Ch. 3 Research and Idea Generation. What’s Coming? Before You Start Needs Analysis/Assessment Interviewing Virtual Value Chain Analysis Web Research Brain.

Ch. 3 Research and Idea Generation

What’s Coming?

Before You Start Needs Analysis/Assessment

Interviewing Virtual Value Chain Analysis Web Research Brain Storming

Before You Start?

Who are my users?

Demographics Education Level Culturally Economically

Before You Start? (cont.)

What do my users need?

Facts Tools Entertainment

Before You Start? (cont.)

What does the presenter need?

Selling Showing (information) Collecting (information) Other?

Needs Analysis/Assessment

Process for determining the real needs of an organization Will not always be what the

organization believes it is. Will not always be a need that a web

site can fulfill

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Scenario…

Company “Q” shows drop in sales Competition shows upswing CEO believes it is an IT issue,

specifically that company “Q” needs a new website to boost sales.

Be sure you can do what you promise!!!

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Needs Analysis is…

In depth process to fact finding to determine what needs truly are. By identifying the source of the issue, you can decide if a web site can adequately meet those needs and exactly how.

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Information Gathering

Interviewing One-on-one Interviewing

Information Stewards & Presenters

Group Interviews Presenters (if many) Organization Staff Potential Users or Model Users Has added advantage of group interaction

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Information Gathering (cont.)

Interviewing Skills and Techniques Practice makes perfect Question Design

Avoid leading questions Remove confusing and ineffective questions Using Broad or Narrow questions

Multiple Interviews Structured vs. Loose

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Virtual Value Chain Analysis

Examining the Organization's Processes Cost Uniqueness Market Niche

Step 1: Products and/or Services

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Virtual Value Chain Analysis (cont.)

Who is the Competition? Where do we stand?

Details of recent market

Step 2: Competitive Stance

Ahead or catching up?

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Virtual Value Chain Analysis (cont.)

What that we do can be accomplished online? How can the customer be directly involved with the company via the web site?

Step 3: Bringing the customer in

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Virtual Value Chain Analysis (cont.)

Mostly conjecture Develop idea of what can be done… begin to

decide if doing it will help

How does this realte to the overall Needs Analysis?

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Research

Market Staff Training

Normal needs analysis might contain many types of research

Product Developement

Web research provides many benefits

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Web Research

www.google.com www.askjeeves.com

Search Engines

www.yahoo.com

Idea is to see both what can be done and what is being done.

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Web Research (cont.)

Keyword Search Subject Search

3 Ways

URL (least productive)

Narrower the better

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Web Research (cont.)

“active” uses spiders to add new sites “passive” shows sites that have been

submitted by managers

Active vs. Passive Search Engines

Some search engines charge sites to be listed

Try many engines until you find the ones that best suite your needs

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Web Research (cont.)

Use phrases like “and”, “or”, “not” Google’s advanced search is an example

Boolean Searches

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

The Point of Web Research

Colors/fonts What’s working/what’s not

Information about possible or actual competitors

What features are available What info is available Set up queues Product Info

Needs Analysis/Assessment (cont.)

Brain Storming

Meeting of some or all of concerned parties to generate ideas

Moderated open discussion No judgements Suggestions Listed

When all the gathering is done Analyze all the data

Finishing the NA

Yes to a web site? No to a website?

Back to Company “Q”

Questions?