User-Centered Web Site Design: A Model for Development

Stephen P. Victor
BMC Software, Inc.
University of Houston
Houston, Texas, USA
Email: svictor@bayou.uh.edu

Introduction
This paper presents a model for creating user-centered educational and informational Web sites.
Information design is the process of developing effective pieces of written or visual communication. While good
information design stresses the importance of communication that clearly communicates an intended meaning, user-
centered information design places primary emphasis on addressing the cognitive needs of the intended audience.
Distance education via the World Wide Web is becoming an increasingly popular form of instructional
delivery. Because Web courses are often developed by teams of designers, a methodology for the collaborative
development of educational Web sites can be a valuable tool for improving instructional effectiveness. This paper
presents such a methodology and suggests areas of research to investigate the application of principles of user-
centered information design to the development of effective instructional systems.

Theoretical Background
The field of information design embraces such diverse disciplines as business administration, computer
science, cognitive psychology, graphic and typographic design, and technical communication. A user-centered
approach to design is informed by principles of information theory and communication theory, information design
theory, the findings of cognitive psychologists on perception and learning, and hypertext theory. Some of these
theoretical considerations are briefly discussed below.
Information design theory draws on information and communication theory to suggest that designers
structure information in ways that minimize “noise” and facilitate the transfer of meaning. Many factors, including
personal characteristics, past experiences, and present feelings, can affect individual interpretation of sensory
information (Stern & Robinson, 1994).
Jonassen (1993) states that hypertext resembles the associative network of human memory, and he suggests
a technique of mapping the semantic network of an expert user. In such a map, concepts in the expert’s mind become
hypertext nodes, and the relationships among concepts become hypertext links. Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural
learning theory suggests that learning takes place as learners interact with more advanced peers and adults.
Using the notion of hypertext as a cognitive map, instructors can provide learners with a powerful tool for
visually mapping their own representations of knowledge. Collaboratively-developed hypertext documents (cognitive
maps) can also serve as sociocultural learning tools, providing learners the opportunity to “interact” with peers and
expert users, even those who are geographically removed from the learner.

A User-Centered Model for Development

While information design is concerned with the development of effective pieces of communication,
information architecture is the more far-reaching process of analysis, design, development, and implementation of a
large-scale information product. The literature on information architecture suggests that Web site creation requires a
systematic process of audience and content analysis; creation of detailed site diagrams and documentation; and
production and implementation (Rosenfeld & Morville, 1998).
I propose that development of user-centered Web sites be guided by a four phase model: Design, Develop,
Deploy, Document. This is a cyclical, iterative process, as illustrated in the following diagram:
 Design

Document Develop

Deploy

Figure 1: A user-centered model of Web site development.

In the Design phase, the designer performs needs analysis, audience analysis, and task analysis. The
activities associated with this phase are identical to those found in traditional models of instructional design. In
collaboration with the intended audience or the client, the designer develops initial prototypes and blueprints. After
client approval, the project moves to the Develop phase, in which the development team builds the product
according to the specifications developed during design. In this phase, the designer works with graphic artists and
technical experts to build the site. As the product is developed, the design/development team meets with the client
for discussion and negotiation of modifications, if needed. Upon client approval of the final product, it is moved to
the Deploy phase. In this phase, the Web site is installed and made available to the target audience. In the Document
phase, the design/development team assembles project documents and blueprints and presents them to the client to
guide future product revisions. This documentation feeds into future Design phases, and the cycle continues.

Conclusion
The four phase model I have described may be viewed as a framework for research into the processes of
creating user-centered information: design of information (needs, audience, and task analyses), development of
information (writing, graphical production, page/screen layout, programming), deployment (implementation and
evaluation), and documentation of the product (to guide future expansion and revision). However, a presentation as
limited as this often brings up more questions than it answers. What are the precise activities that occur in each phase
of the model? As this model is refined, detailed procedures for each phase must be worked out. What is the correct
balance of theoretical and applied knowledge to prepare students to be designers of effective instructional Web sites?
What should we teach students to prepare them to be good information designers in instructional settings? What are
the best approaches to teaching these skills? Ongoing research, including the development of a graduate-level course
on instructional applications of information architecture (Victor, 1999), is investigating the appropriateness of
applying user-centered information design principles to the development of instructional systems.

References
Jonassen, D. H. (1993). Effects of semantically structured hypertext knowledge bases on users’knowledge structures. In C.
McKnight, A. Dillon, & J. Richardson (Eds.), Hypertext: A psychological perspective. London: Ellis Horwood.

Rosenfeld, L., & Morville, P. (1998). Information architecture for the World Wide Web. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly & Associates.

Stern, R. C., & Robinson, R. S. (1994). Perception and its role in communication and learning. In D. M. Moore & F. M. Dwyer
(Eds.), Visual literacy: A spectrum of visual learning (pp. 31-51). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Victor, S. P. (1999). Instructional applications of information architecture. In B. Collis and R. Oliver (Eds.), Proceedings of the
1999 Conference on Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia. Charlottesville, VA: Association for the Advancement of
Computing in Education

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.