Web Quality Assurance A workshop for web managers UN
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Transcript Web Quality Assurance A workshop for web managers UN
Web Quality Assurance
A workshop for web managers
UN Web 4 Development Conference
29 November 2007
Nairobi, Kenya
Web Quality Assurance > Introduction
Learning objectives
Learn how to evaluate your Web site and
ensure it is compliant with the top quality
standards.
In particular:
How to define Web Quality.
How to evaluate a Web site.
How to improve and monitor Web sites.
Web Quality Assurance > Introduction
Implement quality criteria:
Technical quality;
Metadata, referencing, SEO;
User interface (usability, graphic design, ...);
Content and editorial quality.
Web Quality Assurance > Introduction
To be able to:
Develop Web sites that are user-friendly and
intuitive;
Build trust with the users;
Add value to your information;
Make sure that your Web site is « crawler-friendly »
Learn more about your target audience.
Introduction
Defining Web Quality
Web Quality Assurance > Definition
What is Web Quality about?
There are various aspects related to Web quality
Quantitative criteria (easy to measure)
Qualitative criteria (more subjective)
Many studies in this field
to analyse the behaviour of users
to increase the accessibility to information
Web Quality is not only about content or
Web standards!
Chapter 1
Technical Quality
Web Quality Assurance > Technical Quality
Why technical quality?
A Web site of high technical quality enables a
wide audience to interact with your site.
For example: multi-language users or
those with low level Internet connections or
old computers/software.
These criteria also facilitate Web traffic analysis,
which identifies page errors and broken links.
Web Quality Assurance > Technical Quality
Pre-Requisites for all Web pages
What are the most obvious things of a Web site that would irritate you?
Broken links
Javascript errors
Long loading times
Pages not printable
etc…
Every Web page should be compliant with the most common Web
standards.
Web Quality Assurance > Technical Quality > Rules
Rule 1: Links
No broken links
Use absolute links (use relative links only if they occur within a logical
group of pages)
Have the link to the current Web page inactive
Have the language links on a page point to the translated current page
Have links to other languages only when these languages are available
Have a minimal amount of links that open in a new browser window
(when they do, reuse a browser window that the Web site has previously
opened)
Have visited links that change colour
Have descriptive labels on links
Web Quality Assurance > Technical Quality > Rules
Rule 2: Images Size & Format
Have the correct width and height attributes for each image, so the
correct layout is displayed while the page loads
Use the correct image format
Have JPEG images at the lowest acceptable level of quality, to reduce size
Do not use HTML code to resize images
Web Quality Assurance > Technical Quality > Rules
Rule 3: Compatibility
Compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+
Compatible with Mozilla Firefox 1.5+
Compatible with Apple Safari 1.0+
Compatible with Adobe Reader 5.0+ for PDF files
Web Quality Assurance > Technical Quality > Rules
Rule 4: URL, Files & Folders
No unnecessary or orphan files
Use logical file and folder names
Have URLs without parameters or convert parameters to file names
Have each URL point to a single resource/page
Use lowercase for file and folder names
Do not use URL aliases, but use a redirect instead
Use the correct redirect for moved and deleted pages
[all these criteria apply also for SEO]
Web Quality Assurance > Technical Quality > Rules
Rule 5: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
Use an external style sheet rather than embedding CSS in the page
Reference the style sheets in the document <head>
Use style sheets for all presentation information (e.g. font and
tables used for layout)
Use CSS for layout and image effects (e.g. rollovers) rather than
images (or tables)
Have a single CSS file (except if you use a print.css)
Web Quality Assurance > Technical Quality > Rules
Rule 6: Downloads
Have downloads less than 500kB
Compress large files and divide a PDF document if necessary
Indicate the size of each download
Avoid the use of Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel, etc)
or TIFF files
Web Quality Assurance > Technical Quality > Rules
Rule 7: Language
Have page content and navigation in at least three FAO languages
Have language links in the following text and order:
العربية, 中文, English, Français, Español
Do not use a country’s flag as a language link
Alerts, feedback and instructions to users must be in the language of the
Web page
Have the language encoding in the <head> section
Use UTF-8 (universal transformation format: 8-bit bytes)
Chapter 2
Metadata, Referencing,
Search Engine Optimization
Web Quality Assurance > Metadata & Referencing
About metadata and referencing
Metadata and reference information is simply data
that answers the who, what, when, where, why
and how questions about a Web site/page.
It is very useful because it allows users to quickly
determine whether the Web page is appropriate for
their use.
Web Quality Assurance > Metadata & Referencing
How reliable is your information
Reference information provides evidence of prudent
data stewardship: an organization that …
acknowledges content authors
tags and describes content
provides important dates, contact details, and
copyright information
… is also likely to take the time to develop high quality
sites.
Web Quality Assurance > Metadata & Referencing
Rule 8: Metadata
Have metadata in the language of the page
Have a title for each Web page
(must be meaningful and unique)
Use keywords in the page source
Have a description of the Web page in the page source
Web Quality Assurance > Metadata & Referencing
Rule 9: Referencing
Include the creation date
Include the site owner
Include the last updated date
Use a disclaimer for archived pages
Include the author of the content/page/site
Include contact details on each page
Include information on how to cite each Web page
Include copyright and date
Web Quality Assurance > Metadata & Referencing
Make your Web site « crawler-friendly »
Most of the information is retrieved using search engines
(and now also RSS feeds)
Search engines will display the information they find on
your Web site
Search engine optimization (SEO) is about crawling
and also ranking
Search engine optimisation adds value to a site by
allowing it to be easily found by search engine users
Web Quality Assurance > Metadata & Referencing
Rule 10: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
For Web sites where content is in a database, create a HTML index
page
Give more prominence to important keywords
(and synonims) by using them in headings and subheadings
Have meaningful URLs
Always use the title tag and use a different title for each page
Use robots.txt to tell what NOT to crawl (e.g. the print-friendly
version of Web pages)
[ see rule 5]
Chapter 3
User Interface & Usability
Introduction
How do people use the Web
Web Quality Assurance > User Interface
Users scan contents
80% of their time, internet users scan
your content rather than reading it word by
word
Web Quality Assurance > User Interface
Many visitors come from search engines
Provide explicit headlines
with consistent keywords
Web Quality Assurance > User Interface
Users only see part of the page content
First screen
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality
What do they look at most?
…headlines and hyperlinks.
Web Quality Assurance > User Interface
Reading comfort
Reading on-screen is 25% slower than reading on
paper.
Web Quality Assurance > User Interface
User-centered approach
Ergonomy vs. Usability
Accessibility
World Usability Day (November 8th 2007)
World Wide Web Consortium (w3c.org)
Web Quality Assurance > User Interface
Defining Usability
Learnability
Efficiency
Memorability
Errors
Satisfaction
[source: jakob nielson www.useit.com]
Web Quality Assurance > User Interface
How to measure success?
Evaluation Methods
User Tests (individual, group, eye-tracking)
Surveys (quantitative online)
Expert Audits (web gurus, peers, consultants)
Web Quality Assurance > User Interface
Page Structure Elements
Consistent Layout
Visual Identity
Screen Size
Coherent Navigation
Header / Footer
Web Quality Assurance > User Interface > Rules
Rule 11: Fonts
Use an 11 or 12 point font size for the content body
Use standard and sans-serif fonts (e.g. Verdana and Geneva, Arial
and Helvetica) for the content body
Keep the use of font size and style consistent throughout the site
Use relative rather than absolute units for font size
(see the W3C’s checkpoint 3.4 of the “Techniques for Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines 1.0”)
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-relative-units
Web Quality Assurance > User Interface > Rules
Rule 12: Images and Figures
Have alternative text descriptions for images
Use text instead of images wherever possible, especially in the case of
images of text
Use styled colours and backgrounds instead of images
Use thumbnails for large images and indicate the larger image's file size
No animation, unless there is a special need
Web Quality Assurance > Technical Quality > Rules
Rule 13: Copyright
Indicate the copyright and the year on all pages of your Web site
The copyright information must be in the same language as the
originating page
Identify the content owner and copyright holder for content in
external Web services (e.g. Del.icio.us and YouTube)
Include copyright information for images, audio and video
Chapter 4
Editorial Quality
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality
Is this text appealing?
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality
The headline: five times more read than
body text.
The lead: looked at by more than
90% of visitors.
Paragraph blocks group ideas
Keywords in bold
Visuals with captions.
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality
Write to your audience
Researchers/scientists/academics
Media/journalists
Teachers/educators/trainers
Public managers/government officials
Development actors (NGO, UN,…)
Students/Young people
Permanent delegations and national commissions
UNESCO staff members
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality
For whom is this text written?
MOST is a UNESCO programme that promotes international,
comparative and policy-relevant research on contemporary social
transformations and issues of global importance.
For further information:
[http://www.unesco.org/most/flyer.htm]
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality
Do we have to remove all jargon?
As
we go deeper into a portal,
it’s normal to reach more technical
documentation that contains jargon
However,
most of the time, jargon occurs too
soon limit it, if possible, to lowest levels or
to the institutional pages
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality
Well Structured Content
Short,
concise titles
Inverted pyramid
Lead paragraph contains the "5 W"
Engaging conclusion
Hyperlinks
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality
Structure you content:
Inverted Pyramid
Lead contains
most of the 5 W
Interesting facts and
colourful details are found
in the body text
Least important information
is found here, at the bottom
of the story
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality
Five W’s
Five basic questions allowing to handle information:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
To Whom
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality
A striking conclusion, offering also some
interactivity
[At the end of an article about natural disasters]
…
UNESCO will continue to play an advisory and advocacy role until every
country – be it rich or poor – has shifted emphasis from post-disaster
reaction to pre-disaster action. Earthquakes are a fatality. They need not
be a disaster.
For further information:
[email protected] or [email protected]
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality > Rules
Rule 14: Control content quality
Quality of lay-out
Spacing
Volume
Highlighted elements
Visuals
Quality of style
Spelling and grammar
Concision
Simplicity of style
Absence of jargon
Right tone according to the organization
Right tone according to the audience
Clear-cut headlines and hyperlinks
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality > Rules
Rule 14: Control content quality (2)
Quality of structure
Logical thread
Inverted pyramid
Lead containing the "5 W"
Engaging conclusion
Quality of content
Interest for users
Interest for UNESCO
Freshness
Presence of factual data
Contextualization
Presence of "to learn more" links
Accuracy
Multilingualism
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality Control
Assuring ongoing quality:
Control the editorial balance
Prevent any topic from cannibalizing the other
(except if you can justify the asymmetry)
Fill the blanks
(e.g. a neglected topic, an abandoned region,…)
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality Control
Cross-reading
NEWS
UNESCO initiates creation of International Cultural Center in Mexico
UNESCO initiates preservation of Cultural Heritage in Afghanistan
Major archaeological discoveries in Aksum
Macedonian baritone Trajanov named UNESCO Artist for Peace
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality Control
Cross-reading
(same example after correction)
NEWS
UNESCO opens the International Cultural Center in Mexico
UNESCO initiates preservation of Cultural Heritage in Afghanistan
Major archaeological discoveries in Aksum
Macedonian baritone Trajanov named UNESCO Artist for Peace
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality Control
Monitor traffic statistics
Number of visits
Number of page views
Number of visitors
Number of returning visitors
Most visited pages
Average duration of visits
Geographical origin of visitors
Traffic-generating keywords
Traffic-generating websites
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality Control
Track other success indicators
Number
Number
Number
Number
Number
Number
Success indicators that are specific to your programme
of
of
of
of
of
of
links to your website
RSS subscriptions
newsletter subscriptions
ordered publications
forms sent
e-mail messages
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality Control
Listen to user feedback
Frequently asked questions
Surveys
User tests
Press releases
External audits
Informal feedback
Web Quality Assurance > Editorial Quality Control
Rule 15 : Monitor editorial quality
Control the editorial balance
Do cross-reading
Monitor traffic statistics
Track other success indicators
Listen to user feedback
Web Quality Assurance > Further information
Further information
available on the web
Trainer Contacts:
Useful Links
http://www.worldusabilityday.org/
www.useit.com
www.w3.org
www.w3schools.com
www.gerrymcgovern.com
www.usabilitynet.org
FAO & UNESCO Internal Guidelines
http://km.fao.org/webguide
http://portal.unesco.org/guidelines
Anne Aubert
[email protected]
Stephen Roberts
[email protected]
Thank you
for your attention!