Website Design, Part 1
Above: JPEG for the Web image.
Sample
of Criteria:
Navigation: clear, consistent, no link
rot, links to home page and to other pages in site, text links an/or buttons
with text for navigation ease, search engine at top of page; North or West
navigation is consistent and clear
Promotes
trustworthiness: privacy statement, security policy
Strong content: appropriate for audience, does not have trademark or
copyright infringement, content is current, useful content.
Interactive
Site stickiness
Speed and bandwidth
sensitivity
Accessibility
Legality: must
consist of original artwork, music, intellectual property, etc.)
Graphic Design: typeface limited to two fonts, typeface contrasts
with background, browser-safe colors, colors reflect mood and content of site,
underlining avoided, text emphasis not confused with links, creative synergy of
visual elements, clarity and simplicity, photos/illustrations clear and sized
and appropriate and consistent; photos saved for the Web
Theme: site has theme threaded throughout; effectiveness of
unified feel. Congruence of elements
Alignment and Layout:
general layout and use of space; effective
use of layers; use of borders, dividers, rules; no frames
Audio-visual
synchronization
Attention to detail: absence of mistakes and inaccuracies, absence of
incongruities, absence of link rots
Customer service and
client request: customer testimonials,
refund policies, fill-out forms, phone number and Web site provided, "About Us"
section (mission statement)
Values: business ethics, honesty in advertising and self
representation, free services/tools/facilities provided
Planning
a Web Site:
Steps to planning your
Web site
1.
Define your mission
a.
Define
your main objective: what are you trying to accomplish?
b.
Write a
focus statement, a single sentence defining your primary goal. Ex: this site
will be…
c.
List the
main uses for your site, such as:
i.
To inform
ii.
To entertain
iii.
To help consumers
iv.
To sell products
v.
To provide databases, research or references to
other sites
vi.
To deliver news
vii.
To promote a company or cause
viii.
To serve
ix.
To create an interest group
2.
Identify your audience
3.
Develop a business plan
a.
Who will
be your advertisers?
b.
How will
your content convince advertisers to put their ads on your site?
c.
What kind
of pricing structure will you use?
d.
Where
will you place ads on your site?
e.
What are
the costs to create and maintain your site?
4.
Plan the content
a.
Proximity:
will content be local, national or global interst?
b.
Timeliness:
will you provide news or other information of a timely nature that will need to
be updated periodically?
c.
Informative:
what news or information will you provide?
d.
Unusual:
what different or unique information will your site provide that will attract
users and make ten return to your site (site stickiness)?
e.
Helpfulness:
how will your site offer information your consumers will find helpful?
f.
Entertainment:
will you provide fun elements?
g.
Community:
what features will you include that will help people interact with your site,
such as discussion groups or questions, chat rooms, special niche sections
h.
Originality:
original content or same content as in an existing print media site like your
newspaper or magazine?
i.
Multimedia:
audio or video components? Will your provide links to download plug-ins your
users might need to view or hear your multimedia content?
j.
Brand
identity: if you are planning a media or commercial Web site, does it have brand
identity wit ha print product, a university symbol or company logo?
5.
List the criteria
a.
Refer to
the sample of criteria
b.
Be sure
criteria are fulfilled and match your mission
6.
Plan links
a.
Decide
what, why and where you want links.
b.
What sits
do you want to link to your pages? List the URLs
c.
What
purpose will your links serve? Will they be limited or extensive?
7.
Create a storyboard
a.
A
storyboard s a flow chart for the architecture of your Web site.. It should show
how many layers it will have. Limit layers to three clicks back to your home
page
b.
Create a
storyboard tat shows the overall hierarchy of the site and outlining the
relationship of each section to the home page.
c.
If you
have a complicated site, create a storyboard showing the relationship of each
page within the section
d.
When you
have developed your content, create a storyboard for individual pages.
e.
Sample:
Storyboard Sample
8.
Make a timeline
a.
Make a
calendar and list the target dates fro completion of each part of your site
b.
Set an
absolute completion date
9.
Plan home page elements
a.
Plan the
index of items and navigational structure you will use on your homepage
b.
List all
the topics you want on your home page
c.
Decide if
you want a table listing links to interior pages or a pull-down menu
d.
Plan the
location of your navigation bar
(west navigation or north navigations)
e.
Plan a
Search button and place it at the top of your page
f.
Plan your
logo and location of your logo on your home page
g.
Use this
logo or a variation of it to identify all your internal pages—it goes on all
pages. Make sure your users know they are still in your site when they click to
other pages. Navigation and brand identity are very important.
h.
Plan
placement of ads
i.
Consider
the kinds of graphics you will use
j.
Copyrights
and credits: Know copyright laws. If material is copyrighted, indicate it on
your home page. Give credit to any authors, illustrators, photographers, etc.
k.
Contacts
and feedback: e-mail contacts can go on your homepage or linked to it on an
About Us or Contents page. Include an address and phone number for site contacts
too.
l.
Link to
any software plug-ins that might be necessary to view your site.
10.
Plan internal pages
a.
You might
want to plan these pages before you consider the content of your home page
b.
If you
have a commercial site, you should plan a page called About Us. You should also
have a Contents page, especially if your site is complex.
c.
Decide
how many pages you need for the content. Your storyboard should indicate this.
d.
Plan a
layout for each page on your site. Sketch or create it in a layout program like
Quark.
e.
Plan
content for each page
f.
Plan
links for each page
g.
Plan
navigation bar for each page with a link back to the home page.
h.
Include a
Search button on top of each page. You can also plan a separate page for
searches.
i.
Plan your
logo or other way you will identify the page with the site.
j. Keep design and
navigation consistent throughout the site--be sure to have a link back to home
page.
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