Usability/Accesibility...

What benefits does a web author gain in considering issues of usability and accessibility when designing, updating, writing, and maintaining a site?

Usability and accessibility are of the utmost importance to a web author--its all about the people using the site! By focusing on what is the most efficient and appropriate way the site can work, a web author is able to control the content of the site better. What I mean to say is that the content of the site, and all the bells and whistles, are controlled by accessibility. As discussed in the Cannon accessibility checklist, "Do not require users to perceive font, color, or other styling changes in order to understand meaning. For instance, don’t say... items marked in red are errors and need to be corrected,” unless the word or items are indicated in some other way." These restrictions have a huge bearing on the content and design of the site.

What are two aspects regarding usability you feel more confident in or know more about than when the class began?

From the 'bad website' we made in Mod 3, I've learned about what not to do. As far as usability, I've found that design has a lot to do with how an audience uses the site--i.e. where the eye is drawn to, and what information stands out. Because I'm the one creating the site, obviously I know what I want an audience to focus on. Also, through creating the usability document, I've learned to think about the thought process the audience goes through to find information in the site, and where best to put that information so it is easily found.

What are two aspects regarding accessibility you feel more confident in or know more about than when the class began?

Again from the Cannon checklist, I finally understand why 'alt text' on images can be so important. For example, "In general, be brief with alt text (e.g. “the Christus statue”), but provide detail when it conveys meaning (e.g. “President Hinckley’s son standing at his graveside with family in arms”)." Before this class I didn't really understand, or care, why alt text had to be put in. But in terms of accessibility it now makes sense. Also, though I don't have a complete grasp on it, I've learned about markup, and what is considered good markup. The W3 website has been invaluable in trying to figure out where glitches may lie, and what would make better markup. I'd never thought about how markup could affect someone with disabilities.

Creating a Logo...

What is your design process for creating a logo for your site?

The largest part of my design process is trial and error. I start will a really basic idea, then just start to play around with it in whatever program I choose. Most of the time I don't find something I like until I've really played around and found at least a color choice or font I like. Honestly, I tend to play with things too much, and I often revert to an earlier saved draft as my final. A good example of this is my website banner--i tried several other objects in place of the flower, but nothing really worked quite as good.

What was the most difficult part of this process?

Deciding when to stop. As I previously mentioned, I tend to overwork whatever design I'm working on. So I often save every change I make as a different copy, so I can chose the best fit from my long line of changes.

What has helped you the most in creating a logo that is most appropriate?

Looking at other people's portfolio sites has really helped me get ideas for my own. When someone says 'create a logo,' one just doesn't jump into my head. As with most things, I have to research. So just browsing other people's sites has given me a ton of ideas of where I could go with a logo, if my skill will allow.

Better Writing Through Design...

First of all...two quotes I thought were interesting from "Better Writing Through Design" by Bronwyn Jones:

"The web is all about communication—from the position of a navigation element to the size and shape of a button, every detail furthers the conversation."

"Create a persuasive voice for your website by giving your users someone to identify with: A first-person “narrator” with a distinct yet welcoming personality."

1) Who's visiting the site? Prospective employers and members of the PW community
2) What does she what to know? Personal information about me and what my strengths are, to include resume information
3) What does he want to do? Have several take aways from my website--resume and each portfolio piece in PDF
4) With these in mind, what potential questions/tasks will you have for your users within your usability drafts? List at least five possibilities.
-color scheme? current and potential others
-navigate through the different links on my page, and back to the homepage
-does the format make sense for a portfolio page?
-what are some points of confusion?
-download the resume to PDF form on the desktop
5) What are at least four design benefits and costs you can list in this manner for your final site design? Do you feel all of the costs are truly negative? Why or why not?
-deep information structure--more clicking to find information, but cleaner overall appearance
-large text--easier to read, but less information page
-large header--branding, but cuts down on amount of information seen on the screen
-bright colors--visually appealing/apart of branding, but can be distracting
I think each of these costs aren't truly negative, but are more design choices. For example, yes, there are more times you have to click to find information on my site, but the alternative is a cluttered page. All of my "costs" are not brutal enough that they have any real negative bearing on the final site.

Reading...

"If you know who your target audience is, you can tailor your site’s look and feel, content, and action areas to appeal to your audience and draw them in. If you know what your site visitors want, you can use that information to mutual benefit." -- "Design Decisions vs. Audience Considerations," Ragle - Davis
This quote from Monday's reading concisely explains what the entire PW program teaches about audience. Audience is integral to creating a product, because every creation (hopefully) speaks to a certain group of people. I am tailoring my final project for the PW department when I show them my final portfolio, but more broadly I am tailoring this website for future employers. I know that my audience is interested in the work I have to showcase on the website, so of course I want to create a design that will allow that. The navigation and images have to be professional, though in my style, and easily used. As I discussed in my final project proposal, the people who will be reviewing the contents of my portfolio, out of the sphere of MSU, will most likely not be people of the arts. More specifically, government workers and lawyers. In my final project I will work to create a balance between my need to express my own style, but still conform to what is expected of me.

Post Mod 4...

Module 4 was definitely a learning experience. I haven't done anything with CSS in 2 years, and certainly nothing that involved. Overall, I'm really happy with how my website for Mod 4 turned out. I feel like I'm on the way to creating a website I'll actually use after this class, and hopefully after graduation.

The majority of my time was spent trying to figure out which tags in the style sheet affected different colors and formats on the page. Luckily I was using Coda for all my web formatting at home, and they have a specific view of the website that shows the tags, and the colors they currently are. That really was a life saver.

Now my biggest hurdle is trying to use the same style sheet for the homepage for the other pages in my website. I was lucky enough to find a style sheet for a resume, so I didn't have to do as much work with css there. The true test for me will be if I can create my about me page, because I'll have to work on using css to move my image around.

Previous Photoshop Experience...

I've had some experience with Photoshop, but very little, and none of it was taught to me. I feel like a lot of people in the PW department already know how to use Photoshop, so often how to properly use it is passed by. In 360 (I think) we did some work applying filters to different pictures, but that was my first foray into things. Since then, I've done the most work with applying filters and deleting selected colors from pictures while playing with my Module 4 banner. I would like to know how to do more in Photoshop, but I honestly haven't had a chance! And I certainly don't want to spend the 4 hours it takes to download the trial! Maybe I should just buy CS4....

Final Project!

The choice for what to do for my final project was easy for me. Next semester I will graduate from MSU, and I need a portfolio for the PW department. A website seems the most logical step, especially since I'm going to be taking the portfolio class next semester. This way I'll be able to create one version this semester, and then hopefully improve on it next semester.

This website is probably going to be viewed mostly by members of the PW department since I'm applying to law school after college, and not actively looking for a job.

As far as content, I really don't know what I should put on there. Unfortunately, my hard drive crashed last week and I lost all my previous work. I have a feeling I'll be recreating some of my projects to display, and using a lot of the work I do next semester. Losing all the information on my hard drive really was a painful blow. If I can get the website format down quickly, I'll spend the rest of my time working on pieces to recreate my portfolio.