December 11, 2002PBS/NPR Summit by Screen “Station Best Practices “ Page 1 PBS/Adaptive Path Best Practices for Station Web Sites Carolyn Gibson Smith,

December 11, 2002 PBS/NPR Summit by Screen“Station Best Practices “

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PBS/Adaptive PathBest Practices for Station Web Sites

Carolyn Gibson Smith, PBSJeffrey Veen, Adaptive PathAnil Dewan, KCETChristine Orr, KNPBZulfiqar Khan, WQED


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Best Practices: Why now?

• Stations always redesigning at costs ranging from $0 to $1.2 million.

• Level of professionalism at new heights, can really learn from each other.

• Save time, $$!• Help PBS and NPR refine services for station sites

as part of redesigns.


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Why Adaptive Path?

• Working with NPR since early 2001 • Lead sessions at 2002 Online Summit• Currently consulting on new NPR.org architecture

and processes• Working with PBS since May, 2002


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What Adaptive Path Did

• Internal PBS Interactive Interviews– Why are station Web sites so different?– What are the issues they face?– What is PBSi doing now? Soon? Later?

• Stakeholder Stations– Small, Medium, and Large Markets

• Comparison to NPR research• Heuristic Analysis of the system• Prototype Development and Testing


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Station Analysis: Interface and Design

• Is the site’s design simple, attractive, and appropriate to the content provided?

• Is navigation to the main sections of the site provided at the top of the page?

• Is the site consistent from page to page?• Does the site display a search box on the front

page?


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Station Analysis: Site Architecture

• Does the front page contain a link to program listings?• Does the front page contain a clear link to membership?• Does the site clearly indicate what benefits are available by

becoming a member?• Does the site promote local content clearly, as well as

national content?• If there is a "contact" link, does it point to a feedback form?• Does the site’s logo link back to the home page throughout

the site?• Is there a link that says "Home" in consistently in the global

nav bar?


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Site Features and Usability

• Is there a clear privacy policy for information submitted through the site?

• Does the front page include meta tags?• Does the front page indicate when the site was last

updated?• How many accessibility errors does the front page contain?

(via http://bobby.watchfire.com/)• Does the site use pop-up windows without user initiation?• Does the site use animated graphics or looping Flash

animations?• Does the site have a “Splash Page” or intro screen?• Is the site’s URL clear and predictable?


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KCET, Los Angeles

• Large market station • Currently undergoing

redesign, launching February 2003

• 65,000 average page views per month

• 150,000 page views per month on PBS.org

• Staff of four full-time plus contract help.


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WQED, Pittsburgh

• Joint licensee in medium market

• Includes radio, television, and regional magazine content

• Evolving redesign underway• Average 240,000 monthly

page views on WQED.org• 17,000 monthly page views

on PBS.org• Staff: Director E-Business

(half-time on Web) and Full Time Web Coordinator


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KNPB, Reno

• Smaller market, television only

• Average 10,000 page views monthly

• 10,000 monthly page views on PBS.org

• Redesign slated for April• One full-time, one half-

time Web developers


Page 11

System Scorecard

• Rated every PBS station Web site against this set of heuristics to analyze performance.

SectionMaximum

Possible ScoreStation Site

AveragesPercentage Score

UI & Design 20 9.8 49%

Site Architecture: 30 17.3 57%

Site Usability: 23 2.5 11%

Totals: 73 29.6 40.5%


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The Best Practices Prototype

• We collected the best examples of each necessary site feature, then paired with what we learned about resource constraints and other issues.

• Built a series of schematics for review by stations and PBSi.

• Developed into a testable HTML prototype exploiting station services and code from SRC.

• Tested very well. Clean, consistent interface that clearly exposes architecture and features.

• Can serve as an example for station redesigns.


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Community reflected

in visual design

Community reflected

in visual design

Televisionschedule featured

on home page

Televisionschedule featured

on home page

Local content and upcoming

specials

Local content and upcoming

specials

News moduleskeeps home page

fresh

News moduleskeeps home page

fresh


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Search box always available

Search box always available

Audience segmentscalled out

Audience segmentscalled out

Community eventscalendar gives sense

of living site

Community eventscalendar gives sense

of living site


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Global navigationconsistent; showscurrent location

Global navigationconsistent; showscurrent location

Calendar showscoming two weeksof programming

Calendar showscoming two weeksof programming

Current dailymodule used for

default view

Current dailymodule used for

default view

Prime time feature box repurposed

Prime time feature box repurposed

Also: Working onmulti-channel

schedule designs

Also: Working onmulti-channel

schedule designs


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Membership benefitsmade real withactual members

Membership benefitsmade real withactual members

Support not justlimited to financial

Support not justlimited to financial

Clear identificationof membership

levels

Clear identificationof membership

levels

Options to sign up,renew, or

give as a gift

Options to sign up,renew, or

give as a gift


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Benefits reiteratedBenefits

reiterated

Thank you gifts pictured with popup

descriptions

Thank you gifts pictured with popup

descriptions

Conceptualgrouping reflected

in visual design

Conceptualgrouping reflected

in visual design

Payments can bespread over timePayments can bespread over time

Pledge matchingPledge matching

CommentsComments


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What we found

• Everyone has resource issues, regardless of market size – they all need help

• Member station sites vary widely in usability, and it has nothing to do with market size

• Some stations are sensitive to local/national boundaries, but users are not.


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Users Experience Local/National Seamlessly• Users are confused or uninterested

in the difference between national entity and local station.

• Localization code works. With integrated cobrands, users can navigate back and forth to national program sites easily, but the believe they have never left station.org.

• The practice of having landing pages between local and national sites hindered users from achieving goals.

“I got to one through the other, but I don’t remember which I started at. But to be honest, I don’t really remember the difference between them.”

“I’m at the Nova part of the web site. We are still on the channel 5 site. If you’ve ever watched PBS, you know Nova is on that channel.”


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Users Value Stations' Local Outreach

• Understand stations as “NPR and PBS in my community."

• Love the idea that they can engage in station-run activities where they live.

• Make local connections very prominent visually, don't relegate them to subpages

“The site shows me that they are more committed to things going on in the community and around the region. I like that.”


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Users Want Clean Simple Design – And Lots of Content

• Users appreciated simple, uncluttered design, but valued lots of content.

• Seems contradictory and a hard balance to strike, but well worth it

“I like things to be kept very, very simple.

Because there’s so much stuff on the

Internet, it’s hard to get through it all.”


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Never Underestimate the Power of a Good Photo

• Sometimes photos are more compelling than show logos


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Some Labels Don't Work

• Many examples of common terminology confused users

• Examples:– Local programs – changed to Highlights & Specials– Community – needs context

• Test labels, watch traffic to see if people are going where you expect they might.


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Membership as a Well-Oiled Machine

• Probably the most important label– Membership vs. join vs.

support vs. pledge

• Importance of signaling all ways to support

• Synching up on-air and online is critical

• More on this in January’s Summit by Screen


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Usability Testing Rocks!

• Great tool to get outside ‘expert user’ thinking

• Great way to educate senior management

• You can do it yourself


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Broadening the Research to Radio

• PBS member station findings sync with earlier NPR user research

• NPR currently focused on improving national site:– Rich search experience– Subject-based channel architecture– Deep archive– Seamless integration with member stations through complete

revamp of localization functionality


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NPR Draft Architecture Recommendations


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Next Steps for PBS Stations

• Best Practices Extranet site to be added to remotecontrol.pbs.org

– Step-by-step implementation guides for process, visual design, architecture, and modules

– Easy to use tutorials for PBS.org services

– Working prototype with code to steal, plus page schematics

– Printable version including case studies, methodology, and usability reports


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Next Steps for PBS stations

• Extranet and reports available in the new year• Presentations at major events throughout 2003:

– 1st up: NETA, January 8 – 11, 2003– January Summit By Screen will focus on membership

usability

• Work jointly with NPR moving forward.


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Next Steps for PBS Stations

• Want to hear from stations using Best Practices!• Seeking proposals from stations for funding to

redesign– building on Best Practices– coordinating with an outside firm– willing to share your story with the system– proposals to Carolyn Gibson Smith by January 31, 2003


Page 34

Q&A

• Carolyn Gibson Smith, PBS• Jeffrey Veen, Adaptive Path• Anil Dewan, KCET• Christine Orr, KNPB• Zulfiqar Khan, WQED

Documents

December 11, 2002PBS/NPR Summit by Screen “Station Best Practices “ Page 1 PBS/Adaptive Path Best Practices for Station Web Sites Carolyn Gibson Smith,