Implementation of Digital Literacy in the Improved Website - Essay Example

?Final Project Documentation For The improvement of the website of 1K Bride Dress Company Developer: Table of Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………..3 1.1 Methodology………………………….……………………….4 2 improvement measures in the website……………….……………………..5 2.1 content quality………………………………………......................5 3 Industry Standards, Accessibility and the User Experience ………………7 3.1 Implementation in the Improved Website………………..…..8 4 Digital literacy……………………………………………………………….…..9 4.1 Implementation of digital literacy in the Improved Website…9 5 The Improved Website…………………………………………………………10 6 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….11 7 References………………………………………………………………………..12 1. Introduction This project was started following revelations that the current website of 1K bride was lacking some important features while some features were added unnecessarily. These problems were identified mostly by the staff and interested customers. The problems included: Out-dated website: not compatible in some internet browser; ‘internet explorer’ Incomplete website: some categories are left with empty spaces Inconsistent photos: different sizes of photos Repeated information: too much words, too much explanation could cause confusion to clients rather than clarify. Inconvenient search: in need of adding ‘side bar’ function for easier, and accurate search of dresses No search engine services: very limited ways for clients in finding our website Having realized the prospects of a good website, the company endeavored to improve it for greater achievement. The website improvement started a month ago with the first step being the briefing of 1K National Online Campaigner to engage the proposed online developers. This was followed by a detailed discussion of the upcoming project. A benchmarking exercise, whereby there was a comparison between the existing 1K bride website and similar websites. The main objective of the benchmarking exercise was to determine the general users’ expectations and industry standards could be clearly defined. This paper therefore presents the final product of the project starting from identification of the website limitations to the mock-up website. The mock-up program in this report comprise of improvements that reflect the requirements of the company, the expectations of the clients and staff, standards within the industry and elements that are vital to intercultural communication. 1.1 Methodology The following method was the appropriate one in the quest for improving the 1K website. Analysis and benchmarking This is the initial stage of the project. It is all about benchmarking exercise to identify the requirements for website development and the ultimate results that ensured that expectations of the clients and the general users are met. Not only the expectations of the general users but even the goals and objectives of the company be met after the improvement of the website. Contemporary professional communication issues The stage focused on the identification and discussions of issues related to professional communication. In particular, the project discusses in details digital literacy and how if affects the development and improvement of the proposed 1K bride website. Implementation of the proposed changes The completion of the first and second steps resulted to the third step which is all about implementation of the necessary changes. In a more elaborate way, this step involves additional of some features to realize 1K Bride organizational goals, redesigning the structure and the content of the structure to meet the taste and preferences of the users, and the elimination of the words that does not promote digital literacy in the website. Creation of the final Mock-Up website This is the most important step with regards to the methodology applied in improving the website. In this section, the necessary agents are responsible for the creation of the improved website and hence incorporating the preceding changes. However, it is worth noting that this mock-up website was approved by the executive board of the company before it could be uploaded onto a temporary domain where it underwent testing and thorough debugging. To ensure proper functioning of the website, the staffs were comprehensively trained in maintaining and repair of the website. The new URL was then adopted following successful development of the mock-up website. Weekly review of the productivity and performance of the website will be undertaken for the past 3 months after its installation. Efficiency and productivity will be measured in the number of visits to the website and the overall functionality of the entire links. As indicated in the benchmarking exercise, there was need for integration of the social concepts into the website. For that reason, the success of the improved website will also be measured by how well it finds its roots in the social media. That is; how many likes the website has in terms of facebook and tweeter likes. 2.0 Improvement measures in the website Content quality Relevance: for the proposed website to be useful to an internet audience, the site must deliver entertainment or knowledge or improve the way its audience accomplishes important task. Relevance and high-quality content are the priorities of the upcoming website. Everything else is secondary, including look and feel, ease of use, uniqueness to the medium and promotion. The website will also use market research to determine the target market and how valuable the market finds the primary content of the market (Doole & Lowe 2008, pg132). Animation: permanently moving animations should rarely be included on the website because this will limit the concentration of some clients on other page content. Those who visit the website will always judge the utility of a website on whether it contains the right amount of information to suit their needs. For this reason, the upgrading of the 1K bride’s website will ensure enough breadth to be relevant to more than niche clients. However, this was done with a clear objective to ensure that the subject mater is not too broad; because too much information could make the goal of the site to be unclear. The mock-up website ensured that the link, archives and the search engines provided a balance between valuable content depth/breadth on the website. A simple, clear structure and prominent in the website location feedback ensures that the customers who visit the site easily navigate, greatly increasing the website’s appeal. Labels, Icons, metaphors and other information may not be evident to the average person. Therefore, it is crucial for the website to be clear. In the new website, the homepage was organized through creating clearly distinguishable areas. It is vital to make sure that the content of the website are always kept fresh and up-to-date. Every website, no matter how small or big it is needs a plan of keeping it up-to date. How often you update the website depends on the circumstances. For a small company like 1K bride, the website need to be updated when there are new projects or promotions. Research has it that web visitors are very impatient. Most first time visitors will spend only 10 seconds on a site before deciding if the site has some value to offer. Therefore, the updated 1K Bride website takes time factor into consideration and hence the website developers did not waste precious few seconds creating a difficult or distracting website. The mock-up website is simple with “no-frills” type of website. Using a regular link colors like blue for a new link and magenta for a visited link will make the 1K Bride website easier to navigate. It is the ‘words’ on the website that customers really connect with. It’s what it articulated in the website and how it is articulated that will keep clients in the site longer and that will keep them coming back for more. And this is what the new 1K Bride website guarantees. It is even going to help users on the search engines and allow them find the website based on the keywords in the site. Page loading is definitely a vital part of any website’s user experience. Therefore, the new website comes with it a much improved speed to ensure that the clients access information with ease. 3.0. Industry standards, accessibility and the user experience A benchmarking exercise was conducted one month ago that involved the comparison of the current 1K Bride website to those of similar companies. The websites were compared in terms of: accessibility, online privacy, technology and platform neutrality, equity between transit and storage, simplicity and clarity, social networking and interactivity of multimedia and visuals. These criteria were used for the simple reason of the importance to the overall website performance. During the benchmarking exercise, three websites that were very similar to the 1K Bride were selected for in-depth analysis. It was revealed that: access to comprehensive and reliable information is important when making decisions concerning fashion. Therefore, for effective website, the company must ensure that it engender trust in the user through its content and design. To achieve this process, then all website ownership details and affiliations should be clearly visible or be accessible through a link on the landing page. Elements of creativity, clarity and originality in website design determines the initial impression made by the clients who visit the site and are what intrigues them to continue exploring more into the site. However, frequent update (most preferably after every 1-2 months) of the website is vital to ensure that the clients are supplied with the most accurate and up-to-date information. If the available information is not current or reliable, the customers may get a bad impression about the company. In addition, website update is important because it brings the confident about the reliability and quality of the site hence making the users to return to the site after the first visit (Delta & Matsuura 2009, pg129). 3.1. Implementation of the website As stated above, the benchmarking exercise acted as the stepping stone for the establishment of a more advanced and up to date website. This will ensure that the site up to the standards of the industry in terms of functionality, efficiency and effectiveness. To improve the accessibility and the functionality of the website, several features are altered and inserted. These include concepts such as integration of the social media into the website, inclusion of the FAQ section and the elimination of unnecessary information, slangs and acronyms. The way the functions of the new website are conducted can be changed through proper planning. This is exactly one of the principles that have been used in the quest for the improvement of the website. Once the website is fully developed, the company can let the clients and the world know that it exists through registering it with all major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and many others. It is unpredictable how fashion and design companies will use electronic communications in the future-but one thing is for sure: the role of communications will grow significantly and this will be achieved through the development and the improvement of 1K bride website. However, cost is inevitable when it comes to this kind of company activity. For this reason, the development and improvement of the website was restricted by the available budget. 4.0. Digital literacy According to Reynolds (2008, pg 66), Digital literacy comprise of critical and effective evaluation and creation of information through different digital technologies. It is the ability to find, evaluate, share, create, and utilize content using information technologies and the internet. In simple terms, digital literacy is the combination of the terms ‘digital’ and ‘literacy’ to give a more meaningful meaning (Friedman 1992, pg78). Computers have become a good avenue for literacy. Digital literacy has lead to great increases in information that can be accessed and therefore facilitates the collaboration and sharing knowledge. The digital literacy umbrella comprise of various interrelated skills ranging from basic awareness and training that help in informing citizens and building consumer and user confidence, to a more sophisticated and complex critical literacy and outcomes. Whether you have some experience or new to computing, digital literacy will help you develop a fundamental understanding of computers. The recent development of the global ICT sector makes digital literacy a basic requirement. Most organizations in this century employ people who are able to understand and achieve competency in information literacy, ICT and media literacy (Lindgaard et.al. 2006, pg30). There exists a very strong trend surrounding digital literacy as the new literacy (Cartelli 2012, pg88). In most circumstances, digital literacy may happen in two distinct ways. First, companies can promote digital literacy through the traditional forms, structures and paradigms. For instance, some companies facilitate digital literacy through introducing bite-size lessons to learn about online coding. This can help such companies replace the old interface of their websites with the new updated ones. Secondly, with the increased online storage capacity, cloud-based retrieval and data flows; there will be a motivation for continual need for technical efficiency. This will ensure sanity in the 21st Century digital world. In order to attain sustained balance, the trend towards digital literacy should be merged with the ultimate knowledge. 4.1. Implementation of digital literacy in the improved 1K Bride website For a company like 1k Bride and the entire fashion and design industry; the phrase digital literacy is used to cover everything from grasping the basic functionality of computer, to mastering the complex techniques and attitudes required for online collaboration and communication through social media (Gilster 1997,pg191). Through the knowledge of digital literacy, the improved website will enable the company to improve its digital literacy database. This will ensure that the company empowers its staff with the knowledge and skill set to safely and effectively navigate the digital world (Rivoltella 2008, pg29). The integration of interactive activities in the website will be useful in guiding the company to safely use real-world websites and software to create unique user-generated content such as: dynamic articles, podcasts, multimedia presentations, public service announcements and digital business plans (Cartelli 2012, pg12). This will be important in measuring the functionality and effectiveness of the website after its development and improvement in the long run. Digital literacy helps individuals communicate and keep up with societal trends. The adoption of social network services and web 2.0, literacy is one way that the company will stay in contact with others, pass timely information and hence sell their products (Cartelli 2012, pg61). With the emergence of social networking, digital literate company has a major voice online. The online communities motivate group interactivity among the digital literate. Social networks also help users establish a digital identity. In addition, the knowledge of digital literacy has increasingly become important as a competition tool (Gilster 1997, pg56). Linking the economic and development divides is in large measure a matter of increasing literacy and access for individuals who been left out in relation to ICT. Therefore, apart from other professional communication issues, digital literacy is one of the important factors that form the foundation of the development and improvement of the new 1K bride website (Collot & Belmore 1996, pg77). 5.0. Improved website A mock-up of the improved 1K Bride website has been created. The website can be found on the link below. http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/wedding-gowns-for-under-1k#axzz2V5CwERar One of the fastest growing marketing mechanisms in the fashion and design industry is the World Wide Web. For fashion and Design Company, establishing a web presence is a relatively low-cost activity, whether the company chose to set up and maintain its own site or hires someone to do it. The new website will enable the company attain good marketing mechanisms in order to proper in the competitive fashion and design industry. The new website has also ensured improvement in terms layout and structures as compared to the old website. The safest way to communicate online is to use a secure messaging system. Fashion and design companies should also protect their information systems from intruders trying to access them from external communication points. This does not mean that the public should be barred from accessing necessary information in the company’s network, or than the company should avail only that information that will not compromise its existence and privacy of the client. With the new website, the information system of the company will be secure. That is, the clients will access only the necessary information while that confidential to the company will remain a company’s affair. Reading through the website can be a hard task for an individual, not just the aged. To improve the readability of the website, the new developed website is characterized by the following features. They include: use of contrasting colors- for easier readability; chuck up the copy-this makes the website more scan friendly; no busy backgrounds; less words and scalable font size and visible links. A simple, clear structure and prominent in-site location feedback will enable the clients to easily navigate, greatly increasing the website’s appeal. The new website achieves this through clarity on all levels. The homepage is organized through creating clearly distinguishable areas. 6.0. Conclusion This report is an exclusive detail of how the current 1K Bride website can be improved to meet the industry standards, company’s objectives and to the satisfaction of the clients. The knowledge about digital literacy will also be vital in the implementation of the project. The improved website will not only help the company to keep in touch with latest online activities within the industry, but it will ultimately increase the company’s profit through increased marketing and sales. The acceptance of the website by the board will see its implementation being done in three faces which are: testing, debugging and staff training. References CARTELLI, A. (2012). Current trends and future practices for digital literacy and competence. Hershey, PA, Information Science Reference. Collot, M. & Belmore, N. (1996). Electronic Language: A New Variety of English. In Herring, S. (Eds.), Computer-Mediated Communication (pp. 13-23). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Company. DELTA, G. B., & MATSUURA, J. H. (2009). Law of the Internet. New York, Aspen Law & Business. DOOLE, I., & LOWE, R. (2008). International marketing strategy: analysis, development and implementation. London, Cengage Learning. Friedman, H. (1992). No Thanks I’m Just Looking: Professional Retail Sales Techniques for Turning Shoppers Into Buyers. Kendall Hunt Publishing, California, USA GILSTER, P. (1997). Digital literacy. New York [etc.], John Wiley & sons. HARTLEY, J. (2011). The uses of digital literacy. New Brunswick, N.J., Transaction Publishers. INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION. (2013). Digital literacy: concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications. Hershey, PA, Information Science Reference. Internet World Stats. (2012). Internet Users in the World: Distribution by World Regions 2011. Retrieved April 28 2012, from http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm. Lindgaard, G., Fernandes, G., Dudek ,C. & Brown J. (2006). Attention Web Designers: You Have 50 Milliseconds to Make a Good First Impression!. Behaviour and Information Technology 25(2), 115-126. REYNOLDS, R. B. (2008). Reconstructing "digital literacy" in a Constructionist computer club the role of motivation, interest, and inquiry in children's purposive technology use / by Rebecca Reynolds. Thesis (Ph.D.)--Syracuse University, 2008. RIVOLTELLA, P. C. (2008). Digital literacy: tools and methodologies for information society. Hershey PA, IRM Press. Read More