished up by design rules of universal usability. The goal is to make Websites perceivable, operable and understandable even where conditions of use are impaired.

A reflection of the state of the art is given, as well as a preview of the second version of Web content accessibility guidelines to come.


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I want to believe in intelligent design, and hence I am suspicious of anything that seems to confirm my desire to believe. James Lileks, The Bleat web log, September 15, 2003