Y.S.A

Main Page | Ideas | System Map | Benchmark Analysis | Program Info | Prototypes | User Testing | Refined Prototype

=P1 Envision= toc

Current Website: [] Link to resource website: [|ccca.ca/york_va/]

=Introduction=

In this initial section of the development of our prototype, we began by thinking about the site as a whole and who might use it; the resources concerning solely course content are posted above. After having looked at the overall picture (who would use the site and why, etc.), we narrowed down our scope. The PACT analysis below is an overview of our general findings.

The scope we finally selected specifically focuses on the undergraduate students' experience of the site. As undergraduates ourselves, we find that some of our most significant experiences with our program site involves examining course information. We are constantly planning the individual experiences in terms of which courses we are taking and which courses we want to take, which we hope to direct towards future career choices. In light of this, our group focus within the Visual Arts undergraduate experience is degree planning. This will involve elements in the organization and prioritization of information involving course selection within the Visual Arts program, the primary student focus being majors in Visual Arts.

Our ideas section of this wiki also shows our ideas of the site as a whole, with images for the group members as we work out how we would like information to flow throughout the site as well as the more visual aspects to the design. In this early stage more of our information focuses on the organization of key elements within the entire system.

=PACT Analysis= The pact analysis serves to get a better idea of who we are designing, what conditions might affect the design (eg: environmental) and what the design needs to do to serve the user well.

=People=

For prospective students any of these categories may intersect which should also be considered.
 * Prospective Visual Arts students**


 * Mature students
 * Soon-to-be high school graduates
 * Transferring students from other universities
 * Transferring students from other York programs
 * Differently-abled students
 * International students

Current students are already familiar with the program and might require more specific help involving their ongoing degrees. Most prospective Students categories also apply here.
 * Current VIsual Arts Students**


 * undergraduate students
 * graduate students

These primarily include groups that might find regular use for the site as opposed to simply those browsing for whatever reason.
 * Other Groups**


 * Fine Arts Administrators
 * Parents/Guardians
 * Professors
 * Teaching Assistants (TAs)
 * Alumni

=Activities=

Activities to be experienced on the Visual Arts website by current students.

Temporal Aspects- from most frequent (day to day) to infrequent activities (monthly/yearly)
 * checking current news or events in the department (also in Winters College site)
 * browsing the gallery
 * using the resources: The Canadian Art Database, Online Image Resources, Slide Collection, etc.
 * looking for studio/lab/class/facility hours and policies
 * looking for equipment information: rentals, policies, etc.
 * looking for contact information: faculty, department offices, student resources, lost property, etc.
 * looking for courses to take: course descriptions, schedules
 * looking for important dates: add/drop deadlines, sessional dates, etc.
 * looking for awards and bursaries to participate in
 * checking grading and academic standards (transferring programs, averages to maintain honours, academic standing, etc)
 * checking for degree requirements
 * academic honestly requirements

=Contexts=

The website will be accessed across a variety of platforms and locations: most likely in stationary locations such as at home, at school, workplace, etc. However, it is also possible that it will be accessed on-the-go from personal cellular devices for news updates, schedule changes, and notices. The website should be:
 * Easy to access no matter the platform (Mac, Windows, Linux, etc) and device (Laptop, blackberry, iPhone, etc)
 * Creative and personal to foster and nurture the collaborative and social nature of the Visual Arts department
 * Effective organization for fast accessible information

=Technology=

The website already makes use of some interactive technology such as search engines, searchable databases, and event calendars. However, it has been suggested by the client that the website should involve more user interaction and to possibly incorporate a "time based" element to showcase the program's strong time based installations. The large range of possible audiences (ie. different levels of computer literacy) and user contexts (personal computer or cellular device) for this website means that the website should not be too complex as it would not be universally accessible.

Technology that could possibly enhance current website:
 * Encourage community through social networks ie. Twitter and Facebook
 * Flash or Java based interface that showcase time based elements
 * Increased user interaction with website ie. menus that can be customized according to audience: current student, parent, teacher, etc.
 * Increased focus on visuals, less focus on text ie. Student gallery, buttons that are images

=Scope/Ideas=

Our focus in the Visual Arts website will be current students, more specifically, looking at how the handbook should be organized. Being the Visual Arts department, the site should be very visual and not so much text-based. With the huge amount of information, and different strands of activities the user will want to experience, the website should be organized, easy to navigate, and kept as simple as possible. Our idea is to merge these two and have the site reflect a kind of gallery with different information being "showcased."

Possible Scope to Explore: Current Students
 * Courses/Credits in a flow chart
 * Open source-inspired content
 * Comments and ratings for courses

Example of Program Map

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