Creating a Website

Practice Quiz: https://forms.gle/ppjvWVRxC1EkYVQKA

Objective:
- Establish the site intention:
o Educate
o Inform
o Entertain
o Promote
- Size & Scope:
o What does the site need to accomplish?
o Deep (number of pages) and wide (larger pages)
Target Audiences:
- Age
- Gender
- Socio-economic profile (class, income level, education)
- Computer experiences
- Characteristics of visitors
Theme:
- Cohesive & appropriate
- Chooses and overall ‘feel’ for site
- Based on target and objective
- Includes:
o Graphic design considerations
o Colours
o Navigation
Content:
- Useful
- Comprehensive
- Concise
Navigation:
- Intuitive & sensible
- Easily understood by all visitors
- Simple
- Uncluttered
- Complete
- 3 click principle (navigate to any place on site using 3 clicks)
- No ‘dead ends’ (pages that go nowhere)
Font Usage:
- Readability
- Effective composition
- Suitability of subject
- Some variety
Graphics:
- A picture says a thousand words
- Adds interest – visitors have limited attention span
- Co-ordinate with theme, font, navigation
Interactivity:
- Maintain attention
- Encourage visitors' participation
- Delivers more than visitors demands
Design:
- A website is like a book:
o Cover – home page (Level 1):
 Intro
 Main Navigation
o Sections/chapters (Level 2):
 Sub-introductions
 Navigations
o Pages (Level 3):
 Expanded descriptions
 Content rich (Level 4)
- Process:
o Step 1:
 Establish site parameters:
 Objective
 Target audience
 Size/scope
 Theme
 Navigations
 (Fonts, graphics, copy)
o Step 2:
 Map site:
 Determine individual pages
 Categorize into sections & chapters
 Assign pages to chapters
 Draw flowchart of site
o Step 3:
 Interactivity and navigation:
 Draw/identify all links to examine navigation
 Test the 3 click principle
o Step 4:
 Assemble content:
 Text
 Graphics
 Adapt image type/resolution
o Step 5:
 Create site:
 Page by page
 Consider design fundamentals
 Create navigation as you go
o Step 6:
 Upload and test:
 View in multiple browsers
 Test all links
 Evaluate site objectives