UKOLN Hands-On Session For Leicester Spring School in New Media Benchmarking Web Sites: Quality Assurance (QA)

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UKOLN Hands-On Session For Leicester Spring
School in New MediaBenchmarking Web
SitesQuality Assurance (QA)

• Brian Kelly
• UKOLN
• University of Bath
• Bath

Email B.Kelly_at_ukoln.ac.uk URL http//www.ukoln.ac.
uk/
UKOLN is supported by
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Approaches To Fixing Errors

• We've found errors on our Web site. What should
  we do?
• Fix the errors straight away
• Inform the page maintainer
• Do nothing too many other more important things
  to do
• Do nothing the Web site has been "published"
  and I don't rewrite history
• Do nothing it's not my problem, it's a problem
  caused by the HTML authoring tool everyone uses

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A QA Approach

• Quality Control
• Fixing errors
• Fire-fighting
• Quality Assurance (QA)
• Documented policies
• Systematic procedures for monitoring compliance
• Considering workflow processes
• Fixing processes so errors won't reappear
• Audit trails

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QA Focus

• QA Focus
• JISC-funded project to support JISC's digital
  library programme
• Supports QA development which help ensure
  deliverables are usable interoperable
• QA Focus Deliverables
• Surveys
• Advisory documents
• Case studies
• Descriptions of tools
• Policies
• Self-assessment toolkit

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Documentation Advice

• Advisory briefing documents are being produced
• These are
• Brief, focussed documents
• Informed by findings of the surveys

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Documentation Case Studies

• Case Studies are being commissioned
• These are
• Written by projects themselves
• Describe the solution adopted to a particular
  problem
• Include details of lessons learnt not just a
  press release!

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Self Assessment Toolkit

• Further Deliverables
• We have developed a self-assessment toolkit
• The toolkit consists of
• Examples of QA procedures
• Documented examples of use of testing tools
• Self-assessment questionnaires
• Advice on standards and best practices
• Case studies
• FAQs

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Useful Approach To Tools

• As an example of approach which provides easier
  access to testing tools, see the ,tools approach
  deployed on UKOLN Web site.
• This approach
• Applies to all resources on Web site
• Covers HTML and CSS validation and various other
  tests
• Some recursive apps (,rvalidate)
• Easily implemented with single line redirect

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Policies

• How do you know what you should do if you don't
  have documented polices?

You may find it useful to develop similar
policies yourself for example, a policy of the
accessibility of your Web site
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Application To Your Sector

• Issues
• Is the QA Focus methodology applicable to your
  Web site?
• Are the QA Focus resources of use?
• What additional areas would you find useful?