Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
influence on the public who views it. The public opinion of our Web portfolio
will trickle into our social interactions and professional situations. An example
of this might be a poorly designed teacher portfolio that cannot be viewed
successfully or does not deliver a positive experience for users is likely to lessen
the opinion of the students, parents, and supervisors towards the author. The
Web portfolio validates and provides an assessment vehicle which exceeds
professional observers and audiences. More and more, you'll see the Web
portfolio become the symbol for validation of someone's professional back-
ground, ethical standards, and technology skills. There will be pressure to
conform in the information society to having an effective and persuasive Web
portfolio. As we have mentioned previously in this text, Web portfolio authors
must have deep understanding of their particular audience and specific user in
order to tailor the contents to persuade. Understanding an audience and a user
requires research and critical thinking. The thought process must go beyond
“everyone on the net”. You simply cannot persuade everyone, but you do need
to persuade your target audience. Throughout the life of the Web portfolio,
you'll be defining your audience as you change, technology changes, and the
audience changes. An example of this changing environment and audience is the
advent of a Web browser based cell phones that allow Web sites to be seen
through the interface of cellular devices. This new medium of cell phones
requires different thought and technical processes for design and as different
audience members who may not fit standard profiles of computer-based users.
We do not know unless we do the research. My point here is that although this
text does not cover design for cell phone interfaces, you should realize that
things are constantly changing and you must make your Web portfolio change
in stride. Now let us focus some more on the user.
In their Web Style Guide, Lynch and Horton (1999) suggest researching the
potential audience to uncover their inherent needs. Let us think about our
potential users in the case of the Web portfolio.
Who is your user? Previously we described the Web portfolio as a selling tool.
We also focused on the goal of persuading our audience members. Your
audience will depend on your individual or company's goal for the portfolio.
Who do you or your company need to persuade? That is your audience
definition. It could be a potential customer or employer. It might be your tenure
committee or student's parents. Maybe the audience includes art galleries or
museums. To define the audience, ask the question, “who do I want to persuade
with my portfolio?” Think of sample scenarios: my students' parents are looking
at my Web portfolio, or potential clients are using my Web portfolio to build an
