This is the Design and Production section of the case study. It is divided into seven sections:

Purpose and Goals

Accuracy and Credibility

Readability

Content

Currency

Design and Layout

Graphics

Conclusion

Purpose and Goals
The Channel 4000 homepage speaks for itself in terms of its purpose and goals. Although the goal of Channel 4000 is to "provide the most in depth and updated local news and info on the Internet for the Twin Cities," this is not spelled out on the Web site (Jeanelle Welter personal communication, January 30, 2002.) It appears that Channel 4000 thinks very highly of covering a wide variety of topics. The site is obviously centered towards adults. However, it appears that the target audience is a large and diverse group of individuals.

The page is entitled Channel 4000. The only thing that is above this title is a list of options including career center, automotive, travel, legal center, shopping, and house and home. I found it strange that this list was above the title. It seems that the title of the page should be at the very top of the page. This holds true as the viewer clicks through the site. This list stays at the top of any page the reader views each page. However, by searching the site, the viewer will realize that one level into the site, the title is also below a sponsor advertisement. The title or heading should be at the very top of every page. It makes cruising the Internet easier for the reader if the first thing they see at the top of the page is the home title of the Web site.

Accuracy and Credibility
The information that was posted on the Channel 4000 website can easily be verified through other sources. The stories included on this site are also found on the KMSP Channel 9 and KARE 11 Web site. The facts were the same throughout all three Web sites. All of the stories that are found on the Channel 4000 Web site appeared to be well researched. WCCO takes pride in making sure that they are providing not only the latest but also the most accurate and credible news.

By clicking through the Web site, I was able to concur that special care is taken into making sure that the writing is error free. This is important if the Web site creators are interested in developing a Web site that is looked upon as being reliable, credible, and accurate.

Readability
The Channel 4000 Web site is very readable. The text stands out from the background and the typeface is consistent throughout the site and pages. Although there is a lot of information on every page, none of the pages appear to be cluttered with too much information or advertisements. Important topics stand out with highlighting of different colors. In comparison to the other news Web sites from the Twin Cities, Channel 4000 provides the most readable text mixed in with advertisements. Often, advertisements will draw away from the readability of the Web site. KMSP's website seems to have more advertisements than news stories. This makes the Web site very unreadable. KARE 11's Web site doesn't have any advertisements to speak of, and therefore, their site is very readable. Channel 4000 is a good mix of readability and advertisements.

Content
The content of Channel 4000 is appropriate to the overall objectives of the Web site. The site provides a wide variety of stories that targets all types of audiences. Whether the viewer is looking for local news or national news, it can be found on Channel 4000. One of the ways that Channel 4000 appeals to a large audience is by offering other services besides news coverage. For example, if you are looking for a date, you can find one through the Channel 4000 Web site. You can also find out what the traffic is like, search for a car, look up travel offers, shop, look for a job, and check your email. This makes Channel 4000 more appealing to more people. The creators are aiming to get the viewer to set up this site as their homepage.

Currency
Although the date and time of the Web site's last update can be found, it cannot be easily found. One of the things that viewers look for in a news based Web site is current information. Everyone wants to know what is going on as soon as it happens. Channel 4000 would benefit from making the fact that they update the stories very frequently, very visible to the viewer. It would also be nice if they were to post when the next update could be expected.

It is important that the site's origination date is visible. Channel 4000 posts a copywrite at the bottom of the homepage.

Design and Layout
One of the most frustrating things for a viewer to experience is when a page takes forever to download. Too many complex graphics will make this happen. Channel 4000 doesn't have this problem. Although there are some graphics, download time is minimal. It is also nice that the graphics that are included on the site provide a click-through to another page.

As stated before, Channel 4000 follows a nice format that allows viewer to clearly identify what the site has to offer. Along the top left-hand side of the page is the main menu. The top stories are located down the center of the page and any advertisements, clickable icons, or tidbits of information are located along the right-hand side of the page.
Feedback mechanisms are also in operation, which allows for viewers to ask questions or make suggestions. This is important to the site creators because with feedback, Channel 4000 can become what the viewers would like to see.

Graphics
The graphics that are included on Channel 4000 don't seem to be necessary to the site, but do add a nice touch. They are consistent and relate to what the text reading is about. The graphics are interlaced GIFs and are of high quality, once downloaded. Throughout the site, there were more cartoon-looking graphics than pictorial graphics, or pictures taken from the site of the news story. When viewers are interested in a story, they want to see pictures of what is going on. It is a common normality that humans want to see what is happening. That is why everyone stares while driving past a car accident.

Conclusion
Overall, the Channel 4000 Web site is done very well. The site is a good mixture of advertisements and news coverage. It has a good purpose and goal. The site is accurate and credible. It provides for a readable text, even though there are advertisements. Channel 4000 has a good base content, updated frequently, that is embellished with extra features to draw in a larger audience. The site also has a good layout and does a good job of making sure that viewers don't spend an excessive amount of time waiting for the next page to download. Channel 4000 is a good example of what a Web site can possibly offer a viewer. It's very obvious that a lot of time and effort has gone into creating and maintaining a site of this caliber.

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