Electronic Commerce Systems (ISY10058)
Semester 2, 2015
Assignment 2
Title

Develop an effective e-commerce Website

Unit objectives

1-5

Weight

30% of overall unit assessment

Due time

5pm, Monday (24/08/2015), Week 10 for Assignment2-1
5pm, Monday (07/09/2015), Week 12 for Assignment2-2

Introduction
This assignment demonstrates your capability to provide e-commerce
solutions to business problems and your understanding of effective ecommerce Websites.
You will develop the front end of a simple but comprehensive e-commerce
Website (e-tailer) for a fictional business. You are required to submit a design
document (Assignment2-1) two weeks earlier than the Website
(Assignment2-2). The Website must be created according to the design
document. The Website may not really operate, and you don’t need to write
programs.
Design document (Assignment2-1)
You should introduce the background of the business and potential
customers/visitors, and the significance of developing the Website.
You should determine the objectives to develop the site.
• Online marketing is a required objective. You should determine and
discuss a marketing strategy in the context of the Website.
• Online sale/purchase is a required objective. Your site should have at
least 10 items within at least 4 categories. Visitors can complete
purchase from viewing a catalogue through to receiving order
confirmation.
• One objective is customer centric design. Your should analyze the
targeted visitors, and provide solutions for usability, accessibility,
interactivity, personalization, etc.
• Trust is an important objective. You should consider all types of trust
and create and maintain appropriate type(s) on the site.

Page 1

•

You may determine other objectives such as security, recruitment,
special e-commerce environment, new e-payment system, etc.
according to the business and visitors.

You should provide your solutions (functions, features and/or components of
the site) for the objectives based on what you have learnt in this unit, your
individual research and experience. For example, catalogue, shopping cart
and transaction processing are the basic functions for online sale. Business
information, customer support/help, security statement, privacy policy, virtual
community, etc. are examples for one or more objectives.
You should consider business and social issues for your objectives, and
technologies for your solutions. Considering using current technologies, such
as Web 2.0, mobile technology and Artificial Intelligence, will be a bonus.
You should try to avoid functions, components or features that annoy the
visitors.
You are required to use a concept map for the above analysis.
In designing the site, you should organize your solutions in pages and are
required to design logical and intuitive navigation for the hyperlink structure.
External links, where appropriate, are also allowed.
You are required to design each page of the site using story boards. Where
appropriate, a template can be provided for multiple pages.
You are required to use at least 2 of the following tools for the analysis and
design:
• SWOT analysis (Topic 1)
• Scope analysis
• Audience analysis
• Risk analysis (Topic 9)
• Environment analysis
• Entity relationship diagram
• Use case diagram
• Flowchart or activity diagram
• Structure chart
You can revise or update the design after it has been submitted initially, and
submit the updated version of the design document together with the
Website. In the updated version, changes must be highlighted or indicated
clearly. Significant changes to the original design indicate a poor original
design, and therefore will cause loss of assignment marks.

Page 2

E-commerce Web site (Assignment2-2)
Microsoft Expression Web 4 is recommended for creating the Website, but
you can use another similar authoring tool. Your website must be assessable
without installing it to a server.
Usability (including correct grammar, spelling and punctuation) and links are
assessed. While programs for the back-end processing are not required, the
site should explain the back-end processes, where appropriate. For example,
you designed to include a search function, which allows a visitor to enter
keywords and click a button or use the Enter key to activate a search.
Although the search function may not actually operate, the site should
respond with a dummy search result, or provide an explanation about what
happens.
Marking criteria
Design Document (Assignment 2-1)
10%
Initial proposal, including objectives and marketing strategy
20%
Clarity and completeness of the design specifications, including:
o Concept Map
o Navigation Map (hyperlink structure)
o 2 other appropriate analysis/design tools
10%
Storyboards (for each major [different] page design)
Site Creation (Assignment 2-2)
10%
Overall appearance and user-friendliness
10%
General presentation, format and screen layout
20%
Quality and number of elements of the online business
15%
Depth of knowledge and use of elements that make an effective ecommerce site
5%
Demonstration of a good mastery of authoring tools
More information
You should not describe your understanding of Web development, but apply
it to develop an effective e-commerce site.
Any description or presentation in the design document and function, content
or feature of the site should be relevant to or appropriate for your objectives
and solutions.
Assignment submission
You should submit Assignment2-1 including an assignment cover sheet in
the Turnitin assignment box for your location at the Blackboard of this unit.
You should submit a single Word file, and the file name should be
YourLastNameFirstInitial_ISY10058_Ass2-1.docx.
You must include Assignment 2-2 in a zip file, and the file name should be
YourLastNameFirstInitial_ISY10058_Ass2-2.zip. Updated Assignment2-1, if

Page 3

applicable, should be named as YourLastNameFirstInitial_ISY10058_Ass21_Revised.docx., and included in the zip file. You should submit the single
zip file by email to your lecturer/tutor/maker.
Original work
You can use existing images/photos or text content. However, you must
adapt them to your analysis and design.
• The site should include all functions, features and components that
were analysed and designed in the design document.
• The site should NOT include anything that was not analysed and
designed in the design document.
For academic integrity, you should include references in the design
document for the existing components or content.
Your Assignment2-1 similarity assessed by Turnitin should be within 25%.
The assessment process may require some students to attend an interview
in order to explain their assignment.
Early work
Four weeks of intermittent work may be needed for this assignment. A
penalty of 10% per calendar day will be applied to late assignments without
extension approval.

Electronic Commerce Systems (ISY10058)
Semester 2, 2015
Assignment 2
Title

Develop an effective e-commerce Website

Unit objectives

1-5

Weight

30% of overall unit assessment

Due time

5pm, Monday (24/08/2015), Week 10 for Assignment2-1
5pm, Monday (07/09/2015), Week 12 for Assignment2-2

Introduction
This assignment demonstrates your capability to provide e-commerce
solutions to business problems and your understanding of effective ecommerce Websites.
You will develop the front end of a simple but comprehensive e-commerce
Website (e-tailer) for a fictional business. You are required to submit a design
document (Assignment2-1) two weeks earlier than the Website
(Assignment2-2). The Website must be created according to the design
document. The Website may not really operate, and you don’t need to write
programs.
Design document (Assignment2-1)
You should introduce the background of the business and potential
customers/visitors, and the significance of developing the Website.
You should determine the objectives to develop the site.
• Online marketing is a required objective. You should determine and
discuss a marketing strategy in the context of the Website.
• Online sale/purchase is a required objective. Your site should have at
least 10 items within at least 4 categories. Visitors can complete
purchase from viewing a catalogue through to receiving order
confirmation.
• One objective is customer centric design. Your should analyze the
targeted visitors, and provide solutions for usability, accessibility,
interactivity, personalization, etc.
• Trust is an important objective. You should consider all types of trust
and create and maintain appropriate type(s) on the site.

Page 1

•

You may determine other objectives such as security, recruitment,
special e-commerce environment, new e-payment system, etc.
according to the business and visitors.

You should provide your solutions (functions, features and/or components of
the site) for the objectives based on what you have learnt in this unit, your
individual research and experience. For example, catalogue, shopping cart
and transaction processing are the basic functions for online sale. Business
information, customer support/help, security statement, privacy policy, virtual
community, etc. are examples for one or more objectives.
You should consider business and social issues for your objectives, and
technologies for your solutions. Considering using current technologies, such
as Web 2.0, mobile technology and Artificial Intelligence, will be a bonus.
You should try to avoid functions, components or features that annoy the
visitors.
You are required to use a concept map for the above analysis.
In designing the site, you should organize your solutions in pages and are
required to design logical and intuitive navigation for the hyperlink structure.
External links, where appropriate, are also allowed.
You are required to design each page of the site using story boards. Where
appropriate, a template can be provided for multiple pages.
You are required to use at least 2 of the following tools for the analysis and
design:
• SWOT analysis (Topic 1)
• Scope analysis
• Audience analysis
• Risk analysis (Topic 9)
• Environment analysis
• Entity relationship diagram
• Use case diagram
• Flowchart or activity diagram
• Structure chart
You can revise or update the design after it has been submitted initially, and
submit the updated version of the design document together with the
Website. In the updated version, changes must be highlighted or indicated
clearly. Significant changes to the original design indicate a poor original
design, and therefore will cause loss of assignment marks.

Page 2

E-commerce Web site (Assignment2-2)
Microsoft Expression Web 4 is recommended for creating the Website, but
you can use another similar authoring tool. Your website must be assessable
without installing it to a server.
Usability (including correct grammar, spelling and punctuation) and links are
assessed. While programs for the back-end processing are not required, the
site should explain the back-end processes, where appropriate. For example,
you designed to include a search function, which allows a visitor to enter
keywords and click a button or use the Enter key to activate a search.
Although the search function may not actually operate, the site should
respond with a dummy search result, or provide an explanation about what
happens.
Marking criteria
Design Document (Assignment 2-1)
10%
Initial proposal, including objectives and marketing strategy
20%
Clarity and completeness of the design specifications, including:
o Concept Map
o Navigation Map (hyperlink structure)
o 2 other appropriate analysis/design tools
10%
Storyboards (for each major [different] page design)
Site Creation (Assignment 2-2)
10%
Overall appearance and user-friendliness
10%
General presentation, format and screen layout
20%
Quality and number of elements of the online business
15%
Depth of knowledge and use of elements that make an effective ecommerce site
5%
Demonstration of a good mastery of authoring tools
More information
You should not describe your understanding of Web development, but apply
it to develop an effective e-commerce site.
Any description or presentation in the design document and function, content
or feature of the site should be relevant to or appropriate for your objectives
and solutions.
Assignment submission
You should submit Assignment2-1 including an assignment cover sheet in
the Turnitin assignment box for your location at the Blackboard of this unit.
You should submit a single Word file, and the file name should be
YourLastNameFirstInitial_ISY10058_Ass2-1.docx.
You must include Assignment 2-2 in a zip file, and the file name should be
YourLastNameFirstInitial_ISY10058_Ass2-2.zip. Updated Assignment2-1, if

Page 3

applicable, should be named as YourLastNameFirstInitial_ISY10058_Ass21_Revised.docx., and included in the zip file. You should submit the single
zip file by email to your lecturer/tutor/maker.
Original work
You can use existing images/photos or text content. However, you must
adapt them to your analysis and design.
• The site should include all functions, features and components that
were analysed and designed in the design document.
• The site should NOT include anything that was not analysed and
designed in the design document.
For academic integrity, you should include references in the design
document for the existing components or content.
Your Assignment2-1 similarity assessed by Turnitin should be within 25%.
The assessment process may require some students to attend an interview
in order to explain their assignment.
Early work
Four weeks of intermittent work may be needed for this assignment. A
penalty of 10% per calendar day will be applied to late assignments without
extension approval.