Advanced Webpage Design

Aim/Goal: This module is designed to enable students to understand the importance of designing web pages for modern offices; have a full command of a web design software application to improve business online performance; and understand the impact of using the Internet for business and commerce in the modern economy.

General Objectives:

1. Understand the principles of Web Page Design and their impact on businesses

2. Develop student skills designing successful WebPages for business.

3. Importance of the Internet in business practice: E-business and E-commerce

State the importance of websites for businesses. Explain the different types of websites and information delivery using the Internet..

Advantages of using software to create, link and format simple web pages.

• Identify and use of appropriate software correctly

• Find MS Front Page in the windows environment (when using Windows 98, 2000 or XP)

Explain differences, advantages and disadvantages between software available for the task (eg HTML editor/text editor & browser software).

Group students and produce a game where they select the right software for specific tasks.

Student group presentations explaining the reason why preferring a software for a specific task.

Identify methods for developing competitive web pages in businesses. 

Explain how to identify the business key areas

Explain the role of mapping webpages

Explain key steps to develop successful web pages:

• Import and paste text and image files

• Align page items

• Use of 3 different font sizes

• Change background colour

• Emphasise text

• Edit text

• Control text flow

• Alignment of page items to the left, right and centre Use of E-mail hyperlinks

• Link pages

• Insert external links

• Insert Email link

• Test links

• Insert link text

• Retain original data formatting Understand the document management techniques for the chosen software

• Create a new document

• Save document

• Print web pages

• Print html source code

• Close document

• Publish web pages on local and public search engines

Show ‘Bobby’ testing website for successful website design.

Show how to produce a web-site map based on the business competitive needs and aims.

Explain the basic mechanism of web page formatting (HTML tags).

Explain how to import/insert and image into a web page using the chosen software, and following copyrights.

Explain how to emphasise texts (bold, italic), and to set the font size for specific text, following international and accessibility standards).

Demonstrate how to set background colour and differences between background colour and background image (following international and accessibility standards).

Explain the correct use and format of basic hypertext links. Show the correct use of external hyperlinks using http: and mailto:

Explain the importance of testing that hyperlink function correctly.

Show the effects pf editing HTML format code on the browser display.

Explain the need to refresh or reload web pages after editing.

Explain and demonstrate the main management techniques of file menu, open, save, save as, close).

Explain the basic structure of basic structure of an HTML page.

Show how to print from the chosen browser software using default print settings.

Explain the importance of Meta tags to define content. Show how to select and publish a pre-designed web page.

Group students and set tasks to produce a simple webpage for a fictitious business following standards, principles and guidelines.

Group students ask them to test their website development.

Promote student discussions to reflect upon Dos and Dont’s when designing webpages for businesses.

State the importance of testing websites to follow international standards for webpage design

Explain the importance of applying different tests to assure international standards in web design, usability and accessibility standards. 

Emphasise the importance of getting copyright permission when appropriate.

Produce in group a list of key guidelines for designing successful web pages.

Group students to search the web and compare webpages vs International Standards

Define information technology in  business and the concepts of Ebusiness and ecommerce.

Explain the driving  principles of the new economy and information economy trends.

Explain the dynamics of innovation and the organisational consequences of moving commerce to the internet. Explain the importance of information as the basis for products and production.

Explain the main difference between: B2B & B2C

Explain the appreciation of integrating technology and business strategies and the effective use of web pages.

Explain the impact of information technology on the practice of business

• Show examples of business models of ebusiness: Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Customers (B2C) e-commerce

• The scope and impact of e-commerce

• What an E-strategy is Ebusiness strategies

• Enterprise logistics and resource planning

• Opportunities and barriers of E-commerce

• Main methods to overcome barriers

• Planning an E-commerce strategy 

Explain the importance of customers for business. Reflect with students on using Internet for marketing and the importance of successful and competitive webpages.

Show some Nigerians (and or other African countries) E-businesses and identify the way they do the online marketing of their products and/or services.

Show online examples of successful Internet-based businesses (eg.amazon,cheapflights,barclays).

Group students and make them to identify main features of the sites: buying goods and or services, advertising products, general paying procedures; design international standards, audience addressed, etc.

Ask students to select two sites with all the main online store features.

Practice book-marking at least 6 sites  elating to successful e-tailing examples from the web. Ask them to locate at least 3 stores that compete in the same business arena. Define their individual competitive advantages

Define E-tailing, and its trend in Nigeria.Explain the importance of E-tailing in Nigeria. Explain E-tailing works

• Online stores and portals

• Principles of e-marketing and e-customer care

• Main features of an online store: browsing, ordering, secure payment, delivery, billing, returns and warranties.

• Evaluate the operations of a variety of Internet business: identification of 6 sites which includes e-tailing in some of the following areas: books, music, furniture, social events and conferences, electronic equipments, stationary, travel, baking, insurance, etc.

• Location of online stores that compete in the same sector.

Explain the importance of security in the e-business (Transaction security, public key infrastructure, hackers, firewalls and e-mail security Identify main legal issues related to e-commerce

• Online privacy principles (data protection)

• Technology & policy frameworks for e-commerce Cyberlaw

Explain the importance of use of standard forms and electronic resources to assured safe trade, transactions and effective communications.

Discuss security features in a ebusiness website (e.g. the bigger the padlock - a small yellow feature present at the bottom of the ecommerce website- the more the security in online transactions, etc.; importance of effective firewalls in business and use of passwords).

Explain the need to understand net user’s attitude about online privacy (data protection). Legality of cookies in personal and corporate computer networks.

Visit sites about Cyberlaw, to promote discussions on legal issues about impact of e-commerce in personal and corporate privacy rules.

Discuss disclaimers terms and conditions, intellectual property rights, online advertising, trading standard issues, and impact of other countries jurisdiction when rading.