Web Week's 2nd Annual Survey of Web Design
Companies
Methodology: A list of design firms was compiled
through consultation "among Web Week staff, and
a notice in the print edition of the magazine"
invited interested firms to add their names.
Participating firms were required to have had at
least one client in the Fortune 1000 or of
comparable size "in the past year, and to
provide all the information requested on the
survey form."
"Forms were e-mailed to 195 firms, and 91
returned completed forms by the survey" deadline
in mid-September.
(For all percentages, N=91.)
1. On average, what do you bill a Fortune
1000-level client for an initial site
construction?
a) Less than
$50,000 15 16.5%
b) Between
$50,000 and 31 34.1%
$100,000
c) Between
$100,000 and 34 37.4%
$500,000
d) Between
$500,000 and 7 7.7%
$1 million
e) Greater
than $1 1 1.1%
million
No answer 3 3.3%
2. a) Does your company use HTML authoring
tools?
Yes 64 70.3%
No 27 29.7%
b) If yes, which ones? (multiple responses
possible)
BBEdit 30 33.0%
Allaire
HomeSite 15 16.5%
Microsoft
Frontpage 15 16.5%
NetObjects
Fusion 11 12.1%
Adobe
PageMill 8 8.8%
GoLive 8 8.8%
Hot Dog 4 4.4%
Visual
InterDev 4 4.4%
HotMetal Pro 3 3.3%
Site Mill 3 3.3%
Developed
in-house 3 3.3%
3. What platforms do you use to create the
majority of your Web content? (multiple answers
possible)
a) PCs running
Windows 95 22 24.2%
b) PCs running
Windows NT 15 16.5%
c) Macintoshes
or compatibles 43 47.3%
d) Unix
workstations1 1 12.1%
e) Other 9 9.9%
No answer 2 2.2%
(Most who
answered
other" were
using all of
the above.)
4. Which "browser optimization" strategy are you
most likely to recommend?
a) Optimize
for Netscape
Navigator 3 3.3%
only
b) Optimize
for
Microsoft
Internet 1 1.1%
Explorer
only
c) Optimize
for both 82 90.1%
d) Optimize
for neither 5 5.5%
5. Which server configurations do you recommend
most often?
a)
Non-commercial
Web server
(e.g. Apache or 22 24.2%
NCSA) running
on a Unix
workstation
b) Commercial
Web server
running on a 27 29.7%
Unix
workstation
c) Commercial
Web server
running on an 28 30.8%
NT workstation
d) Other 13 14.3%
No answer 1 1.1%
6. Which best describes your techniques for
handling low-bandwidth connections?
a) Design the
entire site
for 53 58.2%
low-bandwidth
connections
b) Design a
version of the
site with 23 25.3%
minimal
graphics
c) Design a
text-only
version of the 2 2.2%
site
d) No
low-bandwidth 9 9.9%
connections
e) Other 4 4.4%
7. Which of the following features have you used
in designing your clients' Web strategies?
(multiple answers possible)
a) Live chat 54 59.3%
b)
BBS/Usenet-style 63 69.2%
discussions
c) Mailing list 77 84.6%
d) Electronic
newsletter 74 81.3%
e) Promotional
prizes for 63 69.2%
visiting site
f) Sweepstakes or
contest 61 67.0%
8. What proportion of your clients use their
external Web sites for the following purposes:
a)
advertising/PR/investor
relations only? (no
direct revenue
generation or
"extranet"
applications)
All 6 6.6%
Most 36 39.6%
Half 21 23.1%
Some 22 24.2%
None 6 6.6%
b) selling information through paid
subscriptions?
All 0 0.0%
Most 0 0.0%
Half 0 0.0%
Some 37 40.7%
None 54 59.3%
c) selling information via micropayments?
All 0 0.0%
Most 1 1.1%
Half 2 2.2%
Some 14 15.4%
None 74 81.3%
d) selling hard goods?
All 0 0.0%
Most 4 4.4%
Half 10 11.0%
Some 63 69.2%
None 15 16.5%
e) selling banner advertising to other
companies?
All 0 0.0%
Most 1 1.1%
Half 7 7.7%
Some 51 56.0%
None 32 35.2%
f) customer or business partner support?
("extranet" applications)
All 2 2.2%
Most 11 12.1%
Half 15 16.5%
Some 55 60.4%
None 9 9.9%
9. Which format or application do you use most
often for: (tally includes only applications
used by three firms or more) a) implementing
sound?
RealAudio 49 53.8%
Shockwave 11 12.1%
QuickTime 4 4.4%
None/no
answer 27 29.7%
Use built-in
Netscape
audio 14 15.4%
formats
b) viewing documents?
Adobe
Acrobat 60 65.9%
Reader
None/no
answer 22 24.2%
c) viewing video or film?
RealVideo 19 20.9%
QuickTime 38 41.8%
Shockwave 3 3.3%
VDO 3 3.3%
Netshow 3 3.3%
None/no
answer 21 23.1%
d) displaying 3-D content?
None 41 45.1%
VRML 9 9.9%
Shockwave 9 9.9%
Live 3D 4 4.4%
Quicktime
VR 8 8.8%
Cosmo 7 7.7%
e) displaying animation?
Shockwave 52 57.1%
Animated
GIFs 18 19.8%
Java 8 8.8%
Flash 18 19.8%
None/no
answer 15 16.5%
10. How has your firm's use of plug-ins changed
over the past year?
a) Increased 43 47.3%
b) Decreased 21 23.1%
c) No change 27 29.7%
11. How much of your work is for intranet sites
as opposed to public Internet sites?
a)
Insignificant 14 15.4%
b) Measurable,
but less than
for Internet 54 59.3%
sites
c) About 50-50 13 14.3%
d) Greater
than for 5 5.5%
Internet sites
e) Almost
entirely for 5 5.5%
intranet sites
12. When your firm works for large corporate
customers, who on the client side is likely to
work most closely with your designer or design
team?
a) Someone
from
marketing or 33 36.3%
PR
b) Someone
from
information 5 5.5%
systems
c) Usually
deal with 47 51.6%
both equally
d) Other 6 6.6%
13. Which technology do you think holds most
promise as a Web standard for interactivity?
(multiple answers possible)
a) Java 65 71.4%
b)
ActiveX 6 6.6%
c)
Plug-ins 6.6%
6
d) No
standard
will 12 13.2%
prevail
e) Other 7 7.7%
14. How important is it to design for clients
other than Windows-based PCs?
a) Not
important 8 8.8%
b) Somewhat
important 35 38.5%
~~~
Tim
--Give me back my bullets, put 'em back where they belong. ...Lynard Skynard
<> tbyars@earthlink.net <>