December 20, 2003 PACS Database SIG Meeting Notes

Stolen from PACS Web Design SIG at tangoangel.com - part 1 of the presentation was given at Database SIG, part 2 at Web Design SIG.

John Ashmead, a PACS member who develops databases for a living through his company, Ashmead Software and Consulting, provided a two part presentation on the design of a database-driven website.

John's goal was to broaden his knowledge of database development by learning the process of developing an e-commerce site. As he was not creating an actual business, (at least, not yet!) he needed to work with a model that would cost little to develop and with free products, if possible. He came up with the imaginative solution of the Acme Spaceships Company, and you will be able to see the site within a few days of the meeting at www.acmespaceships.com (Just be careful when ordering your spaceship, though...I understand that the freight costs are substantial!)

At Database SIG John discussed site design, site structure and table structure, which you can see at www.acmespaceships.com. He went into a bit more detail about site design in part 2, notes following:

The following are some of the key points from the Web Design portion of John's presentation.

• Start with a text site. Don't worry about the graphics yet. Don't design in a web design program, don't design on the web. Use 3x5 cards and so on to sketch out the basics. Work out the flow.
• Use a familiar navigation scheme. This will make the customers more comfortable, and not distract them from the business of doing business with you.
• For development purposes, retain a history of all the previous versions of the sites. You must build this capability in from the beginning.
• Have a developer domain - that is, planning and development sections. You need a section for metrics and tools. Your metrics should include: Where do people go first, then next, then next? Do they get lost in the shopping cart? Quantify the clicks to the site. Where is the traffic? You must have this information, because you cannot tell where you are or whether you are accomplishing your goals without it.
• Trust is a big issue, so show your references and code. Your code will be better if you think others are going to see it. Tools: use open source as much as possible, and let people know about them.
• Label your folders with M-D-Y and military time. And create a Trash folder; eventually, you can delete the contents, but you may want them for a while.
• Sell your product in every possible way: certificate of ownership, used, pictures, parts for the spaceships, clothing with logos. Be aware of any copyrights, however.
• Create a catalog first, a shopping cart next, and then a checkout area. Allow for returns and tracking thereof. Products that are easy to return are more likely to be bought. You probably want to use PayPal. Remember the multiple selling - try to have several contacts per sale. This keeps you in your customers' minds. Keep track of all purchases by your customers.
• You will need a feedback area for comments and recommendations. Allow for reviews, lists and so on.
• There is a great deal of public domain e-commerce software, so take advantage of it.
• Validation is a key process. You need to be assured that you have reached your objectives. For John's Acme Spaceships, these would be: personal satisfaction, community, new and retained clients, traffic and buzz, tools, sales, books, and even actual commercial possibilities.
• Standardize. Boring is beautiful, and stable, and less error-prone.

PACS Main Page . . . Database SIG Main Page . . . Curriculum 2003