August 28, 2000

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Process Management
Some Common Mistakes In Web Development

By Charles Trepper

nlike internal development, errors made in the development of Web systems are extremely visible to business partners and customers. Broken links, expired content, and JavaScript errors are all symptoms of mistakes made in the systems development process.

Web developers must account for many technology variables, including access by various types of browsers, access-line speed, physical distance from a browser client, and the client hardware.

Developers who fail to account for wide variations in Web access technology produce sites that are viewable by only a small percentage of Internet users. For example, one large Midwestern brokerage firm's Web site is viewable only in 800-by-600 resolution. This excludes anyone who arrives at the site at a lower resolution--and is probably completely unreadable by the visually impaired.

Broken links and expired content are symptoms of development processes that failed to account for content timeliness and management. When Web content expires, developers must build a process to remove and replace the information.

Developers should ask questions during the requirement-gathering phase of Web development regarding how content should be managed by the new system. Which content has expiration dates? Who will monitor the Web site and continuously evolve and improve the site? Who's responsible for monitoring content and cleaning up bad links?

Content-management tools can help, but only if they're integrated into the Web development effort.

Web sites with lots of frivolous graphics slow down performance and lead to abandoned transactions. Web developers must remember that not every Web surfer has high-speed Web access.

Developers must also realize that browsers have their own idiosyncrasies that may cause them to display content differently.

Your competitor's site is only a click away, so be sure to leverage your development processes for a competitive advantage.

Return to main story, "Getting An Edge On Competition."

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