Tech Directions - May 2008 - (Page 11)

mastering computers Reid Goldsborough reidgold@netaxs.com Web Design: Balancing Form and Function Designing a Web site is much like any other design project, from a brochure or a book to a bridge or a skyscraper. You want the form to promote the function and to make sure the form highlights the function. Whether you’re putting together a simple site consisting of a few pages for the use of your students and their parents or overseeing a multilevel, multimedia-rich site, you should keep in mind the principles of good Web design. From having talked with a number of Web design professionals, read lots of information on the subject, looked at about a billion Web sites, and designed a few sites of my own, here are some tips: Respect people’s time. Everything else about Web design stems from this. People online operate in Internet time, and that means short attention spans. Typically, people coming to a Web site are looking for information. They’re not looking to be wowed by flash that just slows them down. It’s as easy to click out of a poorly designed site as slamming shut a poorly written book or walking out of a poorly directed movie. You might think that the Web is all about technology. But it’s really about the content that the technology makes available. It’s really no different from other tools such as a printing press or a movie camera. People should know almost immediately upon arriving at your site what you have to offer. Just as with an article or ad in a magazine or newspaper, you need to quickly communicate how they can put it to use. Be clear with headlines, not clever or punny. Break up longer text passages with subheads that summarize key points. Be aware that many visitors may just scan your pages, reading only the subheads. Consider providing a site map or index that displays all the interior links for those who want to get their bearings. An internal search tool is another feature that shows you’re looking after users’ needs. Because it’s more difficult to read from a computer screen than paper, strive for conciseness with your content. Keep words, sentences, and paragraphs short. Make the width of columns narrower than the width of the screen. A colored or textured background should never make the text difficult to read. Likewise, dancing buttons, blinking text, and other bells and whistles can draw too much attention to themselves and detract from your overall effect. Along with conciseness, Web sites also benefit from comprehensiveness. This is only an apparent contradiction. Visitors may be in a hurry, but if they find what they see useful, they’ll want as much of it as they can get. The Web makes indepth elaboration possible by having fewer space restrictions than any other medium. After you present the big picture, unfold the rest of your story through links to interior pages. Make it clear up front how many links are involved so visitors will know what they’re getting into. Links are fundamental to the Web, but subdividing pages too much and forcing visitors to tunnel down through too many links will only frustrate them. Clearly label links to indicate where each leads. With each page, provide a link back to the beginning of the section or site. If part of your site is still under construction, don’t create a link to it yet. Build in a way for readers to talk back to you, such as by offering email feedback, discussion boards, and chat rooms. More than anything else, the Web differentiates itself from other media by its interactivity. Think visually as well as verbally to make your content most compelling. When appropriate, use drawings, photographs, animation, audio, or video. Your site will be more convincing if these multimedia enhancements relate to your words instead of being gratuitous glitz. More and more people have cable, DSL, satellite, or other high-speed access to the Internet, but many still connect through dial-up modems. So when you provide multimedia elements, you’ll satisfy more people by giving them options depending on the speed of their connections. You can design a Web site yourself, or you can work with a Web designer. The Cadillac of Web design packages, Adobe Creative Suite (www. adobe.com/products/creativesuite), recently came out with an upgrade. It now combines the best Web page editor, Dreamweaver, with the best photo editor, Photoshop. Reid Goldsborough is a syndicated columnist and author of the book Straight Talk About the Information Superhighway. www.techdirections.com MASTERING COMPUTERS 11 http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite http://www.jets.org/nedc http://www.jets.org/nedc http://www.techdirections.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Tech Directions - May 2008

Tech Directions - May 2008 Contents Technically Speaking Direct from Washington The News Report Mastering Computers Technology's Past Technology Today Road to Success - Service Learning Enhances Tech Ed Experience Balsa Tower Walls Brave 'Big Buster' These Kids Are Really on the Ball - Inventors Competition Winners School Web Site of the Month Animator Career Exploration Tools Guide Index to Volume 67 More than Fun

Tech Directions - May 2008

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