In this project, we use the CIA World Factbook , which contains various facts on countries.
Choose 10 countries from different continents.
Choose some categories (introduction, geography, people,...) and within these categories some fields (location, area, coastline,...).
Assume that our user would typically study a subset of facts about a subset of countries in a time. For instance, the user might want to compare birth rate, death rate, and the number of Internet users in Finland, Aruba, and Bhutan.
First, write a short report, where you describe how the user navigates on the World Factbook site, in order to find the information. Try to study the usability (= how easy it is for the user to find the information) and the possible problems, as well.
Your task is to develop a web site that is more suitable for the needs of our user.
The user should be able to choose a set of continents or countries (or combinations of these) and a set of categories or fields (or combinations of these). Using these sets as a query, the user should be able to see a nicely formatted presentation that contains the required information.
Try to build your site little by little during the course. Simplify the problem first, and work with the overall layout and presentation, for instance. When we study new things in the course, consider how you could use them to implement your site.
Remember that your site should (in the final form) also work with the whole collection of the countries, not just with the 10 countries you chose.
Documentation of the project: Report the architecture of your site, and other design ideas. Explain detailly which techniques and tools you have used (and how). The documentation should also include a learning diary that describes the phases of your working process, possible problems and their solutions etc.
Your portfolio should be ready on Monday 19th November, at 8pm. Instructions about returning the work are now available. The portfolio gives max 15 points (web site: 8 points, documentation 7 points). If you return your portfolio later than the deadline, every day decreases the max points with 2 points.