Collaborative Team Web Project for Digital Humanities- Native Women Leaders site
Use these links to skip to your desired section of these directions:
Purpose
This
assignment is designed to give you realistic experience designing
web sites for a client as part of a development team. Working
with two to three classmates, you will propose, design,
create, and test a fully functioning, scalable web site prototype for a proposed NEH Digital Humanities grant. Your work will be part of a research project (headed by Dr. Diane Prindeville of the Government department, working with MA student Rachel Gallagher) to study and share the ways in which Native American women leaders from southwest pueblos are influencing their communities and their cultures near the start of a new century.
Research Project and Web Site Description from Dr. Prindeville- The State of the Nations: 21st Century Life on 21 Southwestern Indian
Nations
This project grows out of Dr. Prindeville’s ongoing research into American
Indian politics and governance. The goal is to create a website that is
informative, which serves as a fun educational tool for students,
teachers, researchers, and the general public. We want to highlight
life in Indian Country today, and where leaders see their communities
headed in the future. We want to present the voices and views of
contemporary native women leaders in 21 Southwestern Indian Nations and
their perceptions of life in their communities, their peoples' goals,
struggles, and dreams as they enter the 21st century. We see these
nations as vibrant and dynamic, adapting in unique and creative ways to
the changing world, while working to maintain their ancient traditions
and cultures.
Methodology
We will use personal interview data collected for several years from
tribal leaders in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. Employing
follow-up interviews with the leaders, we will revisit the state of
their nations exploring in detail issues such as:
- employment, gaming, and economic development
- tribal membership and gender equity
- education, technology, cultural preservation, and globalization
- religious rights
- crime, drugs and alcohol
- children, youth, and the elderly
- community health and well-being
- mineral rights, water rights, and the environment
- land use and acquisition
- federal-tribal relations
- state/local-tribal relations
- tribal sovereignty
- tribal governance and the future of tribal leadership
The text will be complemented with oral interviews, photographs, and possibly video of
the leaders and their communities.
More about the Web Project
The Digital Humanities grant on which the web portion of this project rests is particularly concerned with using digital technologies to make research and resources widely accessible for education and further study by audiences at all levels. The NEH encourages exploration of digital methods to present both traditional and new media to diverse audiences. To find out more about the kind of work and approach the grant is intended to support, check http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/digitalhumanitiesstartup.html
Since much of research material for this project is still being collected, your task will be to plan for and create a prototype web site that is expandable (scalable) as more content is gathered. This means you will build a fully functioning site with a structure that will allow content and features to be added without disrupting the site's main navigation structure.
Based on what you learn from our meeting with Dr. Prindeville and your own research, you will define your target audience and create an educational/informational web site that
is appropriate for and appealing to the target population. It
will need to fulfill the researchers' objectives for the project (see above for information from the client). It will also have to resonate with your users' interests,
concerns, needs, and identities
so that they will want to return
to the site often. After several intermediate
stages throughout the semester, you will present
your design and concept to Dr. Prindeville, Rachel Gallagher, and me during finals' week for possible use as the official site of the State of the Nations project.
Overview and Guidelines
for What You'll Be Doing
Based on your
discussion with Dr. Prindeville and other project representatives who will
visit our class on several occasions,
your research into their work and its goals, their
target population, your audience analysis,
and your analysis of comparable web sites, you will develop a site that
best negotiates all of these variables. This is a complex project
which will need to result in a sophisticated and usable site.
Although I cannot specify
what you need to include (because these decisions are
part of the design process in which I want you to engage),
at
minimum the site your group creates should:
- fulfill
the education and dissemination goals for the Native Women Leaders research project as outlined in the discussion
with Dr. Prindeville
- adhere to the program intentions of the Digital Humanities grant in the content and design of your site
- put
forth a positive and inviting image of the subjects and subject matter you present, the researchers involved, and the university at which this work is based
- appeal
to the intended audience and create interesting, appropriate content
- have
a usable hierarchy and navigation system so that web users
of all levels can find what they need quickly and easily
- have
an aesthetically pleasing interface and design- again,
make it appropriate for the target audience
- include
appropriate resources and links as suggested by research project representatives
Due
Dates
This is a large project that will take place over
the whole semester. However, it is broken up into several smaller steps
which are due as follows:
Written
Project Plan
In order to complete this proposal, you will want to do
some additional research on the subject matter, with research project representatives,
and with intended audience members (if you have access to them)
to help you better understand how
to position
and construct
your site. You should refer to your notes from the client's
presentation, as well as your analyses of other
cultural and native web sites. With that in mind,
write up a Project Plan based on chapter 3 of Goto and Cotler for what you plan to
accomplish
in your site. You should use a modified version of the Communication Brief Worksheet (ignoring those aspects that refer to re-designing an existing site) to help structure your plan. Additionally, you should incorporate and address the following categories
to the best of your ability. Remember that the more thinking
and planning you do up front, the less backtracking and revising
you'll have to do later, though of course some of this will
be speculation at this point.
- target
audience- who are you trying
to reach with this site? why? are there multiple audiences
(for example, children, high school or college students, adults, other researchers; native, hispanic or anglo; city, rural, reservation, out of state, etc.)?
how will you identify & meet
their needs & interests?
- description & site
concept- what
do you plan to do in this site? how do you plan to reach
your audience? what about your site will make it resonate
with the target population and make them want to return?
- media-
what media do you plan to include & why? are these
plans appropriate for your audience's interests as well
as their access to and abilities with technology?
- rationale-
what justifications can you offer for your design ideas & choices?
(in other words, how can you convince your client that
what you plan to do will help them to attain their goals?)
Concept
Presentations
The
purpose of giving a Concept Presentation is to provide the
client with a limited variety of design options so as to
begin narrowing in on the design and features that will
best accomplish the goals and interests of the client.
At this time, you also give a rationale for your design
choices. You want to facilitate as specific feedback as
possible, while also listening sincerely to the client's concerns
and suggestions. Although I would prefer all members of
your group to participate in some way in these presentations,
you may choose to designate a certain member or members
to work as sales representatives if others in the group
also have specific roles within the development team. While
I hope that the feedback session will be somewhat informal
and collaborative, your presentation should be well-practiced
and prepared. Know exactly who will be responsible for
what and which features of each of your three designs you
will highlight for your client.
When
preparing for your presentation, consider the following:
- Audience:
Develop persuasive strategies by analyzing your audience
(your
classmates, your teacher, and what you know about your
client from our initial meeting with her and from the comparative research you conduct). Adapt your arguments about
your design concepts to address what
you
anticipate
might be different viewpoints held by your client.
- Strategies: Think
critically about your justification for your project site.
What is the best way to persuade your client that your
proposal is appropriate and appealing for the organization
and the site's
intended audience?
- Delivery: Decide
on a format for presenting your concept and plan that gives everyone
in your group an active role in the in some part of the process. Organize your presentation so the audience can easily follow your ideas. Plan on where
you will sit or stand during the parts of the presentation
and how the visual aids (your screen-based design mockups
and any other materials you want to include) will be handled
and by whom. Run through your plan at least once
before your
class
presentation.
Screen-based
Design Mockups
The purpose of doing multiple
on-screen mockups
is so that you can explore how different approaches and ideas
might begin to work in a digital context. Often times, what
seems like it will work fine on paper does not translate well
on screen either aesthetically or functionally. Also, when
working with clients, they will want to see several options
before giving the OK to continue development. This is an extremely
important step because without approval here, you may get to
the end of the design and development process only to find
that your client is not happy with the entire site. You will
present these mockups to each other and the client during the
Concept Presentation to receive feedback and insights that
are often overlooked when you are immersed in a project.
On the day you do your Concept Presentation, your team
will also turn in a CD containing three screen mockups in
.psd (Photoshop) format
with all of the layers intact. These should be three completely
different designs, not just three mildly different versions
of the same design.
Site Map and Rationale
Having a clear and usable architecture
for your web site is just as important for your users as how
your site looks.
For this reason, you will create a complete site map, showing
every page within your site, places where future content can be added, and how each page is linked hierarchically
to every other page within your site (chapter 7 in the Web Design Workshop
textbook and chapter 4 of your Web ReDesign 2.0 text both have great explanations and examples to help you out). Additionally,
your team will write a short, one page rationale discussing
your justification for this structure. You will need to
talk about your reasons for selecting it, how and why it
is appropriate for your target audience, and how it fits
the needs of your site.
Some reminders for working on your
site map and rationale (from WDW):
- limit your top-level links
to no more than five or seven (more than that can be
confusing to users)
- use short link names- convey
enough information so users know what to expect when
they click, but keep it
simple
- help users understand where they are within your site
at all times
- make it as easy as possible for users to go from any
one section of your site to any other section of your
site
- make your navigation consistent by placing it in the
same location and keeping links in the same order on
every page
- include a link to your home page on every page of
your site
Feedback and Usability Testing Survey
In order to gather feedback about the content and usability of your draft site, you will create a one to two page written survey for testers to fill out. Chapter 8 of your Web ReDesign 2.0 text has ample information on the kinds of issues you will want to look at. You will use this survey in conjunction with user observation on the day of testing. Bring at least 10 copies of your survey to class.
Working Draft
Version of Site
On this day, your site should be online (though not linked
to anywhere else except your class page) and fully functioning.
This will be a chance for you to observe others as they use
your navigation and to solicit their feedback through your written survey on your
overall design, content, and usability. Your objective is to hear critiques and
suggestions while there is still time to revise your approach
and fix errors and glitches. Although your navigation should
be fully operational so that users can get to all pages in
your site, the project does not have to be completely finished
(an impossibility in web design anyway) on this day.
Revised/Final Version of Site
A final version of your site will be due during finals' week for grading and evaluation. Based on feedback received during the usability testing and review session, you will turn in a revised, fully functional version of your site on CD.
Graphic Style Guide and Other Client Hand-off Documents
Ideally, you have created and used a graphic style guide earlier in your development process to ensure visual consistency throughout your site. Use the recommended components discussed on page 139 of your Web ReDesign 2.0 book for help on what information to include in this document. Additionally, you will want to provide all necessary production information to hand off your project to the client. This includes details about naming conventions, site structure, page layout, and more. Use the recommended components discussed on pages 182-183 of your Web ReDesign 2.0 book for guidance (though not all categories will be necessary or relevant).
Final
Client Walkthrough Presentations
This will be an opportunity
to show off all of your hard work and to celebrate your
accomplishments. On this day, your
site should be completely finished so that grant representatives
and the rest of the class can see it in all of its glory. Your
presentation should
include a walkthrough of the site and its features, as well
as a discussion of why the choices you
made along
the way are appropriate for your targeted audience. In
evaluating your performance I will be looking at how well you
are able to articulate your design decisions in relation to
the criteria discussed by the client, the development and rhetorical
issues we have discussed in class, and the audience research
you have conducted.
|
