ECOM6013 E-Commerce Technologies

Topic 4 Website Design, Testing and Maintenance

Planing: The Systems Development Life Cycle

Systems analysis/planing
- Busisess objectives
- System functionalities
- Information requirements
Systems design
Building the system
Testing
Implementation

website_life_cycle

Quality Consideration

Navigation
Accessibility
Scalability
Reliability
Maintainability
Usability
Compatibility and interoperability
Security
Readability

In-House / Outsourcing (Hiring vendors to provide services)

Build own / outsourcing
Host own / outsourcing (preferred)

Implementation, Maintenance, and Optimization

Systems break down unpredictably

Ongoing maintenance
Benchmarking

Website Optimization

Page generation
Page delivery
Page Content

Simple vs. Multi-tier Website Architecture

System architecture: Arrangement of software, machinery, and tasks in an information system

Two-tier

Web server
Database server

two_tier_architecture

Three-tier

Web application servers
Backend, legacy databases

three_tier_architecture

Web Server Software

Appache
- Leading web server software
- works on UNIX, Linux OS
- Reliable
- Stable
- Open source
Microsoft’s Internet Information Server (IIS)
- Second major web server software
- works on Windows OS
- Integrated
- Easy to use

Basic Functionality Provided by Web Servers

Processing of HTTP requests
Security services (Secure Sockets Layer) / Transport Layer Security
File transfer protocol
Search engine
Data capture
E-mail
Site management tools
- Verify links
- Identify files
- Monitor customer purchases
- Marketing campign effictiveness
- Track hits and other statistics
- …

Dynamic Page Generation Tools

Contents stored in database and fetched when needed

CGI
ASP
JSP
ODBC
JDBC

Advantages

Lower menu costs
Permits easy online market segmentation
Enables cost-free price discrimination
Enable content management system (CMS)

Application Servers

Provide specific business functionality required for a website
Isolate business applictaions from Web servers and databases (middleware)
Sigle-function applictaions being replaced by integrated software tools that combine all functionality needed for e-commerce site

E-Commerce Merchants Server Software

Provides basic functions for sales
- Online catalog
- Shopping cart
- Credit card processing

Packages

Integrated environment that includes most of functionality needed
- Shopping cart
- Merchandises display
- Order management
Different options for different-sized businesses
- Small, Medium - Yahoo Small Business, open-source solutions
- Mid-range - IBM Wbsphere Commerce Express,…
- Hign-end - IBM WebSphere Professional/Enterprise,…
Cloud-based SaaS solutions
Key factors
- Functionality
- Support for different models (e.g. m-commerce)
- Business process modeling tools
- Visual site management and reporting
- Performance and scalability
- Connectivity to existing business systems
- Compliance with standards
- Global and multicultural capability
- Local sales tax and shipping rules

Hardware Platform

Demand Side (overall customer demand)
- Number of simultaneous users in peak periods
- User profile
- Type of content (dynamic/static)
- Required security
- Number of items in inventory
- Number of page requests
- Speed of legacy application
Supply Side
- Scalability
  - Vertically (increase processing power of individual components)
  - Horizontally (multiple computers to share workload)
  - Improve processing architecture
  - Outsource hosting

Eight Most Important Factors in Successful E-Commerce Site Design

Functionality
Informational
Ease of use
Redundant navigation
Ease of purchase
Multi-browser functionality
Simple graphics
Legible text

Personalization Tools

Persinalization (personal preference, prior history)
Customization (better fit the needs)
Cookies (primary method to achieve personalization)

Policy Set

Privacy policy
Accessibility (mainly for the disabled)

Mobile Website/Applications

Type of m-commerce software
- Moble website
- Mobile web app
- Native app
- Hybrid app

Mobile Presence

Identify business objectives, system functionality, and information requirements
- Driving sales
- Branding
- Building customer community
- Advertising and promotion
- Gathering customer feedback
- …
Choices
- Mobile first design (most efficient)
- Mobile website (least expensive)
  - Responsive web design (RWD) - for different screen resolution
    - Automates the inclusion of content based on profiles
    - Fluid design
    - Optimized performance
    - Technically complex (implement, maintain and test)
    - Higher cost, larger database
  - Adaptive web design (AWD) - for different devices
- Mobile web app (can utilize browser API)
- Native app (most expensive)
  - Use device hardware (usually better performance)
  - Offline
- Progressive Web App (PWA)
Platform constraints
- Graphics
- File size
Features needed to be considered
- Hardware
- Connectivity
- Displays
- Interface

Useful Resources

Build Own Websites

ECOM6013 Topic 4 Website Design, Testing and Maintenance

ECOM6013 E-Commerce Technologies

Topic 4 Website Design, Testing and Maintenance

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