Websolutions:Websolutions: Oakwood Elementary School Oakwood Elementary School

Issues of Usability and SustainabilityIssues of Usability and Sustainability

By Sean Fox-ElsterBy Sean Fox-Elster

Oakwood Elementary School SiteOakwood Elementary School Site

Activities of SiteActivities of Site

ParentsParents Check on school closingsCheck on school closings Check lunch menuCheck lunch menu Learn about class activitiesLearn about class activities

FundraisersFundraisers New subject matterNew subject matter Class holiday eventsClass holiday events

Daily schedulesDaily schedules LibraryLibrary ArtArt MusicMusic Physical educationPhysical education LunchLunch

TeachersTeachers Create newsletter updating Create newsletter updating

parents on class activitiesparents on class activities Update Individual websites for Update Individual websites for

class (if used)class (if used) Accessing teacher resourcesAccessing teacher resources Reviewing and answering emailReviewing and answering email

WebmasterWebmaster Post weekly newslettersPost weekly newsletters Update activity schedules per Update activity schedules per

semestersemester Post monthly lunch menuPost monthly lunch menu Update school closing and Update school closing and

advisoriesadvisories

Website IssuesWebsite Issues

Usability IssuesUsability Issues Slow loading pagesSlow loading pages No consistency with No consistency with

information from information from teachersteachers

Menu page is Menu page is unreadableunreadable

Site is boringSite is boring Should we add kids as Should we add kids as

users?users?

Sustainability IssuesSustainability Issues No regularly updated No regularly updated

teacher sitesteacher sites No consistent weekly No consistent weekly

newsletter postingsnewsletter postings Old html format with Old html format with

multiple tablesmultiple tables

Breakdown in Current Scenario:Breakdown in Current Scenario:Parent NewslettersParent Newsletters

We use a newsletter to inform parents of class events

Roles

Teachers

Parents

Webmaster

Inform parentsWith a weekly

newsletter

Copies informationOnto website weekly

Where do I Find the

Information?

Parents check Site for updates

If no newsletter thenParents have nowhere Else to go

If no information Given then section is blank

No enforcement For consistency

Transformed Scenario:Transformed Scenario:Parent NewsletterParent Newsletter

We use a newsletter to inform parents of class activities

Teachers

Parents

Webmaster

Produce weekly Newsletter Using On-line template

Turn in to webmasterGo to website

To view newsletter

I can print my Own copy Post newsletter on site with aCommon template and post

It as a printable page

Research design chart (RDC)Research design chart (RDC)Usability and SustainabilityUsability and Sustainability

How can we update the website to

make it more user friendly?

Teachers

Parents

Questions Data Sources Methods Who?

InterviewAnd Survey

ScenarioAnd Survey

Kindergarten TeacherFirst Grade Teacher

Ami KihnAndrea GruberShannon

Webmaster Interview Webmaster

When?

Week of 11/20

Week of Thanksgiving

Week of11/20 ?

Do we want to add kids As a user?If yes, thenWhat’s Needed?

Teachers

Parents

InterviewAnd Survey

InterviewAnd Survey

Kindergarten TeacherFirst Grade Teacher

Ami KihnAndrea GruberShannon

Research design chart (RDC)Research design chart (RDC)Usability and SustainabilityUsability and Sustainability

Teachers

Questions Data Sources Methods Who?

InterviewAnd Survey

Kindergarten TeacherFirst Grade Teacher

Ami KihnAndrea GruberShannon

Webmaster Interview Webmaster

When?

What do you Want the siteTo do for you?

Teachers

Parents

InterviewAnd Survey

InterviewAnd Survey

Kindergarten TeacherFirst Grade Teacher

Can we Simplify theInput Processfor Lessweb-savvy teachers and Future webmasters?

GANTT chartGANTT chartNov December

Interviewing, Surveying, and User Testing (on-going)

Teachers

FinalReport

due

Parents

Create samples

ProgressReport

due

Web prototypeDraft final

Report due

Genre analysis (other elementary schools)

Webmaster

Preliminary Recommendations

Final adjustments

Summary of Project IssuesSummary of Project Issues

UsabilityUsabilitySpeed up loading time of pagesSpeed up loading time of pages

TeachersTeachers Simplify information Simplify information

input processesinput processes ParentsParents

Look at on-line, updated Look at on-line, updated newsletternewsletter

Find information on Find information on class activitiesclass activities

Easy access to school Easy access to school closing informationclosing information

Find easy to read lunch Find easy to read lunch menumenu

Access for kids?Access for kids?

SustainabilitySustainabilityWebmasterWebmaster

CSS style sheet for easy CSS style sheet for easy reading and updatingreading and updating

Increase upload speedIncrease upload speed Provide easy way for teachers Provide easy way for teachers

to update newslettersto update newsletters Simplify process for future Simplify process for future

webmasterswebmasters Provide on-line templates for Provide on-line templates for

teachers to input information teachers to input information and to create individual class and to create individual class web pagesweb pages

Update design to be more Update design to be more attractive to kids and parentsattractive to kids and parents