When referring to web design acessability refers to how easily a web site can be found and by whom. This is a very important factor to consider when publishing a website. Your targeted audience must be able to acess your site for it to be successful.
The term usability refers to how easily a user can navigate a website. The website must be user friendly for your audience to obtain all of the information you desire they leave your site with. If a website is not user friendly viewers may become frustrated and leave your site prematurely.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Adavantages vs. Disadvantages of creating your own website
Creating your own website can have many advantages. The most obvious advantage is that it is cheaper, you don't have to pay a designer to do it for you which can be expensive. Next the website will be exactly as you vision and you will have the freedom to change your mind each step of the way. Additionally, updating the website can be done often and at your convenience.
Some down sides to creating your own website are your lack of web design skills and time consumption.
Some down sides to creating your own website are your lack of web design skills and time consumption.
There's no such thing as always a good thing!
Today we have the technology to run an entire business out of the familiarity of our own home. Computers and software have enabled anyone with an internet connection and a laptop to reach millions with the use of the world wide web. While this can be extremely beneficial and convenient, it can also be equally disasterous when it is used to misinform or harm others.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Additional Comments for week#3
I enjoyed reading the article on the Albright Library page about the way in which we read web pages versus print. Print is read in an organized predetermined manner cover to cover from left to right, with each relevant piece in the correct order. Through print we can easily convey all the information we want our readers to know and the order in which we want them to get it. Relaying information on the web is much more difficult.
It has been proven that long lines of text are much harder to read on the screen than in print. As a result web page visitors will scan a page and pick and choose which information they want to read and in what order, making it difficult to be certain viewers obtain all the information we would like them to have.
It is our job as web designers to subtly suggest to viewers where to go next within our site and to ensure they are comfortable with where they are going and how they will get back in order for them to have the web page experience we would like them to.
It has been proven that long lines of text are much harder to read on the screen than in print. As a result web page visitors will scan a page and pick and choose which information they want to read and in what order, making it difficult to be certain viewers obtain all the information we would like them to have.
It is our job as web designers to subtly suggest to viewers where to go next within our site and to ensure they are comfortable with where they are going and how they will get back in order for them to have the web page experience we would like them to.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Website evaluation moving forward
After reading this week's assignments on website evaluation, I have begun to look at websites differently and imagine I will from now on. The information contained in a website is critical and a direct reflection of the company/ organization it represents. Consequently, if the information contained is poorly organized or inaccurate, the company/ organization will not be held in high regards.
When I am creating my website I will keep all the of the website evaluation skills I have read about this week in mind in order to create a decent website that Robin and John would not use as an example of what not to do!
When I am creating my website I will keep all the of the website evaluation skills I have read about this week in mind in order to create a decent website that Robin and John would not use as an example of what not to do!
Website Evaluation
www.potterybarnkids.com : Pottery Barn Kids' website is an example of a website that is well designed. After entering the web address, the website opens up almost immediately. The page is pleasing to the eye with a white background and contrasting blue text. The graphics are appropriate and attractive photos of newly released products.
Contained in the first frame is everything you need to navigate the site, additional information is available if you scroll down. There are several sets of tabs to navigate, shop, the site in the manner in which the customer chooses, by room, occasion, age, or gender. Each page of the site shows repetition and contains the same theme of graphics and text and links back to the home page. Additionally,there are links to revelant websites that open into new frames so that the customer doesn't leave the site.
www.allrecipes.com : This website is an interactive recipe site that allows visitors to obtain, submit, and rate recipes. The site contains valuable information such as feedback providing opinions and recipe variations, nutrition content, and other advice. The website is colorful and uses the color scheme derived from the allrecipes logo throughout. The home page contains easy to access links across the top and is easy to return to from any page. The graphics are picutres of the finished recipes and are appropriately sized and located.
Contained in the first frame is everything you need to navigate the site, additional information is available if you scroll down. There are several sets of tabs to navigate, shop, the site in the manner in which the customer chooses, by room, occasion, age, or gender. Each page of the site shows repetition and contains the same theme of graphics and text and links back to the home page. Additionally,there are links to revelant websites that open into new frames so that the customer doesn't leave the site.
www.allrecipes.com : This website is an interactive recipe site that allows visitors to obtain, submit, and rate recipes. The site contains valuable information such as feedback providing opinions and recipe variations, nutrition content, and other advice. The website is colorful and uses the color scheme derived from the allrecipes logo throughout. The home page contains easy to access links across the top and is easy to return to from any page. The graphics are picutres of the finished recipes and are appropriately sized and located.
Quiz on page 154
Of the two images shown I immediately choose letter B as the web page with the better interfacing and navigation because the example shown in letter A does not fit into the 800x600 screen correctly while letter B fits all pertinent information nicely into the screen.
The graphics on letter A are large and obnoxious and over power the text. The colors only add to the confusion. The text is hard to read because it is tiny, flourescent and long lines across the screen. The fact that you have to scroll down to find the link you desire is annoying and a sign of bad design.
Letter B has a clearly better design. The Links are neatly aligned with the appropriate sized graphics. The color scheme is eye pleasing and the text is easy to read as it is black on a tan background and blocked. The links at the bottom of the page immediately allow a viewer to know that the page is shown in its entirety with them having to scroll horizontally or vertically.
The graphics on letter A are large and obnoxious and over power the text. The colors only add to the confusion. The text is hard to read because it is tiny, flourescent and long lines across the screen. The fact that you have to scroll down to find the link you desire is annoying and a sign of bad design.
Letter B has a clearly better design. The Links are neatly aligned with the appropriate sized graphics. The color scheme is eye pleasing and the text is easy to read as it is black on a tan background and blocked. The links at the bottom of the page immediately allow a viewer to know that the page is shown in its entirety with them having to scroll horizontally or vertically.
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