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Lecture 2 - Overview

Lecture 2 - Overview. Meaning Planning Web Design Navigation Evaluation Mechanics URL Basics Dreamweaver Setting Stage Demo: Set up Local / Remote Site – check out Video Capture file (see below) Explore Dreamweaver Basics Explore Tutorial: Setting Up Your Site and Project Files

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Lecture 2 - Overview

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  1. Lecture 2 - Overview • Meaning • Planning • Web Design • Navigation • Evaluation • Mechanics • URL Basics • Dreamweaver • Setting Stage • Demo: Set up Local / Remote Site – check out Video Capture file (see below) • Explore Dreamweaver Basics • Explore Tutorial: Setting Up Your Site and Project Files • Video Capture of Demos • Before viewing a lecture, check out the Lectures pages at: http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~aspoerri/Teaching/MPOnline/Lectures/Lectures.htm to see the Video Captures files that are available. Right click on link for a video capture file and select “Save As” in dialog if you want to save it to your hard disk.

  2. Narrative Structures

  3. Planning 1 • Define Web Audience • Who is your target audience? • What do you want the site to accomplish? • Break Site into Categories • Create Outline - Goal, Organization • Create Simple Web Site Plan • Hierarchy & hyperlinks • Use sticky notes or Flowchart

  4. Planning 2 • Collect & Organize Material • Organizing files by folders • Asset folder for images, sounds, videos, animations etc. • Save source files • File Name - lowercase, short, no spaces or special characters • “myinterests” vs. “my_interests” vs. “my interests” • Title web pages • Local Structure = Remote Structure • Same folder and file structure on local & remote machines • Home page = "index.html“ • “index.html” stored in folder “main” • “http::/www.site.com/main/” will display “index” • If home page has different name, then it needs to be named

  5. Web Design Overview • Sources • Steve Krug’s “Don't make me think!” • Alison Head’s “Design Wise” • Yale Web Style Guidelines • Guiding Principles • User Behavior • Basics • Home Page • Lack of Control • Search & Testing

  6. Web Guiding Principles • Diversity of Users & Rapid Change • Diverse users, diverse computers, diverse skills, diverse … • Rapid evolution of technology and expectations • Short attention span • Common Sense • No right way to design • Make it short • More likely to be used and remembered • Don't make me think • Get rid of question marks - each item has clear purpose • Make it work at a glance • People have little time • Support intented task - manage expectations

  7. Web User Behavior

  8. Web User Behavior(cont.)

  9. Web User Behavior(cont.)

  10. Web User Behavior(cont.)

  11. Web User Behavior(cont.)

  12. Web User Behavior(cont.)

  13. Web User Behavior(cont.)

  14. Web User Behavior(cont.)

  15. Web User Behavior(cont.) • Scan pages - don't read them • Look for anything = Search Interest • Decide quickly • Eye-tracking studies • Choose first “reasonable item” • Muddle through • Don't figure out how things work • Resist forming models • Stick to what works

  16. Web Design - Basics  Stay above the fold

  17. Web Design – Basics (cont.)

  18. Web Design – Basics (cont.)

  19. Web Design – Basics (cont.)

  20. Web Design – Basics (cont.)

  21. Web Design – Basics (cont.) • Design for scanning, not reading • Visual Hierarchy • Visual contrast - size, bold, color • Important things = Visually prominent • Related things = Spatially close, Nested • Avoid “noise" • Leverage Conventions • Clear what's clickable • Use underline and/or color coding • Less is more • Cut ½ of words, then cut ½.

  22. Home Page Design • Home Page • Identity & Mission, Hierarchy, Search, Timely Content, Short-cuts, Registration. • Everybody wants a piece • Answers Easily • What can I do here? • Why should be here? • Where do I start? • Tagline is Important • Clear, informative, concise • Differentiated, clear benefits • Personable, lively, sometimes clever • Problems with Pull-downs • Hard to scan, Twitchy • Have to seek them out

  23. Web Design – Lack of Control • Experience not the same • Limited control over web display • Visual appearance depends on • Type of computer - Windows vs. Mac • Monitor color resolution • Speed of Internet connection • Browser - Microsoft vs. Netscape - don't support same features • Default font may be different • Styles may differ

  24. Web Design – Search & Testing • Search Options • Confuse and increase chances for failure • Seldom worth the additional cognitive cost • Amazon has no options at first - first experience is successful. • Typical Problems • Users are unclear on the concept • Words users are looking for aren't there • There is too much going on • Great Site requires Testing

  25. Web Site Navigation 1 • "Back" clicked 30-40% • Easy to figure out “You are here” Things at current level Return to higher-levels and home page • Easy search and indexes • Easy feedback • Persistent navigation creates comfort • “Home” and “forms” pages can be exemption

  26. Web Site Navigation 2 • Top-level Navigation • Top Row or Left Column • Icons, image-maps, textual, pull-down • Highlight or colorcurrently selected • To frame or not to frame? • Second-level Navigation • Below Top Line or Left Column • Breadcrumbs • SCILS > Information Library Studies > Courses > Graduate • Novel Navigation Metaphors • TheBrain • Star Tree for FlashKit by Inxight Software

  27. User Behavior – Summary Scan pages - don't read them Look for anything = Search Interest Decide quickly Choose first “reasonable item” Muddle through Don't figure out how things work Resist forming models Stick to what works

  28. Design Implications Scan pages - don't read them • Design for ScanningMake text short - cut words • Make page work at a glanceSufficient left margin,640x480 = main message • Create Visual Hierarchy Look for anything = Search Interest Decide quickly Choose first “reasonable item” • Make obvious what you can do on a page • Make obvious what is clickable Muddle through Don't figure out how things work Resist forming models • Don't make users thinkGet rid of question marksEach item = clear purpose • Stick to what works • Repetition & ConsistencyGrid Layout, Easy Navigation, Graphics, • Color Coding, Typography

  29. Evaluation Overview • Sources • Krug, S. - "Don't Make Me Think!" • Head, A. - "Design Wise." • Williams, R. & Tollett, J. - "The Non-Designer's Web Book." • Questions • Audience • Task • Navigation • Functionality • Example

  30. Evaluation – Audience • Who is the site for? Who are the intended users? • What do users want to accomplish? • What are the needed skills? Good fit with skills of intended users? • What tasks are users trying to accomplish?

  31. Evaluation – Task • Support tasks users need to accomplish? • Support both experienced and inexperienced users? • User expectations meet?

  32. Evaluation – Navigation • What site is this? (Site ID) • What page am I on? (Page name) • What are the major sections of this site? • Sections - tabs • What are my options at this level? • Local navigation • Where I am? • "You are here" indicators or breadcrumbs • Easily find your way? back home? other sections? • How can I search?

  33. Evaluation – Navigation (cont.)

  34. Evaluation – Functionality 1 • Instantly understand what site is about? • Understand what you can do? • "Look & feel" enticing? Want to explore? • Main functions easily accessible? Easy to use? • Links clear where they will take you?

  35. Evaluation – Functionality 2 • Instant visual hierarchy? • Or visually too busy? • Text easy to read? • Graphics easy to understand? • Large site - site map, index or search? • Help available and useful? • Download times reasonable?

  36. Evaluation – Example & Exercise 1 • Amazon–Evaluation(of earlier version of site, but analysis still applies) • Exercise 1 • Evaluate website of your choice.Choose a site that could serve as a model and/or contain relevant information for your final project. • Be concise and insightful in your evaluations

  37. Mechanics - URL • URL - uniform resource locator • "http://www.abc.com/aaa/bbb/ccc.html" • "http://" - hypertext transfer protocol - scheme • "www.abc.com/" - server name - domain name, owner, host • "/aaa/bbb/ccc.html" - path through folder hierarchy • URL Basics • Absolute URL • "http://www.abc.com/aaa/bbb/ccc.html" • "Complete street address" • Info located on external server • Relative URL • "../../../xxx/yyy.htm" • "../" = up 1 level => up 3 levels, then subdir "xxx" to get to "yyy.htm" • "Direction to neighbor's house" • Anchor (same page), Internal (local)

  38. Dreamweaver - Setting Stage • Three Views • Design View • Code View • Design & Code View • Tables, Tables • Layout Mode • Layout Table and Layout Cell • Visual grid & snap-to-grid • Standard Mode (and Expanded Mode) • Edit & Modify Tables • Interaction & Behaviors • Rollovers, Imagemaps, Navigation Bars • Linking images and behaviors • Timeline Animation • Site Management • "Local site" mirrors "Remote site"

  39. Demo: Dreamweaver - Site Management • Open “Windows Explorer” Start > Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer • Create folder “mplec2” in “My Documents” folder • Open “mplec2” folder • Create folder “mpcourse” • Open “mpcourse” folder • Create folders “ex1” … “ex5” • Launch Dreamweaver • Start > Programs > Adobe Web Standard / Premium > Dreamweaver (Start > Programs > Macromedia > Dreamweaver)

  40. Demo: Dreamweaver - Site Management(cont.) • Site > New Site • Select “Advanced” Tab • Select “Local Info” Category • Local Info > Site Name = “MPLec2” for this demo • Local Info > Local Root Folder = “MPLec2” in “My Documents” • Select "Remote Info" Category in New Site Dialog • Select "FTP" in pull-down Access menu • FTP Dialog • FTP Host =“eden.rutgers.edu” • Host Directory = “public_html” • Login = “yourusername” • Password = “yourpassword” • Make sure to check the “Use Secure FTP” box • Connect to Server • Select "Connect to Remote" icon or "Site > Connect" • Transfer files to server • Manually • File : drop onto file OR drop into folder that contains file you want to up/download • Folders: drop into folder that contains folder you want to up/download

  41. Dreamweaver - Set up Local / Remote Site (Summary) • Site > New Site • Select “Advanced” Tab • Select “Local Info” Category • Local Info > Site Name: name your local site • Local Info > Local Root Folder: select folder to store site • Navigate to where you can store filesor Create folder for your local site • Select "Remote Info" Category in New Site Dialog • Select "FTP" in pull-down Access menu • FTP Dialog • FTP Host = eden.rutgers.edu • Host Directory = public_html/folder/subfolder/subsubfolder … folder that contains web pages you want to access / copy etc. • Login = yourusername • Password = yourpassword • Make sure to check the “Use Secure FTP” box • Connect to Server • Select "Connect to Remote" icon or "Site > Connect" • Transfer files to local folder • Select "Get File(s)" icon - green arrow pointing downwards

  42. Dreamweaver - Guided Tour • Launch Dreamweaver • Start > Programs > Adobe Web … > … Dreamweaver … • Help > Workspace • Help > Working with Dreamweaver sites • Help > Creating and managing files • Dreamweaver Developer Center • Getting Started with Dreamweaver CS3http://www.adobe.com/devnet/dreamweaver/articles/getting_started_dreamweaver_cs3.html • P.S. As mentioned before, in this course you learn by doing and doing …

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