Getting to the end and finally putting together a site. This week is all about good writing, setting up a good website starting with storyboarding, and a few more tidbits about design.
Writing for the web is not the same as print. I liked the idea of an inverted pyramid, conclusions first, then expand. Remember, people do not want to spend a ton of time reading lengthy wording. Again, appearance, navigation, relevant content are key. When writing, lists are better (7-10), try not to use "passive" voice, something I struggle with in all my writing. More helpful hints include, one idea per paragraph, links in paragraphs, headings and subheadings, and then...proofread and spellcheck.
Storyboards are for planning, organizing, and navigation of the website. A flowchart can be used to layout the entire site. A good design will be simple, stand out, be fresh, exciting, yet user friendly. One good way to find ideas and see good site design is by looking at other websites that are appealing. Good information from websites can also be found at bad websites. Bad websites show designers what not to do! When putting the storyboard together, a designer can see how the site will flow, and what it will take to navigate. It will not do any good to have pages buried through separate links that are impossible to get to. Remember to keep it simple and consistent. Always have a way to get back to the homepage, and navigation bars should be the same on each page. In the book reading, important aspects this week is file organization. This is especially important as the site goes live so that all links are valid. Image files in the same folder can save a lot of time when routing or fixing links. Additionally, a few advanced tricks in Photoshop for the images such as slicing and rollovers or image swaps where a fly out/different graphic appears when the mouse hovers over a certain part of the graphic.
Some of the most beneficial reading was not to do in web design. Be careful with advertising if used. This should be related to the website if possible. Splash screens are bad! I personally do not like these at all. Be careful with text, color, and no horizontal scrolling because your content is too wide. Always check your website in other browsers, and also for accessibility and usability. Turn off graphics to be sure that you have properly attached text to all images. It is a great idea to see what your site looks like without graphics. Also, try to view in mobile devices or chose a site builder that offers mobile capability. More and more people are surfing the web on tiny screens and if your site does not look good or operate in this environment then you will not have visitors. (Usability and Accessibility answered more fully in blog post #4)
For my final web design, and after reviewing some of the online site builders, I am choosing Wix. With Wix, I was able to easily locate a design that fit my content. The company is also free and the template I am using has a slide show feature.
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