Com 585

Tuesday March 7, 2005Instructor: Kathy Gill

Agenda Introduction Ballard Background Audience/Personas Scenarios Content Plan Technical Specifications Privacy Policy Marketing Plan

Introduction

Vision statement

An online resource to help you connect with a neighborhood It’s all about community!

Experience the uniqueness!

Focus on Ballard!

Objectives

Offer unique content to users

Share compelling stories and engage with the neighborhood

Give visitors an exclusive opportunity to feel the pulse of a neighborhood

Act as portal site for the neighborhood

Provide a template for other Seattle neighborhoods

Process GoalsDesign a user-friendly, effective and informative Web site

Give an overview of the community and what makes it unique

Provide residents with tools to connect with this community

Offer visitors an online resource to delve into the local lore 

Give insider information not readily available on other sites

Personal Goals

Work together as a team

Communicate effectively

Learn new skills from each other

Contribute content/ideas

Have fun in the process

Success CriteriaNumber of site hits

Community feedback (quantity and quality of user contributions)

User feedback/Site surveys (Catalyst Tool)

Resulting business or economic growth in Ballard

Individual/social success stories

Feedback from City of Seattle about neighborhood growth

Overall team satisfaction in designing the project, new understanding of Web design and content development

Audience Analysis Residents of the neighborhood

People who actively participate in neighborhood issues

Visitors exploring the local flavor of a neighborhood

Journalists, writers, researchers, academics or students looking for information specific to area/community

Business leaders, City or government officials

Competitive Analysis• Types

– National (CitySearch, Seattlest)– Local publications (Stranger, Seattle Weekly, The Seattle

Times) – No blogs (1 perspective, 1 neighborhood)

• Differences– Local focus– Offbeat events and attractions

• How we are unique– Niche focus– Community– Personal focus . . . storytelling

Shingletown USA to Hiptown USA

Ballard

Ballard Overview Where is Ballard?

Northwest of downtown Seattle Bordered by Puget Sound & Salmon Bay

What is it known for? Scandinavian heritage Ballard locks Artwalk and museums

Why did we choose it? Distinct local flavor Unique character

Ballard Then Established in 1889 Strong Scandinavian ties Downtown retains old world charm,

historic landmark Lumber mills to fishing/boat building –

Ballard Locks (1912) Combination of immigrant heritage, blue-

collar population, maritime and lumber created unique character

Ballard Today Strong ties to heritage (parades, museums,

events) Artistic draw (art walks, theatres, galleries) Maintains small-town feel but near city Local character (pubs, restaurants) Mix of locals (fishermen, artists, executives,

students) Strong and organized community

involvement

Personas & Scenarios

Matt Jonson• Age: 30

• Status: Single with girlfriend Natalie

• Home: Condo in Columbia City

• Job: Initech in Redmond

• Hobbies: Weekend Warrior, Biking, Soccer, etc

• Looking for a place to ride bikes with friends

• Looking for independent coffee shops with wi-fi and good pastries

• Looking for a good spot to have happy hour with friends

• Girlfriend lives in Ballard

• First date at Le Gourmand

Mike Garrett• Age: 29

• Status: Married, 2 children, ages 1yr. & 4yrs., 1 dog

• Home: rental home in Phinney Ridge

• Job: Sales Manager at a company in Pioneer Square

• Hobbies: movies, football, baseball, snow sports, fishing and hiking.

• Looking for a house in Ballard

• Looking to develop his family network in Ballard

• Looking for family friendly activities

• Looking for entertainment and concerts, sports events and information

Loretta Jamieson• Age: 47

• Status: Single, lives with partner Joe Davis (Coach-photo archivist), 2 Dogs

• Home: Rents in Ballard

• Job: Metro Bus Driver, $40,000 Annual Income

• Hobbies: Yoga, community activism, local arts enthusiast, participates in solstice parade, casual internet user

• Looking for dog parks and dog-friendly businesses and care

• Looking for community connections and resources

• Looking to find neighborhood activities, live music, restaurants, and community forums

• Looking to create a virtual neighborhood

The Young and the Restless

Matt & Natalie Information for the savvy Independent coffee shops with WiFi and more Outdoor adventurers (Bike routes, Soccer fields, Co-

ed leagues) Getting to know their city (Pea-Patches, Restaurants) Matt wants to move to Ballard

The Family Man Mike Garrett Connecting with friends and family (Dinner at Zagi’s) Entertain the kids (The Secret Garden) Getting some culture (Nordic Heritage Museum) Getting away from the kids (Daycare) Recommendations (Statistics) Backroads home Finding a new community (Looking for house)

Metro Gal Loretta Jamieson Making neighborhood connections (local storytelling) Ballard Community Center (Yoga) Online forums/ Looking for Like-minded individuals Looking for self-improvement classes (pottery, journal

writing) Dog parks (dog blogs) Helping ourselves and others (fair housing activist) Community within her community

Site Tasks

Overview Site Stuff Getting Around Community Portal Neighborhood Character Local Connections Things to Do

Site Stuff Member login (moderated functions) News Events Contact Us Search Privacy Policy

Getting Around Includes tasks involving getting

around in the area, such as:– Read & post routes to avoid traffic

– Listen to traffic reports– View detailed street maps– Find bus routes and schedules– Buy parking permits– View traffic congestion maps– Finding ride-share information

Community Portal Includes tasks related to living in the

community, such as:– Communicating with others– Participating in community improvement– Exploring community involvement

opportunities– Learning about doing business locally– Finding safety information

Neighborhood Character

Most prominent differentiator Includes tasks related to the spice-of-life,

such as:– Read stories about local people or

businesses– Watching videos or reading stories about

area– Learning about popular or unique spots– Sharing opinions, experiences, or pictures

Things To Do

Tasks in this section will primarily link to third-party resources for finding information and reading reviews. Might include:– Learn about unique local spots – Find great date places or ideas– View event calendars– Search for food, shops or activities– Research best places to take visitors

Content Development Plan

Unique Content Our website will provide content to

communicate the unique character of the Ballard Neighborhood. – Different than Citysearch, local focus– Different than blogs, multiple perspectives– Different than local papers, promotes

smaller, offbeat community events

Content Categories

Community  Things to Do Neighborhood Character Connections Getting Around

Content Types Types include:

– Articles (Olsen’s Scandinavian Foods, Archie McPhee’s, Cascioppo’s Brothers)

– Stories (Ballard Locks, Ballard Library, Golden Gardens)

– Photographs (Photo essays and archives)– Illustrations (maps, etc.)– Animations (flash content)– Multimedia presentations (flash, podcasts, full

motion video)

A Church for Every Bar

Usability Considerations

Considerations Content organization Consistency Demographic Colors Web site name Optimized media content

Technical Specifications

The design of oursite.net will base its functional and technical specifications on existing university policy, and a policy statement posted on the web site.

Functional SpecificationsHome Page

The web site’s content will be static  Search will be a function throughout Web site’s user administration pages will be listed hierarchically below home

page. These pages will include: - Privacy policy

- Site registration for users

Functional Specifications (cont.)

The main web site’s home page will act as a portal, guiding users to individual channels for each community

A community’s home page (or channel) will consist of an overview of the neighborhood in text form, augmented with graphics and photos.

Community Pages A menu on the community home page will list

tasked-based, menu driven categories that include:

- Community - Things to Do- Neighborhood Character- Connections- Getting Around

This menu will appear as a top-level navigation aid throughout the community web site

Community Pages Sub Categories

Sub-pages will be grouped and cross-referenced through the five main channels. These include:

o Furry Friends - pet-friendly resources

o Carless in Seattle - navigate without a car

o Outdoor Adventures - outdoor shops and resources

o Ballard, we have problem… local services and resources

o Edumacate me! - community history and points of interest

o Dates & Mates - where to go and what to do

o Holiday Treats - about local holiday traditions & events

o Kids Corner - schools, parks, playgrounds & kid resources

o Where’s Wireless? - Internet hotspots

o Ballard Rocks - share opinions and experiences

Site Map

Wireframe

Site proxy with colorpalette

Technical Specifications The website will use xhtml

Cascading Style Sheets will be utilized for design and content management

The site will support all common browsers

All common operating systems will be supported

The site will be optimized for a monitor displaying 1024 x 768 pixels

File naming conventions will be consistent

Technical Specifications (cont.)

All images and graphics will use the RGB color space

Access to the site will be defined by a posted privacy policy

The website will incorporate some multimedia, although not on the top level of the site. This multimedia will include, but not be limited to, Flash, Java, Windows Media and Real Networks

To support text-based browsers and users with disabilities, the website will include “alt” information tags on all graphic and multimedia assets.

Privacy Policy oursite.net will not distribute or sell any of your

personal information to third parties We will not release account and other personal

information When we believe it is appropriate we will

release personal information to comply with law; enforce or apply our Terms of Use and other agreements; or protect the rights, property, or safety of oursite.net, or others

Privacy Policy – Public Forums

The oursite.net Web site may make chat rooms, forums, and message boards available to its visitors

Information that is disclosed in chat rooms, forums, and message boards becomes public information

oursite.net may post the transcript of a chat session on a Web site or other media for informational, example, or demonstration purposes

Marketing Plan

SWOT Analysis

Threats • Weak participation of residents• Operating costs• Competitive landscape• Forum abuse

Marketing & Financial Objectives

Marketing Objectives

Expand registered users Increase daily/repeat

visitors Provide a positive

experience to all users Establish recognition

Financial Objectives

Set/accomplish goals Raise capital through

various sources Increase public

contribution

Target Markets & Keys to Success

Target Markets Neighborhood

residents Visitors (local & out-

of-town) Local businesses

Keys to Success

Determine needs of residents

Provide sufficient information

Generate participation Strategic publicity Uncover funding

channels

Strategy Pyramid (1)

Strategy Publicize website

within neighborhood, generate participation and strengthen relationship with residents and visitors

Tactics Emphasize our vision

statement Regularly update,

organize activities and create subjects

Work closely with community & business leaders

Strategy Pyramid (2)

Programs to implement our tactics Direct mail Email and E-journal (newsletter) Search engine marketing & optimization Exchange links with other websites Organize activities Build community and business base Promote social networking

Conclusion