ECT 250: Survey of e-commerce technology

Frames

Information architecture

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Topics

1. What are frames? Good or evil?2. Definition of information architecture

a) Organizational systemsb) Navigation systemsc) Labeling systemsd) Searching issues

3. Early warning about the midterm

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Frames allow more than one Web page to bedisplayed within the browser window at a time.

When frames are used, the page opened in thebrowser is a special page containing instructionsabout how the browser window is to be dividedinto separate regions and which page should beinitially displayed into each region. This special page is called the frames page or frameset.

Frames

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When frames are used, clicking on a link in oneframe can:• Change the contents of that frame• Change the contents of a different frame• Display a page without using the frames page

An application of frames is for a table of contentsor a navigation bar. Frames allow the contents ornavigation bar to be visible at all times.

Navigating with frames

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Sites that use frames:• DePaul CTI: www.cs.depaul.edu• Macromedia: www.macromedia.com• National Discount Brokers: www.ndb.com• XSL Tutorial:http://www.zvon.org/xxl/XSLTutorial/Books/Book1/index.html

Some sites that do not use frames:• Amazon: www.amazon.com• Gap: www.gap.com• NY Times: www.nytimes.com

Examples

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There is a significant controversy about whetherthe use of frames is a good or bad thing.

What are some of the issues surrounding frames?

For a longer discussion of some of the issues see:• Are frames bad?

http://www.gooddocuments.com/techniques/areframesbad.htm

• Web design: frames – good or bad?http://dionaea.com/web/frames.html

Frames: good or evil?

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• Search engines do not deal well with frames• Printing becomes more difficult• Saving pages is more complicated• Creating browser bookmarks may not work• Frames can require large resolution

Why use frames at all?

Some problems with frames

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• Navigation can be easier• Easier updating of pages

Many of the problems given on the previous pageare technology issues. Once a solution is found,frames may become more attractive.

Example: MS IE 5.0 supports frames better thanprevious versions.

Benefits of frames

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• Use frames only when the benefits outweigh thedisadvantages.

• Tables or shared borders can be used instead of frames to place a navigation bar, table of contents, or other item on the edge of the page.

• Frames have become much less popular at largeweb sites.

Conclusions about frames

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The elements of information architecture, namely

• organization systems• navigation systems• labeling systems• searching methods

hold a Web site together and aid its development.

Information architecture

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Topics

1. What are frames? Good or evil?2. Definition of information architecture

a) Organizational systemsb) Navigation systemsc) Labeling systemsd) Searching issues

3. Early warning about the midterm

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Organization systems are composed of:

1. Schemes: Defines the shared characteristicsof content items and influences the groupingof those items.

2. Structures: Defines the types of relationshipsbetween content items and groups.

Organization system

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Yellow Pages• Scheme: Topics

How were the topics chosen?• Structure: Alphabetical

Grocery store• Scheme: Food categories, food tasks• Structure: Complex, unclear

Where would you find marshmallows?What about soy sauce?

Examples

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The three major types:1. Exact2. Ambiguous3. Hybrid

Each has its benefits, drawbacks, and uses.

Organization schemes

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Divide information into well-defined, mutually exclusive sections.Features:

• Easy to define and maintain• Supports known-item searching• Requires user to have detailed information

Some types: • Alphabetical• Chronological• Geographical

Exact organization schemes

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Divide information into categories that defy exact definition.Features:

• Difficult to define• Supports browsing by users with no immediate

goal or with vague informationSome types:

• Topical• Task-oriented• Audience-specific• Metaphor-driven

Ambiguous organization schemes

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Use with caution! If you must have hybrid schemes,separate them clearly or you will create confusion.

Hybrid organization schemes

Bad Library Listing

AdultArts & HumanitiesCommunity CenterGet a Library CardLearn About Our LibraryScienceSocial ScienceTeenYouth

Better Library Listing

Age GroupAdultTeenYouth

TopicsArts & HumanitiesScienceSocial Science

OtherCommunity Center

Services:Get a Library Card

Learn About Our Library

18

The structure of information defines the ways in which users can navigate.Example: Street structure in NYC vs. Paris

The main organizational structures are:• Hierarchy• Hypertext• DatabaseEach structure has its strengths and weaknesses.

Organization structures

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A well-designed hierarchy forms good foundationfor many web sites.• The mutually exclusive subdivisions and parent-

child relationships of hierarchies are simple.• Users are familiar with hierarchies so that they

are quickly and easily understood.• Users can use a hierarchy to develop a mental

model of the site’s structure and their locationwithin the site.

• Takes a top-down approach to design.

Hierarchical structure

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Types of hierarchies

Broad and shallowNarrow and deep

http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu/asettle/

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• Be aware of, but not bound by, the idea thathierarchical categories should be mutuallyexclusive.

• Consider the balance between breadth anddepth in the hierarchy.– Breadth: Be sensitive to the cognitive limits

of your user. More than ten options on themain menu can overwhelm users.

– Depth: If users are forced to click throughmore than four or five levels, they maygive up and leave.

Designing hierarchies

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In hypertext systems, content chunks are connectedvia links in a loose web of relationships.Features:• Great flexibility• Substantial potential for complexity and confusion• Rarely useful as the primary structure• Often used to complement structures based on the

other two models.• Example: Microsoft Help

Hypertext structure

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A database is a collection of records, each of whichhas a number of associated fields.Features:• Allows field-specific searching• Permits repackaging of information into different

formats for different audiences• Records must follow rigid rules• Best for listings, catalogues, directories, and other

subsites with structured, homogeneous data.• Example: The Oracle of Bacon

Database structure

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Topics

1. What are frames? Good or evil?2. Definition of information architecture

a) Organizational systemsb) Navigation systemsc) Labeling systemsd) Searching issues

3. Early warning about the midterm

25

A good navigation system:• Helps exploration/orientation

The page must indicate its location within the site.http://www.cs.depaul.edu/

• Leads users to what they seekCare must be given to clear directions/options.

• Informs about the available products/services/tasksDoing this requires anticipating the users’ needshttp://www.amazon.com

Navigation systems

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Most browsers offer built-in navigational features:• URL : direct access to any page• Back/forward : bidirectional backtracking• History : random access to pages visited• Bookmarks : save the location of pages visited• Color coding of links : helps users understand where they

have been and retrace their steps through a site• Mouseover effects : may indicate site structure

These effects should be modified cautiously, if atall. Standards exist for a reason.

Built-in navigational features

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Navigational systems can aid users by:• Providing context: Users must have a good idea of

where the page fits into the overall site.– Company logo– Page title– Subsite/task indicators– Properly named links out of the site

Example: www.cs.depaul.edu• Providing flexibility: Multiple means of navigation

are important. At the very least, provide a linkback to the main page for a site/subsite.

Purposes of navigation systems

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• Hierarchical: Usually the primary system, itfollows the information hierarchy closely.

• Global: Used for quick access to distant (oftenunrelated) sections of the site. May includea portal page.

• Local: Used in conjunction with a global systemwhen a site has more than one purpose oraudience.

• Embedded links: Never used alone or for vitalpages. Studies have shown that users are morelikely to miss them.

Types of navigation systems

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• Integrated: Integrated within the page and thuscontext-related.– Navigation bars (graphic or text)– Pull-down menus– Frames

• Remote: Complement other navigation systems– Table of contents– Index– Site map

Types of navigation elements

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• Use the information hierarchy as the primarynavigation system.

• The major categories in the hierarchy becomethe global navigation system.

• The local navigation will depend on the choicesmade in the global system.

• The site’s size and goal will determine whatother navigation systems are required.

• Above all, test your navigation on users!(And pay attention to the results …)

Building a navigation system

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Topics

1. What are frames? Good or evil?2. Definition of information architecture

a) Organizational systemsb) Navigation systemsc) Labeling systemsd) Searching issues

3. Early warning about the midterm

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• Labels represent chunks of information.• They can be either headings or links.• They are closely tied to navigation.• For this reason they must be:

– meaningful– representative– consistent

What’s in a label?

“He never will know if the Gick or the Goor fits into the Skrux or the Snux or the Snoor.” Dr. Seuss

“A rose by any other name smells just as

sweet.”Shakespeare

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We are concerned with labeling systems not individual labels.

Labeling systems

Unplanned List

• Faculty Skunkworks

• Office for Instructional Technology

• K12 PDN Projects Web Page

• Digital Library Project

• Office Technology Management

• Extension Services

• The New Media Center

• Project 1999

• Institute for Information Technology

• English Composition Board

• Technology Dissemination Office

Better (far from perfect) List

Offices

• English Composition Board• Office for Instructional Technology• Office Technology Management• Technology Dissemination Office• Institute for Information Technology• The New Media Center

Projects

• Project 1999• K12 PDN Projects Web Page• Digital Library Project

?????

• Extension Services • Faculty Skunkworks

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Navigation labels are created during the design of the navigation system. You need to review them for clarity and consistency.

When possible, use what standards exist:• Main, Main page, Home, Home page• Search, Find, Browse, Site map, etc.• Contact Us, Contact webmaster, Feedback• Help, Frequently Asked Questions, FAQ• News, What’s New• About, About Us, Who We Are

Navigation labels

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• Indexing labels are crucial to the site.• Either found in the Meta tag or in the title.• Used by search engines.• Should be descriptive and representative of

the site’s purpose.• Example: http://www.clearinghouse.net

Indexing labels

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• Link labels appear within the text of pages.• The context provides meaning to the link.• Be cautious that the linked item makes sense

relative to the link’s context.

Examples:– http://www.amazon.com– http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu/asettle/ect250/section501/hw/assign4.htm

Link labels

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Heading labels:• Condense into 1-3 words the meaning of entire

paragraphs or pages of information.• The user relies on these labels to determine if

a section should be read or not.• They must be consistent both in granularity and

visual form.Examples:

• http://www.amazon.com• http://www.chicagotribune.com

Heading labels

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Iconic labels are graphically appealing but poorcommunicators.

• There is no fixed iconic language• Few concepts have standard icons

Using icons forces the user to learn your system.How many users will be motivated to do that?Guidelines:

• Use a few icons• Stick to simple graphics• Use icons consistently throughout the site

Iconic labels

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Topics

1. What are frames? Good or evil?2. Definition of information architecture

a) Organizational systemsb) Navigation systemsc) Labeling systemsd) Searching issues

3. Early warning about the midterm

40

What kinds of searches do people do?• Known-item searching• Existence searching• Exploratory searching• Comprehensive searching

Many of these searches also involve browsing.For this reason searching and browsing mustbe integrated.

How users search

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When NOT to make your site searchable:• It contains only a few, well-labeled documents.• Its purpose is to be a patch for a badly designed

browsing system.• There is no time to maintain the search engine.

When to make your site searchable:• The site is substantial.• The site contains dynamic content, making an

index difficult or impossible to maintain.

To search or not to search?

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• The midterm is scheduled for Wednesday, February 7th from 1:30 – 3:00 pm here.

• There are no makeup exams!• The exam will cover everything up to and

including the lecture on Mon., Feb. 5th.• A study guide will be available by Fri., Feb.

2nd.• We will discuss the exam in more detail next

lecture.

The midterm