Why IBM Page Detailer?

There are five major elements that influence an end user's experience while accessing a Web site:

• The content of the page (information).

The presentation of the content (look and feel).
The efficiency of presentation (size).
• The organization of content (packaging).

• The administration of the Web site (delivery).

Although IBM Page Detailer does not address the first two elements, content and presentation, it can provide information useful in improving the last three: efficiency, organization, and administration.

Developers agree there is no absolutely "correct" way to set up a Web site. Multiple design and operational tradeoffs exist in setting up even small sites, but IBM Page Detailer can be used to quantify the impact of tradeoffs by providing performance data about the site both before and after changes. IBM Page Detailer provides information well suited to the analysis of size, packaging, and delivery elements of the end user experience. Routine use of IBM Page Detailer to analyze Web pages can also help identify new opportunities for improvement as designs are tested and moved into production.

IBM Page Detailer can also be used to help confirm Web page design standards and practices for an organization. In a test environment, proposed design standards and practices can be prototyped and analyzed with IBM Page Detailer. IBM Page Detailer can give your team insight as to what impact your new design choices will have on an end user.

The IBM Page Detailer tool is designed to explain some of the mysteries about how Web pages are delivered to Web browsers.

IBM Page Detailer can help Web developers, designers, site operators, and IT specialists to isolate problems and improve performance and user satisfaction. It does this by revealing details about the timing, size, and identity of each item in a page.The details revealed can be used to identify areas where performance could be improved to enhance the end user experience

Starting IBM Page Detailer

IBM Page Detailer attaches to the workstation TCP/IP socket stack and monitors all of the HTTP/HTTPS protocol based communications between your Web browser and the network. IBM Page Detailer then displays web activities in a series of color-coded bars.

To start IBM Page Detailer, double-click the IBM Page Detailer Basic icon:  

IBM Page Detailer Basic

This will start IBM Page Detailer.

Note:  If the icon is not on your desktop, you can find it in the IBM Page Detailer folder accessible via the Start Programs menu.

To monitor communications between your Web browser and your network, just start the browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape). Shortly after the first page has loaded into the browser, the IBM Page Detailer chart will be displayed.

Web Communications

The time it takes to download a page is the result of many factors and the interactions among them. Page designers who understand these factors can best optimize page download time. A significant factor is how basic and secured Web site communications work. ......