Web+Site+Design

toc =Web Design=


 * [[image:epic.jpg width="91" height="86" align="left"]]Websites offer a wide variety of information, pictures, videos, communication applications and much more. "The amount of Internet pages is constantly growing as the Internet penetrates deeper into tiny and distant corners of the planet. The precise number of websites, picture galleries and online scrap books is uncertain."(GFO)**

Albert Badre
Professor Albert Badre identifies four main genres of websites and each has subcatagories:


 * NEWS[[image:arrow-right.jpg width="30" height="18"]]Broadcast TV, Newspaper, Magazine
 * SHOPPING[[image:arrow-right.jpg width="30" height="18"]]Catalogue, EBAY
 * INFORMATION [[image:arrow-right.jpg width="30" height="18"]] Search engines, google, yahoo, alta vista
 * ENTERTAINMENT [[image:arrow-right.jpg width="30" height="18"]] youtube, msn.com, celeb gossip, online games

What Makes A Good Website[[image:question_mark.GIF width="45" height="54"]]

 * Aspects of a good website**:
 * Create a simple layout
 * Use of columnsColour:
 * Soft neutral background colours
 * Use strong colours sparingly
 * Tonal contrast- emphasis
 * Use of cute icons
 * Can add high quality and polished feel, but should also be done cautiously
 * Plenty of White Space:
 * Gives a fresh look
 * Have good sized margins
 * Legibility
 * Easier to read Sans serif fonts
 * Difficult to read italics online
 * Too big/small body is hard to read along with capital letters as well
 * Dark text against a light background is more legible
 * Nice big text- should be easily legible
 * Cascading Style Sheets (CSS):
 * Used by both readers and creators of websites
 * Helps to define fonts, layout, colour along with other document aspects
 * Improves accessibility
 * Affords additional control and flexibility with presentational specification of characteristics
 * Also allows page to be viewed in different styles for diverse representation methods (ie. in print, on-screen, on Braille-based, tactile devices, by voice (read by a speech-based browser or screen reader))
 * Consistency: one of the most powerful usability principles
 * Visibility: help form correct mental models
 * Memory Load: reduce user memory load
 * Feedback: immediate feedback should be received by the user
 * Alternates and Fallbacks: provide alternative versions (ie. ALT tags)
 * See usability and other web guidelines on
 * Direct Access: information set in an efficient hierarchy
 * Real content is only a click or two away
 * Bandwidth and Interaction: tune the network access speed to typical users
 * Know your target audience
 * Don’t make the website based on one browser technology or browser plugin
 * Orientation / Navigation
 * Descriptive links
 * No “dead-end” pages
 * Satisfaction
 * Pleasantness influence users
 * Ease-of-use perception
 * Motivation for learning how to use the site
 * Confidence in the reliability of the site’s information
 * Confidence in the reliability of the site’s information

Related Links:

 * [|World Wide Web Consortium (WC3)]

REFERENCES:
1) GFO ." __Number of Websites__Number of Websites . GFO . 22 Nov 2006 <[|http://www.gotfamiliesonline.com/websites/download-websites/number-of-websites.htmlhttp://www.gotfamiliesonline.com/websites/download-websites/number-of-websites.htmlhttp://www.gotfamiliesonline.com/websites/download-websites/number-of-websites.html>.]

2) Szeto, Anne. CCT 305 Lecture Notes. 2006.