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.

Angel, and all of its failures.

ANGEL and its daily failures teach a valuable lesson. ANGEL is used daily by most MSU students, but often it can't stay up for more than a few hours, and usually at the most difficult times. Even as I'm writing this ANGEL continues to fail me, and has so for the past three years I've attended MSU.

I'll have to keep ANGEL in mind when working on my website--sometimes things just fail. Now, as any MSU student can tell you, ANGEL fails more often than not, but it does school me in the ways of technology. Any website I create could fail at any time, or more likely the computer I'm using in 317 will freeze up and crash. Technology is not infallible, and is frustrating almost all the time.

Creating a website is more than color choices and pretty pictures. Creating a website is about the scaffolding that holds it all together, and allows it to load on any web browser. I am more interested in making a well constructed website during the class, than a website with flashy features. I'm all about dependability when it comes to anything technology.

CSS Fail.

Well, I've moved on from code fails to CSS fails. Code is actually going pretty well overall, though I've not created any groundbreaking designs. CSS is much more allusive. Once upon a time I knew what to do with it, but its been a while and its not coming back very quickly.

I've done some browsing around on CSS Zen Garden and other free template sites, and I've found some designs I like. However, it would seem that these templates are for inspiration, not borrowing. I can't seem to remember how to implement these free templates on my very rudimentary website, and I have to say its frustrating.

I've done some Googling, but there's not a lot of information around on the most basic CSS use. Apparently to use CSS is to be a web genius. I know I'll understand CSS better by the end of the class, hopefully without throwing my computer against a wall, but right now things are daunting. Usually I can do a little reading and figure something out, but not this time!

"Your About Page is a Robot"

For a portfolio, or any website that I would create for this class, information concerning me is going to be my main subject. Therefore, this A List Apart reading is very helpful.

Things to remember when creating an About page:
-provide visitors with essential facts they need to interact with you
-give visitors context for information they find elsewhere on the site
-differentiate you (or your organization)from others like it
-give visitors a reason (several) to come back to the site or complete the task you wish

Robots to look out for:
-Dum-bots: bland, pitching the sterile information and little else
-Sales-o-matic: littering the page with "subjective superlatives and self-congratulatory descriptions", delays the visitor from receiving information
-Law-bot: "overwhelming the reader with information that's irrelevant or unimportant to the vast majority of visitors"

The first code fail...

Still technically in class, but it makes sense to do a journal entry. Today we created our first websites in class, and I had my first fail. Well, maybe fail is too harsh a word. Hiccup.

Changing the color of links and styles seems to be too much to take on for this first day of websites. Dreamweaver and I aren't apparently speaking the same language. Since I've already created "my first website" before, I have to say that this one is a little more impressive than the last. Good to know I've retained some of the information I learned. Not all, just some.

Overall, I'm feeling positive about creating a website this semester. I don't think it's going to be very 'cool', and I highly doubt it will wow any designers, but hey, I want to go to law school. Not the place where creativity reigns supreme. So a website I create should do just fine.

Design isn't just for the web...

As I sit in 317, at the corner computer, I can't help but notice that design is surrounding me. Maybe in this room more than others on campus because Danielle takes the time to make it spectacular.

But what I'm really noticing is that bad design just doesn't work. This room setup for instance. By sitting in my beloved corner, I get the shaft. I'm right next to a projector that I'm pretty sure no one has used in years, next to a window that no one can open. It screams poor design.

On a more practical level, bad design just doesn't work. Its not only ugly, but it doesn't do what its supposed to. I'd like to keep this in mind while doing work for this class. Bad design is more than poorly chosen fonts or colors. Its a fatal flaw in the usage of a site as well.

Just something to keep in mind.....

Designing a Web Page

The two articles on A List Apart were very helpful. They helped me to understand what components a good website should have, and how to make best use of them. As with most things, content isn't usally my problem. I have a harder time figuring out how I want "it" to look, and which colors make the most sense.

With the web pages I've made in the past, I haven't known how to do much, so they always came out looking simple. Pretty sure 3rd graders have made more complete web sites than me. You've seen the Window commercials. That little girl is a whiz kid. So, for the sake of my website and hopefully my grade, I want to list and discuss the points these articles make. Much easier than rereading both articles as I design my web page.

-Remember who the audience is, and keep in mind the reason they would come to your site
-Make content interesting i.e. tell a story not only in text
-Create a sensory experience with design and moving parts (if I can pull that off)
-Create a brand cohesive with the web site and the content
-Use the design to also convey a message--drive the point home
-Take the time to try different designs out--live testing?
-Be cognizant of the amount of white space

Oh crap...CODE?

While doing the readings for Monday and Wednesday, I got the distinct feeling that we're going to be diving head first into code very soon. CODE?! Say it isn't so. Now I've taken CSE 101, and half of this class once already, and I'm still not feeling too chipper about this whole code experience. I barely know how to use the software that writes code for me, let alone doing my own.

Apparently people like me just don't make websites. And hey, that works fine for me. At one point last semester I even considered hiring one of my fellow PW majors to create a website for my portfolio, so I wouldn't embarrass myself. Nothing I do in my post-collegiate life will hopefully have to do with web site creation, and I sure as heck wouldn't claim to know my way around Dreamweaver.

So I guess as we go into this week I'll have to keep an open mind, and hope for the best. Website are one of the few things I really don't get, no matter how many times I try. And yes, websites with articles on different aspects of the creation process are helpful (like the one listed in the readings) but I can't seem to get a grasp on those either.

Either way, I'm making it out of this week, and hopefully this class, ALIVE.

Zeldman

Reading the Zeldman intro vaguely reminds me of reading a handbook to the apocalypse. "You're screwed, don't fight it." Between discussing the cost of creating a new website, the failing of subsequent website, and the best return on an investments, I don't have much faith in my ability.

This chapter seems to talk a lot about getting web sites to work in different browsers, which means its obviously a problem, though I may not have known about it. Being a mac person, I know all about cross-platform issues. Creating a website, even a very small and completely insignificant one, seems a very daunting task.

I have to say I've very thankful for that list of terms we defined that first week of class. I've been referring back to it as I complete different readings because, let me be honest, not all those acronyms can stay in my head.

Or more importantly, who are these "purists" Zeldman continuously speaks of, and why don't they think Flash and QuickTime belong on the web? Apparently I'm missing out on a sub culture. How does one become a web "purist"? Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? For some reason I seem to equate it with being a vegan who sneaks out for Big Macs every once and awhile--someone with a cause, but no real idea whats even going on.

Suffice it to say, I think I'm over my head here.

C.R.A.P.

Though its been discussed in every PW class I've ever taken, CRAP never seems to lose its importance. Especially when discussing aspects of website design, CRAP can be helpful for addressing the different areas.

Contrast
Repetition
Alignment
Proximity

As I use websites in my daily life, I try to remember the principles of CRAP. I've found that once you are tuned into web site design however, it makes it more difficult to go about your daily internet routine, and not notice the design flaws. Makes me wonder about the companies I frequent, and who they have sitting up in headquarters, creating their web pages.

I was discussing with my friend earlier how potentially easy it will be for us to get jobs in any market, because of our PW majors. Especially in companies that have no one devoted to the professional writing aspect. It's just good business. I feel like every major corporation should be more concerned with how their website functions, and who will be using it. Audience is extremely important.

PowerPoint Presentations

I've learned about how to create a "correct" PowerPoint presentation in several of my PW classes. When I start creating the PowerPoint for Module 1, I want to make sure and keep these tenants in mind. For the sake of my memory, and the upcoming presentation for Module 1, I've decided to create a list from the readings on things that make a good PP presentation.

- Keep slides simplistic. No elaborate flow charts or diagrams.
- Keep text short and bulleted.
- Make slides interesting, something for the audience to look at while you're talking.
- Nothing smaller than 24 pt font, in a legible type face.
- Make sure to keep to the time allotted
- Don't use too many animations--can confuse the message, and make the audience dizzy.

I think that there is never too much to be said about making a good PowerPoint presentation. In some respects it is an art form. Keeping the audience interested, while presenting the information your professor would like you to get across can be very challenging. As a side note, I like to remember that the projector in 317 can sometimes skew colors, so it's always best to try out slides before presentation day.

OWL at Purdue

For Module 1, Laurel and I have decided to use the OWL website, which was created by Purdue. Choosing a website for this module was difficult, because I wanted something that pertained to my interests, and my major. I am a PW major, so obviously this site helps me on a daily basis.

But also, I'm thinking about going to law school. The OWL website would also be beneficial for law students, because they also need to be able to cite sources. Law school is a big point of consternation for me, but I would like to keep it in mind.

On the whole, I think Module 1 was a great start to the class. I was able to fully analyze a website in a comfortable way. I am very comfortable using websites, but not necessarily with deconstructing them and discussing their components. Also, Module 1 was a good chance for me to re-remember how to take screen shots on a Mac, and to brush up on my PowerPoint skills.

Audience

"Human needs should be the guide for our technologies." —Ben Shneiderman

An audience is necessary for every web page. Without an audience, there is nothing to design, no one to communicate with. Therefore, the more information that can be collected about an audience, the easier it is to make predictions about.

This information can come from demographics. "Gender, income level, age, religion, geographic location, and more, all provide valuable information about your audience -albeit in a rather sterile manner." After that information has been collected, psychological information can help figure out the motivations behind the audience--what they might be interested in, what goals they could have.

It would seem that more time should be spent on figuring out who the audience is, than on the design of the website. The two aspects obviously go hand in hand, each with equal importance.

Once the audience has been figured out, a good way to communicated with them also has to be handled. A fine line has to be discerned, between concise writing, and informational writing. From the readings, it seems the most important thing to remember is the intended message. From there, the rest of the website can be created.

Blogging

I have to say that this is my first real foray into blogging. I'm not one of those people who finds my thoughts so interesting that I feel the need to catalog them online. Although, some would consider Twitter a blog. I guess that's a blog more my speed.

Blogging really is a revolution. For the first time in the history of our society, anyone can publish their thoughts, and anything about themselves, with really no filter. Unlike publishing houses of yesteryear, now anyone can produce a digital copy, and sell it. And it has been known to happen.

Blogging has become a part of television shows, the news media, and even a way to keep tabs on political figures. Blogging eliminates the middle man, allows for the public and one person to interact.

The internet really is an amazing thing.

Writing for the Web

Petersen:
Once the audience has been decided and information gathered, writing for them can be easier. As most college students, 80% of readers look at only the summary instead of the entire article. By remembering that readers scan websites for information instead of reading long paragraphs of content, it would seem that a presentation style of listing information in bullets and short sentences would better convey the information. In the same vein, all graphics will need captions with the same concise language.

The inverted pyramid design is definitely something to take away from this reading. Start with the conclusion, then the more important content.

Nielsen:
This article brings up several very good points about writing for the web that I had not thought of. First of all, not using words that are specific to web use came as a surprise to me. It does make sense, however, because not using these words adds a sense of professionalism to the website. Also, at least half of all users of a site will come from a search engine. This means they will already have some knowledge of the site's purpose and content.

Online Activity

The "Pew" article on the decline of the internet population was eyeopening. I've grown up with the internet, but it does make sense that there is a decline. "There was almost no growth over the course of 2002 and there has been only a small uptick in recent months to leave the size of the online U.S. adult population at 63% of all those 18 and over."

I think this statistic makes sense. The internet has reached the height of its popularity, so there aren't as many new people signing on. However, 63% of the US using the internet is an enormous number, and certainly nothing to laugh at. As we talk about designing websites in class and their audience, I'll have to keep in mind this percentage. Some websites are for everyone's use, and those are the hardest to design, I think.

"Nearly three-quarters of Internet users have at least three years of experience." This idea follows my earlier thought that the internet has reached the height of its popularity. The internet has been around long enough now that children are using it for basic functions. In terms of audience, a great number of the US's population is experienced with the internet, so design doesn't necessarily have to be simplified.

3 Websites

The three websites exercise was interesting, especially on the first day of class. It seemed like an ice breaker, because we found common interests, but it also got me into the mindset to analyze websites for not only design, but content and audience. I don't spend enough time thinking about the websites I commonly use, just what information I can glean from them before I move onto the next. Maybe this class will help me to "stop and smell the roses," and figure out what the heck I'm looking at.

Overall, I'm looking forward to this class. However, I do have a little hesitation. I took this class last Fall, with a different prof, and lets just say things didn't go so well. Already I feel more comfortable in the classes organization, and I believe module 1 went well. And though I am fairly comfortable with computers, the idea of making a web page has me a little nervous.

I'm hoping we gradually work our way into web site design, so I don't feel entirely overwhelmed. Guess we'll just have to see!