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Case studies
We learn so little and forget so much.

Case 1 - Neighborhoodamerica.com
December 8, 2000

Neighborhoodamerica.com
12-08-00

This is a brief review of a company that provides web-based collaboration services for public projects.

1. Comment Server error (fixed  - 12-12-00))

If there are no public comments for a project you get a sceen that says,  "The parameter is incorrect."   See Stapleton Parks at "http://www.publiccomment.com/MessageDisplay.asp?projectid
=152&projectname=&Forumtype=City&forumname=Denver, State of Colorado"  I guess if this is one of your projects, make sure to enter at least one comment (such as "Q&A about public comments") before you show it to customers.  Note: As of 12-10-00 Stapleton Park has comments and no error messages.  It now points (correctly) to  http://www.publiccomment.com/MessageDisplay.asp?projectid
=152&projectname=&Forumtype=City&forumname=Denver,
%20State%20of%20Colorado

2. Breaking the "back" button on the browser.

Most users want the back button to work. Neighborhoodamerica.com sometimes spawns new browsers. That keeps the back button from doing what most folks expect.

For example, from the Neighborhoodamerica.com "solutions page" when you select "Stapleton Park," the application spawns a new browser for Stapleton. "Back" doesn't send you back to Neighborhoodamerica.com. From the Stapleton pages when you select "Public Comment," the applications spawns yet another browser from which you can't go "back" to the Stapleton pages.

Even when you select "National Neighborhood News" from the nieghborhoodamerica.com home page, you get a new browser.

So, now nieghborhoodamerica.com has generated several extra browser windows. Folks can navigate between them via the menus or via the Windows task bar at the bottom of the screen. But, most folks expect the "back" button to take them to the previous screen. I do.

You may not notice this if you use AOL.  You will if you use IE or Netscape.

3. Where is it?

This is a "content" issue. From the "Stapleton Parks" site I couldn't tell where in the country Stapleton is. Make sure the city and state are prominent on the page. This is true on most of the "Solutions@work" projects. Maybe all the users will know, but I don't.

4. Background color

For Internet Explorer (and AOL) I have my default background set to an ugly purple. I do this to make sure I remember to set a background color on my own web pages. Neighborhoodamerica.com doesn't set a background color so I have purple Neighborhoodamerica.com screens. (Yahoo.com has the same problem) Most normal folks wouldn't reset their background color as I have. The "Stapleton Parks" site does set a background color so it's not purple on my screen.

In building the high school on-line community I'm finding bunches of really smart folks who are web-shy.  It's got to be easy and predictable or people get spooked and don't come back