Rebecca Driscoll9/17/12LIS 636: Web Production and Usability

User Analysis, Information Architecture Map, and Initial Web Interface Design

I. Site Overview

a. Site Purpose

The purpose of my site is to inform interested users about tea. The majority of Web sites

that currently exist on the topic of tea are related to a company or business that aims to sell its

products to site visitors. While some of the sites occasionally include information about tea

itself, this information seems to be geared towards helping visitors understand the differences of

tea only so that they can be more confident in purchasing a product online. As tea has a

fascinating history and is considered important for various reasons in cultures around the world,

there is much more information on tea aside from type that could be of interest to users.

b. Five Information Goals

The content of my site will include information on the different types of tea, key

historical points about tea and its expansion from the East to the West, how tea is treated in

various cultures, a selection of quotes on tea from authors and philosophers, and a bibliography

of sources that could be of interest to visitors. I will also include an “About” section, in which I

will briefly introduce myself and my interest in tea, as well as an explanation of the site’s

purpose.

II. User Analysis

a. Major Users

As tea is a beverage that is consumed by people of all ages, sex, races, and nationalities,

it is difficult for me to pinpoint a specific user group. I imagine anyone interested in learning

more about tea would find my site relative to their information needs and curiosity. I think this

group of visitors can be divided into at least two categories: those with a casual interest in tea

and those who wish to learn more about the context and influence of tea. Additionally, I would

imagine that students and possibly even professors who have an interest in researching tea and its

history and/or cultural influence would be able to use my site as a starting point. It is somewhat

difficult for me to project which needs might be most important to these visitors. Casual visitors

may still end up at the historical and/or cultural pages if their interest in tea has been piqued by

visiting other pages first. Depending on what visitors are specifically interested in, they may

visit the historical pages over the cultural ones. The chart below is unable to reflect these things,

but I have taken them into consideration.

b. Feature Checklist Table

Priority

Students/Professors Casual Visitors Visitors with specific interest

1 Bibliography About History of tea (or) culture of tea2 About Types of tea Culture of tea (or) history of tea3 History of tea (or) culture of tea Quotes Types of tea4 Culture of tea (or) history of tea History of tea Bibliography5 Quotes Culture of tea6

III. Information Architecturea. Web Architecture

Note: I am still conducting preliminary research on tea, and am certain that I will be adding more countries/cultures to the history and culture sections.

IV. Mock-Up Site

Home

About

Site purpose

Me

Types of Tea

Green

White

Yellow

Oolong

Black

Herbal

History of Tea

China (dates)

Japan (dates)

Britain (dates)

United States (dates)

Culture of Tea

China

Japan

Britain

United States

Quotes (by author) Bibliography

Books

Journal articles

Online resources

I know we do not have to include websites that are similar in content to ours, but I thought it would be fun to look at other websites about tea and see what kind of layouts they have.

I really like Teavana’s website because it manages to be colorful without being overbearing. I like the images beside the text; it does not matter if you click on the picture or the text as both will take you to a different page. I would like to make sure that on my own website, if I decide to go do the layout below, that selecting either the text or the leaf will still take the user to the page they want. (What I do not like about this site is how much of the page is not being used; I will make sure not to do that for my own site.)

Yogi’s website has a menu similar to what I envision. When the user selects the “Our Tea” menu option next to the company logo, the resulting page shows a series of links to individual pages along the side. That is what I envision my site doing when the user selects one of the main menu options at the top of the homepage.

Kettle’s OnAll about Tea

Types of Tea History of Tea Culture of Tea

Quotes about Tea

Bibliography About

Further menu options once

one of the above options

has been selected

(Ex. If “Types of Tea” is

selected, this area would then

display different kinds of tea that the user may look

at.)

Main page content here

Kettle’s OnAll about Tea

(I’m not really sure what to do with this

space on the homepage; nothing

will be displayed here until a menu

option above is selected.)

Types of Tea History of Tea

Welcome to Kettle’s On!

Tea is consumed by people all around the world for various reasons, including

relaxation, medicinal relief, comfort, and cultural traditions.

This site provides information on the different kinds of tea, the historical background and context of tea, and the different cultures

surrounding tea. There is also a page containing quotes that reflect peoples’

thoughts and feelings about tea, as well as a bibliography with further sources of

information. To learn more about the site itself, please visit the About page.

Culture of Tea

BibliographyQuotes about Tea

About