Determining & Studying the Audience

Designers need to identify and understand the targeted audience in order for a web site to be successful. The needs of the audience should guide every aspect of the site's presentation--from the way in which the information is designed to the voice the writer uses when presenting the information to the visual design of the site.

Potential users must be identified so that the site meets their needs and expectations. The audience for a corporate web site might include current customers, investors, and graduates looking for jobs. A non-profit organization, however, might have potential donors and volunteers visiting its site. Some of the groups that Moravian's web site was designed for are prospective students (whose needs include information about admission and financial aid), current students, faculty, and staff (whose needs include information about academics), and alumni/parents (whose needs include information about campus events--so they feel part of the college community--and information on how to support Moravian).

When determining the audience, designers must also consider their users' experience with web sites: "The knowledge, background, interests, and needs of users will vary from tentative novices who need a carefully structured introduction to expert ‘power users' who may chafe at anything that seems to patronize them or delay their access to information" (Lynch and Horton 2). The difficulty for designers is to maintain a balance, to develop a site that meets the needs and skills of novice and experienced users.