Wayback Machine
Project Proposal

February 20, 2002

Parent Company:
(The Internet Archive, www.archive.org)

The Internet Archive is a comprehensive web-based digital library that continually crawls all public Internet pages and archives them. These archived web sites are available for public access through the Wayback Machine service.

"The Internet Archive Wayback Machine is a service that allows people to visit archived versions of stored Web sites. Visitors to the Wayback Machine can type in a URL, select a date range, and then begin surfing on an archived version of the Web. Imagine surfing circa 1999 and looking at all the Y2K hype, or revisiting an older copy of your favorite Web site. The Internet Archive Wayback Machine can make all of this possible." (http://www.archive.org/wayback/press_kit/press_release.html)

Project Mission, Goals, and Objectives:

Mission: The mission of this project is to help the Internet Archive, specifically the Wayback Machine (http://www.archive.org), understand and satisfy the requirements of their growing user base.


Goal 1: Identify users of the Wayback Machine and study the user experience.

Objectives:

a. Identify the user base.

b. Perform user studies and needs assessment (focus groups and surveys).

c. Analyze survey results and any segmentation in the user base.

Goal 2: Study user behavior.

Objectives:

a. Study Internet Archive user logs.

b. Identify patterns and trends in user logs.

c. Perform comparative analyses between user logs and user studies.

Goal 3: Make recommendations to enhance the user's experience with the Wayback Machine.

Objectives:

a. Perform comparative analyses between existing features and those that the user wishes to see through usability assessments.

b. Arrive at a list of modifications in features and functionalities of the Wayback Machine.

Project Deliverable: This project will culminate in a White Paper recommending specific functionality additions, extensions or modifications to the Wayback Machine.