Portfolio Delivery Requirements

This is a list of the technologies I will use for my portfolio webpage, with an explanation of how they will be used.

XHTML 1.0 Strict

This coding language will be used for displaying the content of the webpage, and will generate links and other interactive content such as navigation on the website. The XHTML code will also be validated, as this is the best practice when creating websites. It will also ensure that my website remains future proof, ensuring that users will be able to view the website in the coming years.

CSS2.1

Cascading Style Sheets version 2.1 will be used to alter the presentation of the website. This information is kept separate from the content, which will make it easier for me to update. This will also be validated to ensure that it is future proof, and will enable browsers to display the website to give a near identical end user experience for the user regardless of which browser they use.

Textpattern v.4.0.5

Textpattern is a content management system (CMS) which will allow me to alter the content of my website quickly and easily. I will create a page template of XHTML and CSS which I will copy into the system, before setting up the CMS to allow me to input different content into different areas of the site. I have chosen this system because it will allow me to update my website with new projects, so that a potential employer will be able to see the quality of my latest work.

Textpattern also allows me to input a range of plugins, which can enhance various features of the application. This should allow me to continually develop the portfolio after I have finished the course.

Smd_smimbox (Textpattern plugin)

This plugin for Textpattern will allow me to use the popular ‘lightbox’ application. This will allow me to show pictures of my projects and development work in an interesting way. Using Lightbox will reduce the amount of pages needed to display images, and will also give the user the option of downloading a higher quality image. This should reduce the bandwidth usage of the end user, giving them control of what content they decide to access.

This plugin also requires smd_lib to allow it to work, which contains a library of functions which various Textpattern plugins utilise.

Fire FTP v0.97

I will be using the Fire FTP plugin to upload my web information to the internet. This FTP client is free and simple to use, and works within the Firefox 2.0 browser.

MySQL 5.0

I will have to set up a MySQL database on my web hosting so that I can install the Textpattern software. This will keep all of the data I input into Textpattern organised into a relational database, which the software can then use to display information.

POP 3
I will be using the POP3 email system to allow viewers to contact me. This will be done through Textpattern, which will be able to build a tag which I can insert into my site. It also allows for a newsletter system to be set up, so interested users could be informed of new developments on the portfolio.

Portfolio website profiles

Primary - Educationalists
This part of my target audience is aged between 30 and 55 and has high computer experience, and has access to high speed internet connection at work and at home with a connection speed greater than 1mbps. The user has also used sever e-commerce websites to order products and services, and uses the internet to research while at work. They use both Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2.0 for Windows XP and Mac OSX to use the internet. These users are also highly educated and read several magazines and books each week.

Secondary - Potential employees
These users are aged between 30 and 45 and work in the interactive media design industry. They are very experienced internet users, and use the latest browsers (IE7, Firefox 2.0, Opera V9, Safari 2.0), and use both Mac OSX and Windows XP systems. They have a substantial knowledge of XHTML, CSS, as well as CMS systems. These users are also experienced designers, with interests in bitmap, vector artwork as well as typography. These people are frequently online, and have experienced many online shops, which they use frequently to buy products.

Secondary - Potential Clients
The typical user owns a small business and would like to increase it’s exposure to their client base. They have limited internet experience, and use the internet in the evening at home for an hour every day. They use Internet Explorer 6 for Windows and have occasionally bought products from online shops. They mainly use search engines to find the websites which they would like to browse, and have an internet connection speed of 512kbps. This user also uses the internet to contact friends by email and instant messaging systems.

PHP & it's capabilities in Interactive Media

PHP stands for Hypertext Pre-processor, and is a coding language which generates HTML content for use in web pages. The server side scripting language allows web developers to write scripts or small programs which can read and write to databases to record information. It can also be used to edit documents remotely, and can even alter graphic content, such as adding watermarks for photographs or reducing the canvas size.

Common uses for PHP in products can include content management systems, such as Textpattern. These interfaces use PHP to allow users to input content which is then displayed through the front end of the website. These systems are usually connected to a MySQL database which will then house either the content itself, or links to folders which contain the content. Using a CMS system makes it much easier to update the content of a website and also has a large appeal to clients wanting to look after their own websites.

E-commerce websites can also make use of PHP systems. This can help to store and manage information on customers, products, personal information as well as adding search features to aid the usability of a website. Due to the large volume of data stored, MySQL databases have to be managed to remain efficient. Knowledge of MySQL and PHP go hand in hand when creating and managing large amounts of information, and the architecture of these databases is crucial the function of the end product.

Graphical content can also be generated and edited by using PHP. Information such as stock exchange prices can be rendered on the fly into a graph, which will display when the source information changes. This dynamic ability is useful for keeping content relevant and up to date, and will therefore continually bring end users back to a website.

Further manipulation of images can be achieved with using PHP, to does automated tasks such as resizing images and adding watermarking to photographs. These automated systems can greatly reduce the amount of work files need to be prepared for the internet, making the end user experience much simpler.

The end user experience has the potential to be substantially better when using PHP. A website where the content changes will entice users to return for additional information, which will help client to keep their business exposed to customers. This is of course reliant on the system being easy to use and manage, so that the minimum amount of technical knowledge is needed to use the application.

Many job vacancies ask for knowledge of MySQL and PHP. As this language is firmly embedded into the makeup of the internet, it is a very valuable skill to learn. Knowing how to manipulate the language of PHP will be of great interest to employers who are looking for skilled employees, and also for clients who will want easy to use CMS applications for their projects.

Portfolio website goals

XHTML 1.0 strict and CSS 2.1 valid

To measure this goal I will use the w3 validation service on both my XHTML and CSS documents. The reason for doing this is because it is good practice to validate code in this way, and will therefore appeal to potential employees. Validation can help to future proof the website, and is an essential skill required in many job adverts which I have seen.

Use a CMS system to make all the content of the website updatable

Using a CMS system to update the website will allow me to keep the site up to date, and will also show that I can use these types of systems when creating interactive media products. Again, I have seen that this appears on many job adverts, and will therefore appeal to potential employers. Te evaluate this, I will to write a report explaining how each section of the website is accessible, and will asses how each one has been set up to supply the content needed in this area of the website.

Website should comply with W3 accessibility guidelines 1.0 level A conformity

For my portfolio website I will want to make it accessible. This will be done by using the W3 accessibility guidelines to assess if my website meets level A conformity. This will be done in an accessibility evaluation, where I will go through each point and assess if my website meets these guidelines.

Accessibility is a very important issue, and again is a skill which many employers advertise in their job adverts. This will produce a number of design challenges which I will have to consider both in the design and construction of my portfolio site.

Create a professional looking website which will appeal to potential clients

This goal is aimed at making my website appeal to potential clients. I will want to do some user testing for the website, and I will create a questionnaire which will contain a number of questions for potential clients to answer. These will ultimately indicate if my website is seen by them as being professional – ie if they would consider in contacting me with a request to produce some work.

I will assess this using an evaluation of the questionnaire results. This will assess if my website appeals to part of my target audience, and will highlight any changes needed to improve the website.