Introduction

PAPWEC was used to build a prototype web site that aims to provide trade and market information for Zambian based exporters of fresh fruit, horticultural and vegetable products to the EU. The content of the web site (http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/~afrifloraveg), was designed using PAPWEC after an information needs assessment exercise in Zambia. A local Zambian web development company - Despatch Ltd. was responsible for designing the look and feel of a new web site (http://blake.prohosting.com/~floraveg).

The six months project was facilitated by a grant from IICD (http://www.iicd.org) and implemented in mid-2000. The project sought to refine the web design approach and use it to build a prototype web resource. Further details about the project can be obtained by sending an email to bmmc@soi.city.ac.uk.

The phases of PAPWEC even though they are presented sequentially can be undertaken simultaneously. For example analysing existing sources of information can be undertaken in conjunction with analysing the socio-economic circumstances of people etc. The phases are for guidance purposes and they assist in ensuring that all the factors have been taken into account in the development of the web site. What should also be noted is that PAPWEC is especially useful to build web sites that provide information that is currently not available on the Internet or redesign web sites that provide information for development and is meant for the uses of local people based in a developing setting.

The web site that was built using PAPWEC has already awakened a need to further add more content, widen the coverage of the content and continuously add current information. Issues that are still to be resolved revolve around where the web resource is going to be maintained and who will maintain it.

A number of worksheets were used to translate the practical guidelines in each of the phases that make up PAPWEC. These phases are as follows (see Lesson 5 for full details)

1. Needs Analysis — examine existing sources of information, identify the information needs/gaps of the users, study the socio-economic circumstances of the target audience and through this determine how they are likely to use that information, determine the development goals to be met.

2. Content Architecture — determine the source of the content, determine the nature of content, establish how the web resource/information is going to meet the development goals i.e. establish goal congruence - i.e. the relationship between information and development and consider any constraints the eventual user is likely to face when accessing the web resource.

3. Authoring — design the interface of the web site e.g. navigation structure, background and knit all the different media elements using appropriate web editing packages and web programming languages.

4. Implementation and Impact Assessments — this stage involves publishing your web resource on the Internet, carrying out impact assessments, analyse web log results, revising and up-dating the content.

Translating PAPWEC