This project includes three deliverables – alpha, beta, & final solution
This is a team project. Please review the Project 2 – Team List (Instructor will post the list once the teams are created), for the new project team list.
In this project, you will learn how to create a compelling user experience on a website using the Genesis framework. The deliverable for this project is a site which will demonstrate your knowledge of Genesis and the basics of user experience design.
Your team may suggest your own business scenario or select from these sample business scenarios as a jumping off point. Note: Small sized businesses are usually good sources for problems that fit the scope of this class. The site goals should include a call to action such as, but not limited to revenue generation, signing up subscribers, advertisements, and getting donations/volunteers.
To propose your own problem, upload your proposal to canvas (see calendar for due date). Be sure to include the following:
- Name of proposed organization (and URL if available)
- Approximate revenue and/or number of employees.
- The type of business / focus of the organization.
- Initial needs and goals.
- Your relationship and/or experience with this organization. Each team member must have a role within the organization. Think…What is it about their role that will ensure they will remain committed to the project?
The Genesis framework
Genesis is a website design framework published by StudioPress. For example, the main MIS Community site is built on top of the Genesis framework with the NewsPro theme.
- Temple has a site license to lynda.com (now part of LinkedIn) which includes excellent step-by-step tutorials on how to use Genesis.
- Click the following link: Learning Genesis for WordPress. Sign in using your Temple AccessNet credentials to benefit from the site license.
- Please ignore the sections in the tutorial about Installing the Genesis Framework or working with templates.
- We will use a special project server https://project.mis.temple.edu/ available for this class. Students in this class will be able to automatically access this server using Temple AccessNet credentials.
- The server contains the Genesis framework and most of the themes produced by StudioPress.
Getting started
- Start watching the Lynda tutorial and experiment using your own site.
- To create a site, login to https://project.mis.temple.edu/hover on Hello,…, Sites, and click Create a Site.
- Click on the URL of the new site in the new message/alert to visit it.
- Activate the Executive Pro theme on your new site (use the following guide to select the Executive Pro theme). This is the theme that the tutorial uses. Note: You will see the Genesis menu after you activate the theme. Enable Collaboration with your team
- This is a team based project and each team must submit one team site for the Alpha, Beta and Final submission.
- Click the following link: Team Collaboration for detailed instructions on setting up your team’s site.
Creating the site
Create a site using one of the Genesis themes.
- Use Executive Pro or select a different theme that better fits the intended affordance of your site. Some of the themes have specific instructions, contact the instructor for the documentation.
- The site should at the minimum contain the following:
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- Appropriate name and URL that reflects the intended affordance of the site.
- A total of 6 pages or posts, with at least one of each. Each should have at least 100 words of content and one image. The titles and images should be appropriate and relevant. You can use filler text for the paragraphs.
- Home page that includes the Genesis Featured Page widget or the Genesis Featured Post widget to feature relevant content.
- Use the Genesis Responsive Slider on the home page to support the site goals.
- At least one menu including five menu items, and at least two sub-menus. It does not matter where you put the two sub-menus. However, all the menus should support the site goals.
- Layout that uses at least one sidebar.
- Sidebar should include at the minimum the search widget and one other widget relevant to the site goals.
- Relevant image logo in the header that reflects the intended affordance of the site.
The above items are required for the alpha submission below and are intended to help you get started. As you progress to the beta and final solution submission, the requirements do not apply and you should adapt the design to meet the site goals.
Additional Resources:
A Beginner’s Guide to the Genesis Framework
Alpha submission
The alpha submission should include a status update on all of the above activities and the following specific items.
- Select the theme you are going to use for your design.
- Provide a short justification on why this is the best theme for addressing the UX goals and intended affordance(s).
- Create a draft home page.
- Add the menu structure and organization into the site.
Deliverables
- Submit the above as a PowerPoint document with a title slide plus presentation limited to 4 slides.
- Include the URL of the site as the last slide and include at least one screenshot of your site inside the PowerPoint.
- Submit your slide deck to canvas.
- Presentation: Students may volunteer or will be selected at random to present the project. Every team will present.
Note: The presentations will consist of 4-minute blocks with 3-minutes for teams to present their sites, followed by 1-minute for feedback.
Beta submission
The beta submission should include a status update on all of the above activities and the following specific items.
- A complete site that is ready to be demonstrated with the site URL.
- Each team member is required to independently conduct an observational usability test; get one person per team member (excluding MIS (major and minor students) to participate in the usability test using the team’s adapted usability test script.
- Document your team’s process including each individual team member’s notes, plus the modified test script in your PowerPoint’s appendix.
- Summarize the results of your teams Usability evaluation on a slide.
- Each team must conduct an heuristic evaluation of their site with another team in our class section using Nielsen and Molich’s 10 User Interface Design Heuristics.
- Watch this video for additional insights on how to create your team’s heuristic evaluation(s)
- Teams be partnered together to conduct an heuristic evaluation of each others site (see the Team Paring list below).
- We will provide class time during Week 12 to conduct your evaluation.
- Each team should collaborate to conduct one (or more) heuristic evaluation(s) and include the results in the appendix.
- For each heuristic criteria, write no more than a two or three sentence rating and explanation. Use bullet formatting.
- Summarize the results of the heuristic evaluation(s) on a slide.
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Breakout Room Team Parings 1 Alpha & Mu 2 Beta & Lambda 3 Gamma & Kappa 4 Delta & Iota 5 Epsilon & Theta 6 Zeta & Eta
- Discuss how you will improve the design based on the Usability and Heuristic tests/evaluation(s).
- List what you changed from the alpha version and why.
Optional (the following is not required and is intended for those teams that would like to explore additional tools to inform their design):
- The site may include plug-ins beyond the standard WordPress widgets. For example, a display plugin to display a table, a data plugin to pull in external data, or any other relevant plug-in.
Deliverables
- Submit the above as a PowerPoint document with a title slide plus presentation limited to 7 slides.
- Include the details of the usability tests and heuristic evaluation as an Appendix inside the PowerPoint document (do not provide hyperlinks or documents in folders).
- The appendix does not count toward the slide limit.
- The appendix must document examples of your team addressing all of the requirements listed under the “Creating the site” (header listed above).
- Do include screen shots of pages, posts and any content that documents your work.
- Points will be deducted for not meeting these minimum requirements.
- Note that the intent is for your team to attempt utilizing all of these features.
- You may ultimately determine through your Usability Tests and Heuristic Evaluations that some of these features do not meet your users needs and should be “archived”.
- Submit your slide deck to canvas.
- Students will be selected at random to present the project; however, volunteers are welcome and encouraged. Every team will present their PowerPoint slide deck.
Note: The presentations will consist of 5-minute blocks with 4-minutes for teams to present their sites, followed by 1-minute for feedback.
Final solution submission
Create a Word file that includes the following:
- A one-page reflection that includes a list and justification of how your site applies the following concepts and how you improved the design. A significant part of the grade is how well you use specific examples that are unique to your problem and site for the justification. Avoid using generic examples, such as pointing out the affordance of a menu or button, instead use items specific your design, which reflect choices you made. For example, I used XXX color to signify YYY action required by the site goals, or my site has a fun affordance because it uses XX YY ZZZ.
- Affordances
- Signifiers
- Constraints
- Conventions
- Knowledge in the head vs. the world
- Mapping
- An appendix that lists the major improvements and changes you made to the design going from alpha, beta, to final.
- The URL of the new site indicated in the header of the document along with your team number and team member names.
A 5 minute presentation that summarizes the project. This is a “live” walk-through of your website, there are no slides for the final presentation! The presentation should involve two or more team members and include:
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- The problem and goals of the site including its overall affordance.
- The intended user demographic and how your site will support that demographic.
- A live demonstration that highlights using Norman’s terms specific items you improved as part of the usability tests and how you achieved the call for action elements listed in the requirements.
Deliverables
- Submit the above one-page reflection as a Microsoft Word document.
- Include the Appendix within the Word document (do not provide hyperlinks or documents in folders).
- The appendix does not count toward the page limit.
- Submit your Word document to canvas.
- The final presentation order will be posted by the instructor the day of presentations; however, volunteers are welcome and requests must be received by the end of class on 11/29. Every team will present their web site.
Note: The presentations will consist of 8-minute blocks with 5-minutes for teams to present their sites, followed by 3-minutes for feedback.