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WEBSITES
The widespread misunderstanding about Internet is the source of several inaccuracy and wrong expectations.
C2SP tracks and analyse websites errors
The young company in Geneva works with short modules proposing either a technical or functional or usability approach.
Sylvie Gardel |
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| With it's roughly 500 billion pages, the Internet is a true jungle. In order for people to find there way, some companies such as Google developed personalized search engines that understand questions. However, we still need efficient sites. In light of the fact that a web user rarely spends more than, on average, 5 minutes on a site, 30 seconds per page therefore 10 pages per surfer, this undoubtedly is very little time to acquire a web surfer's attention. So, why don't users spend more time? Why aren't there more of them? These are the questions that the young company C2SP based in Geneva decided to answer by seeking the Bad Internet Project (BIP). |
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| Internet is an activity that is not limited in time.
Founded in September 2000 by Olivier Wiener, C2SP which stands for Consulting, Strategy, Solutions, Project is, in effect, the doctor of web sites. Using various computer tools (best practices listed in a two dimensional matrix, robots, the Jacob Nielsen, etc.), C2SP, so to speak, X-rays sites and formulates a detailed diagnostic covering the quality of links, their functionality and usability. "The idea to launch my own company came from the generalized poor use of the Internet. Most companies develop there site as unique projects limited in time whilst, quite the contrary, the Internet is a continuing activity", explains the founder of C2SP, a graduate of the Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Saint-Gall, former analyst for Hewlett Packard and PriceWaterHouseCoopers Internet consultant. |
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| No strategy prior
to design. In this regard, the BIP is characterized by recurring
fundamental errors such as ; planning, realization, company
expectations and projects being erroneously considered as unique
and limited in time. "More often than not, problems originate
in negligence on process, content and the Internet culture"
explains Olivier Wiener. In brief, creating a site is not something
that anyone can do. It's a job for professionals! Errors begin
with the planning of a web site. Often designed in haste, many
sites are often developed before a strategy is even elaborated
for it to support. As far as the realization is concerned, the
dross is a direct consequence of inaccurate agreements between
companies and their design agency, strategy, volatile expectations,
poorly defined responsibilities and flawed internal communication
between members involved in the process. |
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| A web site doesn't
reduce working time. However, at the end of the day, companies
"false" expectations are probably the most responsible for betraying
BIP. "Companies imagine that a web site will reduce their short
term work load ; in fact, it is quite the contrary as computerizing
systems and processes generates additional tasks that require
additional resources because standard processes are maintained!"
Widespread limited knowledge about the Internet often leads
companies to expect to reach their target audience from their
first day on the web and assume that their content is clear
and data perennial. "Most companies think that satisfying their
customer's information needs is enough. It is interesting to
note that these same companies also have suppliers, investors,
etc. that are excluded from the process". |
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| C2SP has already
scanned several hundred sites. In summary, and contrary to common
belief, creating a web site isn't a cheap operation that doesn't
require maintenance or internal resources. A site will only
survive if it was created by professionals, carefully planned,
backed by a clear strategy, easy to use with quality content,
often updated, visible in search engines and technologically
compatible with existing browsers. As, in certain cases, only
a few of these factors are deficient, C2SP, who currently employs
two people, offers and works in short modules each lasting approximately
5 days depending on particular needs ; the technical and functional
approach (so called heuristic) or an approach that focuses on
the user (site usability, information, images, transactions,
etc.). When it comes to comparing, C2SP has several hundred
sites already scanned since September that are ready to use.
Each scan takes anywhere from 5 minutes to 6hrs to scan depending
on selected targets to identify. |
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| After this stage
of scanning, C2SP drafts several conclusions (internal, to the
design agency and a request for quote). When a more long term
approach is used, re-scanning is necessary as well as a comparison
with concerned sectors. In this sense, C2SP's approach is similar
to that of an advisor-consultant for optimization and efficiency
of sites. The sector targeted by this Geneva based company is
that of small to medium companies with an average of, at least,
25 employees and based in the French part of Switzerland. So
far, C2SP has mainly focused on banking, insurance, hotels,
real estate, tobacco and head hunting companies. Whether they
be small or large, errors are to the running of a web site equal
to the importance of network for mobile communications! Success
sometimes hangs by a thread... |
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