7.2 Collecting Information

1.	The initial stage in the design of a web site is to gather information on the requirements of the site and the client’s expectations.
2.	The purpose of the site must be first identified.

a)

E.g. the purpose of the site could be to share information, to market a company’s services, to sell a product, etc.

3.	The goals of the web site should also be determined which are usually to share information, to make financial revenue or both.
4.	It is essential at this stage to determine the target site users.

	a)	A number of user characteristics can influence the site’s design decisions.
	b)	This includes the age, gender, language, culture, qualifications, computer literacy and the user’s connectivity to the Internet (e.g. dial-in, broadband connection).
	c)	A number of techniques can be used to determine the site’s audience and their needs including analyzing existing site logs and statistics, conducting surveys and focus groups and reviewing research publications.
	d)	The content expected by the target audience must then be determined.

5.	Evaluating existing and competing sites with similar purpose and target audience can be beneficial in producing a good design that complies with common design trends, thus enhancing the site’s usability.