Web portals are considered “gateways” to the World Wide Web. These portals are becoming very popular entry points to the Web by offering important services such as email, news, weather reports, course notes and general information. In addition, some portal sites allow users the option of customising the site according to their personal interests. However, disabled and elderly people encounter many accessibility and usability barriers while accessing web portals. A preliminary review of a university portal was conducted to identify some of these accessibility problems. This treatise presents an overview of the processes to be followed when conducting an accessibility and usability evaluation. In addition, it mentions some guidelines to be considered when specifically designing portals for use by many different users from varying backgrounds.

The purpose of this study is to explore the representation of national political freedom on web interface design by using power distance, one of the culture dimensions identified by Geert Hofstede, as a measurement. This study also aims to determine if there are any differences between government-based websites and business-oriented websites in representing national political freedom. A pilot study was conducted to validate ten power distance indicators identified from previous research on cultural dimensions with the intent of establishing a measurement for determining a country's national political freedom on web content and interface design. The result showed that six out of ten proposed indicators are valid power distance indicators. The seventh indicator, symmetric layout, demonstrated that its Web representation correlates with national political freedom level. Consequently, the principal research applied these seven indicators in coding 312 websites selected from 39 countries and analyzed national political freedom represented on these websites with content analysis method. The result of two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that large differences exist in web interface design, which in turn reflects the aforementioned national political freedom. The research showed that the mean effect of freedom level between free-country group, partly-free-country group and not-free-country group was statistically significant (p = .003). So was the mean effect of website type between government-based and business-oriented websites (p = .000). Furthermore, the interaction between the freedom level and website type was also significant (p = .041). Therefore, we conclude that web interface design represents a country's political freedom and government-based websites embody more of a nation's authority and supremacy than business-oriented websites do. It is expected that this study furthers our exploration in culture dimensions on web interface design and advances our knowledge in sociological and cultural studies of the web.

The Internet is a revolutionary technology that is bound to change every aspect of society and the educational system in particular. Following the rapid spread of the Internet, the new developments in the World Wide Web (WWW) technology have created a high level of interest and enthusiasm among many educators.

This project, WebAppDesigner, combines a "What You See Is What You Get" (WYSISYG) web page designer, database table designer, query tool, and an automatic deployment process into a single easy to use solution for small businesses and individuals.

The purpose of this project was to develop a Web site that would facilitate students' use of the Internet to research topics relating to the study of biology. This Web site serves as a bridge to link classroom topics to real world scientific information and research available on the Internet. Methods of preventing plagiarism and focusing Internet research were incorporated into the overall Web site design.

Assignment (MPhil (Afrikaans and Dutch))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this study, the mental models of the target audience of the FACT web site (official Stellenbosch University HIV/Aids web site) were investigated and compared with the structure of the web site (representing the mental model of the expert). The target audience were divided into six groups representing three different race groups (white, coloured and black) and the two sexes (male and female).

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The effective application of the requirements of customer interface design is critical for the success of business-to-consumer electronic commerce ventures. The challenging environment experienced by South African-based business-to-consumer electronic commerce compounds the importance of offering Web sites with high usability and a conventional shopping experience. The first main objective of this study is to determine the requirements of customer interface design in business-to-consumer electronic commerce and is achieved through the review of the relevant literature. The second main objective is to measure the application of customer interface design within South African business-to-consumer electronic commerce. A thematic model (or framework) that represents the thirteen main requirements is developed. The model identifies the themes as transmission speed, page layout and structure, navigation, writing style, multimedia, customer support, customisation and personalisation, community, information, perceptions, trust and security, commerce, and the absence of errors. The model is used to subjectively measure the effective application of customer interface design in a test group of fifty South African-based Web sites. The third main objective is to present the results. Requirements that are effectively applied by most of the Web sites include the themes of transmission speed, page layout and structure, writing style, multimedia, trust and security and the absence of errors. The themes of navigation, customisation and personalisation, information, perceptions and commerce are evident, but applied less effectively. Although some sites do provide the theme of customer support, the overall result shows that it is generally not effectively applied. Community is the least effectively applied of all the requirements presented in the thematic model. Possible reasons for the results are offered, but further research is necessary to determine the underlying reasons for lack of the community theme. The relevance and the value of the study lies in the conceptualisation of customer interface design in South African business-to-consumer electronic commerce and the foundation presented for future research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die effektiewe toepassing van klant-koppelvlak ontwerp vereistes is noodsaaklik om die sukses van besigheid-tot-verbruiker elektroniese handel ondememings te verseker. Die uitdagende omgewing vir besigheid-tot-verbruiker elektroniese handel in Suid-Afrika beklemtoon die belangrikheid van webtuistes om gebruikersvriendelik te wees en 'n konvensionele inkopie-ervaring te bied. Die studieprojek se eerste doelwit is om die vereistes van klant-koppelvlak ontwerp in besigheid-tot-verbruiker elektroniese handel te bepaal. Hierdie doelwit word bereik deur 'n oorsig van die relevante literatuur. Die tweede doelwit is om die toepassing van klant-koppelvlak ontwerp in SuidAfrikaanse besigheid-tot-verbruiker elektroniese handel te meet. 'n Tematiese model, wat dertien hoofvereistes saamvat, is ontwerp om meting te fasiliteer. Die model identifiseer die temas van deursendingspoed, bladuitleg en -struktuur, navigasie, skryfstyl, multimedia, klantediens, aanpassing en verpersoonliking, gemeenskap, informasie, persepsies, vertroue en sekerheid, handel, en foutloosheid. Die model is gebruik om die effektiewe toepassing van klant-koppelvlak ontwerp ten opsigte van vyftig Suid-Afrikaanse webtuistes te meet. Die derde doelwit is om die resultate te analiseer en te interpreteer. Vereistes wat meestal effektief toegepas word, is die temas van deursendingspoed, bladuitleg en - struktuur, skryfstyl, multimedia, vertroue en sekerheid, en foutloosheid. Die temas van navigasie, aanpassing en verpersoonliking, informasie, persepsies en handel is teenwoordig, maar minder effektief toegepas. Alhoewel sommige webtuistes die tema van klantediens bied, dui die verwerkte resultate daarop dat dit in die algemeen nie effektief toegepas word nie. Van al die vereistes, soos in die tematiese model saamgevat, is gemeenskap die swakste toegepas. Moontlike redes vir die resultaat word aangebied, maar verdere navorsing is nodig om die onderliggende redes vas te stel. Die toepaslikheid en waarde van die navorsing is gelee in die konseptualisering van klant-koppelvlak ontwerp in die Suid-Afrikaanse besigheid-tot-verbruiker elektroniese handel, sowel as die grondslag wat dit vir verdere navorsing bied.

published_or_final_version / Computer Science and Information Systems / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

With the exponential increase of Internet usage and the embedding of multimedia content on the Web, some of the Internet resources remain inaccessible for people with disabilities. Particularly, people who are deaf or Hard of Hearing (HOH) experience inaccessible Web sites due to a lack of Closed Captioning (CC) for multimedia content on the Web, no sign language equivalents for the content on the Web, and an insufficient evaluation framework for determining if a Web page is accessible to the Hearing Impaired community. Several opportunities for accessing content needed to be rectified in order for the Hearing Impaired community to access the full benefits of the information repository on the Internet. The research contributions of this thesis are to resolve some of the Web accessibility problems being faced by the Hearing Impaired community. These objectives are to create an automated CC for the Web for multimedia content, to embed sign language equivalent for content available on the Web, to create a framework to evaluate Web accessibility for the Hearing Impaired community, and to create a social network for the Deaf community. To demonstrate the feasibility of fulfilling the above listed objectives several prototypes were implemented. These prototypes have been used in real life scenarios in order to have an objective evaluation of the proposed framework. Further, the implemented prototypes have had an impact to both the academic community and to the industry. / by Simone Pasmore. / Signature page unsigned. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Helderberg.com started out as a Virtual Village, with its roots firmly entrenched in the community newspaper from which it developed - the DistrictMail. It quickly evolved into a full blown community newspaper website with its own business model, earning its own way. Dotcoms are based on a virtual business model not seen up till now, trying to replace 'bricks and mortar' with 'clicks and mortar', making it difficult for investors to evaluate its worth. The DistrictMail community newspaper has been the heartbeat of the Helderberg, reflecting the news and views of the people of the area, for almost seventy-five years. Helderberg.com adds value and completes the circle. The success of companies depends on profitability. Bringing old and new media together, helderberg. com is the first community newspaper website to carry its own advertisers, and the first to break even and even make profit in the notoriously difficult dotcom internet arena. This paper examines how a community newspaper website is made - dissecting the internal and external makings, and shows helderberg. com is based on a structure and business model that has economic sustainability on which similar sized community newspapers, can launch or build their online enterprise. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Helderberg.com het begin as 'n Feitedorp ("Virtual Village"), stewig gewortel in die streekkoerant waaruit dit ontwikkel het - die DistriksPos. Dit het spoedig 'n volwaardige gemeenskapskoerant-webtuiste geword met 'n eie sakemodel en in staat om geld te verdien. Dotcom besighede is gebaseer op 'n virtuele sakemodel soos wat tot dusver nog nie gesien is nie. En probeer om 'klippe en pleister' met 'klikke en pleister' ('bricks and mortar' with 'clicks and mortar') te vervang met die gevolg dat dit vir beleggers moeilik is om die waarde daarvan behoorlik te evalueer. Die DistriksPos is die hartslag van die Helderberg en reflekteer die standpunte van sy inwoners vir langer as 75 jaar. Helderberg.com voltooi hierdie kringloop en voeg waarde daaraan toe. Die sukses van 'n maatskappy word beoordeel na gelang van verdienste. Deur ou en nuwe media bymekaar te bring word helderberg. com die eerste gemeenskapskoerant-webtuiste wat adverteerders dra en die eerste wat finansieel gelyk breek en selfs 'n wins wys in die berugte dotcom internetarena. In hierdie mini-tesis word ondersoek gedoen oor hoe 'n gemeenskapskoerant-webtuiste geskep word deur die interne en eksterne kwaliteite daarvan te ontleed. Dit toon hoe helderberg. com gebaseer is op strukture en 'n sakemodel wat ekonomies volhoubaar is, en waarop gemeenskapskoerante van soortgelyke grootte hul internet-bedrywe kan grond.