Understanding Interactivity
You may have noticed that some websites are a bit more interactive
than others. How well a website interacts with the user is
critical to its overall success. Interaction can come in several
forms, and choosing the amount of interaction a site will
contain should be thought out carefully.
| Types
of Website Interaction |
| Informational |
Informational websites consist of static web pages
listing general information about a particular person
or business. These sites are the least interactive,
offering only flat text and (maybe) a form that forwards
to the site owner's email. (This still requires some
form of scripting.) The text never changes and content
must be added by a webmaster or web designer each
time change is required.
Informational sites tend to be cost effective and
serves the purpose for most individuals and start-up
small businesses. Because no database or special scripting
is involved, design time is usually no more than 3-4
weeks. A good start is 4-5 pages.
|
| Multimedia |
Multimedia-enabled websites are highly interactive,
and are idea for businesses and individuals requiring
sound or a high level level of site visitor interaction.
When we say "multimedia", we mean embedded
content such as streaming video (e.g. QuickTime movies,
MPEG4, Windows Media Player files, RealPlayer files,
etc.), streaming audio (e.g. MP3 and other sound/music
files), and sites developed in Macromedia
Flash™, a standard in multimedia software
and site development.
A multimedia enabled site can still use static webpages;
however, the level of multimedia usage differentiates
whether the site is considered Informational or Multimedia-Enabled.
For example, a single Flash intro or one music file
does not necessarily justify a site as "multimedia-enabled"
per say. Multimedia-enabled sites typically focus
on its ability to provide multimedia content, or is
primarily developed in a medium that requires ActiveX
or embedded objects such as Shockwave Flash. Informational
websites may embed a Flash banner or button to add
to the aesthetic design.
|
| Dynamic: |
Dynamically-driven websites are one of the most comprehensive
and expensive websites available, yet typically the
most interactive. E-Commerce sites and web applications
(both explained below) are almost always dynamically
driven, since shopping cart systems and account authentication
scripts typically rely on databases and scripting
languages.
The huge advantage to creating a dynamic website
is the ability to produce customized content on-demand.
For example, a shopper can search for "blue pants"
and the site will return all items in a shopping cart
that contain "blue" and/or "pants".
Forums, news feeds, and search engines all provide
dynamic content, and most use some form of database
to achieve this. Dynamic websites typically use languages
other than HTML and JavaScript such as PHP, Active
Server Pages (ASP), .NET, Java Server Pages (JSP),
Extendible Mark-up Language (XML), Perl, and ActionScript
(used to add interactivity to Macromedia Flash movies).
|
| E-Commerce: |
Sites with shopping
cart/storefront management software (e.g. Miva Merchant,
osCommerce, ASPcart, etc.) are considered E-Commerce
enabled websites. Such sites typically use one or more
databases to store information on the shopper such as
their billing/shipping information and shopping cart
contents. The text and other content on the website
is directly affected by what the shopper selects, making
this type of site dynamic.
Some websites use 3rd party e-commerce
solutions such as Pay Pal and 2CheckOut.com. These websites
may not contain shopping cart software, and therefore
are not considered E-Commerce enabled sites since the
billing and shipping information is not stored via the
original website. Instead, the 3rd party billing service
provider will collect this information and store it
on their server. E-Commerce enabled sites will typically
allow the shopper to search for products/services, store
chosen items in a special area (typically called a "shopping
cart" or "shopping basket"), and securely
purchase the items through an electronic form of payment
(e.g. credit card, e-check, bank wire transfer, etc.). |
| Web
Application: |
Online application development incorporates the use
of one or more computer programming languages to intuitively
interact with the user. Applications are dynamic
and often use several programming techniques to accomplish
one or more tasks.
Applications typically use more than one database
and more than one database type, including Oracle,
Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, and MySQL.
They are normally more robust than simple solutions
containing a single point of storage and are oftentimes
custom built. (For this reason, such solution is normally
reserved for large corporations; design costs can
range in 5 or 6 figure dollar amounts!)
An example of a web application may be viewed on
VistaPrint.com.
This company provides quality printing by way of web
browser. Their site allows the user to upload an image
from his or her computer (or choose a template), edit
printed text on the card, and finally review a sample
of the card on screen. After completing the process,
the user is prompted to pay for the cards and the
order is processed then shipped. (Since the billing
is processed on their server, this is also e-commerce
enabled.)
More information: A technical description
of "web application" may be found on Wikipedia.
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Ask the professionals
Which type of website is right for me? This
depends on what you wish to achieve and your budget. If you
are a start up and only require a few photos of your work
or a price list, then it's probably best to go for an Informational
site. However, if you want multiple photo albums or member
registration, you'll need to go Dynamic.
Artists and those in the music industry will more than likely
appreciate a Multimedia site. If
you're selling anything online, whether tangible or non-tangible,
you need E-Commerce. Finally, if
you want to build an online software that can be used by anyone,
you will need to invest in building a Web
Application.
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