Chapter 1 - Key Ideas
OK, here's the deal...
Add AT LEAST ONE comment to this post about the KEY IDEAS you found in Chapter 1 of "Visual Design for the Modern Web."
The earlier, the easier it will be to find unique ideas... No Repeats!
posted by Dr. John @ 9:43 PM
15 comments
15 Comments:
Something that I found interesting is that when designing a website you must take into account that the design may vary from computer to computer or browser to browser. I've noticed some changes in sites from computer to computer and never really thought that that is something that must be considered when making a site. Everything from color to the actual layout can change depending on the computer you're on.
Something that kept popping into my head was, what size of screen do we design for? I've heard everything from 800x600 to 1280x1024; which is really a better format? One thing that I found while reading this book was to think of a website that I wanted to build and after I was done with the chapter I found that the idea had morphed with the new information that I had read about and never even thought of.
One of the many things that were discussed in the first chapter was usability. The author outlined 4 principles of usability that determined "visitor satisfaction," or what makes a visitor come back to your site. They were self-evidence, speed, feedback, and accuracy.
Usability is an easy concept, but I guess I never really thought about these things consciously when I visited Web sites. I tend to click away from slow sites and sites that I can't understand the navigation, like the book indicates. So it interested me that designers spend a lot of time making sure their sites fit usability principles, but I just happen to look for them subconsciously.
One thing that I found interesting was the idea of looking at other websites, as well as print formats of magazines and other things, and keeping a file of ideas or things you think are cool (the book called it a "tickler file"). You can find all kinds of designs online, and while print design works differently from web design (such as how you have to design for different browsers in web design), it's still great to learn from the things around you and use them to come up with your own ideas. I am excited to try this for myself.
A part that i found interesting was the diagram and description of the Web Site Development Life Cycle. It was pretty straight forward about how each step must be completed before the next, but it was different to see it in a visual form. The book refers to this process as a waterfall model. It lays out all the steps that we will have to cover in class to create our websites.
one key aspect outlined in chapter on that seems interesting and important is creating an identity with a web site and making sure all pages are someone uniform in their over all appearance. The term used is branding. The text mentions that all of the pages should seems as thought they were cut from the same cloth. It would not be good to have the first page appear with a blue and white color scheme and then have one of the following pages in purple and pink. Not having a consistency throughout the pages will make the site seem less attractive and be a bit annoying to the user.
I found the section "Metaphor as a Design Tool" to be a helpful method of thinking. Metaphors used properly can help increase usability and navigation. For instance, arrow buttons, shopping carts, and other icons. However, metaphors may play a part in the desing of the whole page, rather than certain aspects. The book suggests that a homepage for a hotel might resemble a hotel lobby. The virtual "check in desk" could lead to reveservations, a entrance to a restraunt would lead to menus, and so on. However, the book does warn of problems when trying to include categories that aren't included in this metaphor.
I enjoyed the section "Visual Design versus Usability" because to have a successful website one must find the perfect balance between design and usability. The book states that these are typically opposing viewpoints and make good cases for each. The design side stresses that the medium should be stretched to its limits to give the site a sense of uniqueness. The usability side stresses that "functional minimalism is the goal of a web site." I believe that in order to produce a great web site one must find the balance between these two concepts.
I really liked the small section on "less is (often) more." This is a very true fact that many people miss. You can find many myspace pages cluttered with glittery rainbow dotted graphics that take away from good navigation for the page. Who knew you could fit that much onto one page? The chapter talks about how keeping a simple theme that stays consistent is much more user friendly then 15 different font types.
The section about creating a web site with appeal jumped out at me as I was looking at the chapter. The author touches on creating a site that is aesthetically pleasing to the audience. She really focused on how the site should conform to your audience. It also talks about generating a unique experience to draw in visitors, and that the site also needs to be evocative. The surfing experience should invoke positive feelings according to the author.
The section on appeal struck rather close to home for me, not in the sense that a website must appeal to a wide array of people, but I realize it must also catch the eye of the intended audience. It's interesting how many different elements could appeal (both aesthetic and non-aesthetic, such as content) to different audiences, and because of that reason it isn't the easiest task to hit a sweet spot where you appeal to almost everyone.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that the appeal of a website must know both its audience and how to garner even more viewers, which occurred to me when reading the section on appeal.
One thing that I read in the first chapter that I believe is very important is the section on creating a web site with appeal. I think it is very important that the user enjoys the websites design and usability. If the website is not very appealing then why return to the website.
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One thing, that I found to be useful is video and audio that plays automatically is usually found to be annoying. There is one new site in particular that plays video down close to the bottom of the screen automatically with the audio turned on. That is something that I really hate because alot of time you don't where it is coming from and it distracts you from the article you are reading. Having a link to the video would be okay but not having play automatically.
One of the many factors in creating a website that I strongly agree with is accessibility. More and more people with disabilities and impairments are turning to the internet to do common things, just as the rest of the world, and it must be frustrating to reach a webpage that you cannot access correctly. I think this is one of the most important factors because accomadations to adaptive technologies such as JAWS screenreader and IBM home page reader must be made in order to provide the full experience to everyone including the disabled.
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