by Janette B.
Bradley
axsWave Software, Inc.™
The World Wide Web brings a whole new level of communication, with innovations that make it easier to reach your customers - and get more out of every contact you make. It is made possible by amazing growth in information technology that allows you to reach you customers far more often and for far less than direct mail or mass media.
But new kinds of communication demand a new set of skills to truly leverage this new power. This is especially true or large-scale sites and corporate intranets. While a smaller site can often be effectively deployed by one or two people, large sites demand a team. A large scale site is essentially a software development effort, which demands an interdisciplinary team.
When shopping for Web talent, look for the following:
1.
Visual designers who are technically savvy about the Web's technological limitations. Otherwise, you'll end up with a gorgeously cool site that will take 10 minutes to load, look awful on 256 color machines, and/or be unusable for people with small monitors.
2.
Interface designers who understand how users navigate your kind of site. Interaction is different from site to site, a good GUI designer can help make navigation easier, which keeps potential customers from developing negative attitudes about your business.
3.
Information Designers who have experience structuring information to help your users interact with your site and complete their tasks quickly and correctly. Make sure they have experience in developing online information.
4.
HTML, Java, C++, and Database programmers' who understand the tradeoffs the Web's technology demands, and also know how to leverage all the technological capabilities of Web technology to effectively deliver information to your users
If you are developing a marketing site, you will also need:
5.
Marketing professionals who know the Web's technology and demographics, and how to integrate them into the firm's overall marketing plan.
6.
Public relations and advertising professionals who can effectively promote your site to a wide audience through mass media, trade journals, press releases, and talks at professional conferences.
If you are developing a corporate intranet, add:
7.
An intranet advocate who will promote the intranet within the company and act as a liaison between corporate users and the Web team.
8.
A team responsible for developing standards and requirements for corporate content.
Feel free to contact me with questions or to talk about how the axsWave Software team can help you with your Web site:
Janette B. Bradley (janette@metronet.com)