Week 4: HTML and CSS

HTML and CSS

HTML (the Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) are two of the core technologies for building Web pages. HTML provides the structure of the page, CSS the (visual and aural) layout, for a variety of devices. Along with graphics and scripting, HTML and CSS are the basis of building Web pages and Web Applications.

What is HTML?

HTML is the language for describing the structure of Web pages. HTML gives authors the means to:

• Publish online documents with headings, text, tables, lists, photos, etc.
• Retrieve online information via hypertext links, at the click of a button.
• Design forms for conducting transactions with remote services, for use in searching for information, making reservations, ordering products, etc.
• Include spread-sheets, video clips, sound clips, and other applications directly in their documents

What is CSS?

CSS is the language for describing the presentation of Web pages, including colors, layout, and fonts. It allows one to adapt the presentation to different types of devices, such as large screens, small screens, or printers. CSS is independent of HTML and can be used with any XML-based markup language. The separation of HTML from CSS makes it easier to maintain sites, share style sheets across pages, and tailor pages to different environments.

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Week 2: Dreamweaver vs Notepad ++

Class this week was interesting. We moved on from notepad ++ to Adobe Dreamweaver.
Adobe Dreamweaver is a proprietary web development tool developed by Adobe Systems. Dreamweaver was created by Macromedia in 1997, and was maintained by them until Macromedia was acquired by Adobe Systems in 2005

Dreamweaver vs Notepad ++

Dreamweaver may make things a bit easier and faster, but again, you are not personally writing the code for the website that you're designing, so you may have to check to be sure the code produced by Dreamweaver is what you want.

As for using Microsoft's NotePad application, while you have to write all the code for a website or application yourself, you are more in control of what the code looks like and how it works. Though, doing this does require that you do a bit more work and that you know how to code, perhaps in a variety of different languages, such as HTML, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, etc. Though, learning to program is fun and can be useful!

Another option would be to use both DreamWeaver and a text-editing program to design websites, as you can speed up the process with Dreamweaver and go over the code, editing things as you see fit with NotePad++ or whichever text-editing program you prefer. 

Week 1B: Universal Usability

On Monday September 1,2014 Mr Osborne went unto the topic of "Universal Usability."

What is Universal Usability?

Universal Usability is enabling all citizens to succeed using communication and information technology in their tasks. Designers who practice universal usability strive for designs that gracefully accommodate a diversity of user needs and circumstances. 

Basis for Universal Usability

1. Accessibility - Web accessibility is a critical element of universal usability. The guidelines produced by WAI and other accessibility initiatives provide us with techniques and specifications for how to create universally usable designs. They ensure that designers have the tools and technologies needed to create designs that work in different contexts.
2. Usability and User-Centered Design - A process focused on the design of information/tools that cater to the end user for the purposes of the most effective and efficient way of maximizing usage.
3. Universal Design- Universal design incorporates access requirements into a design, rather than providing alternate designs to meet specific needs, such as large print or Braille editions for vision-impaired readers.

Universal Usability Guidelines

There are two (2) guidelines to Universal Usability:

1. Moving beyond the “typical” user
2. Supporting adaptation

Universal Usability in the Design Process

There are two (2) steps in the design process:

1. User Research, which has surveys, interview, focus groups, web analytics and field studies, in which to carry out the beginning process.
2. Design and Evaluation, which has personas, goal analysis, scenarios, prototypes and wireframes and user testings to finish it off.

Universal Design Principles

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Week 1A: Design Process

On August 27th I did not attend class but I was informed on the topics that were introduced in class. This was the design process.
The steps in the design process are as follows:
1. Objectives
2. Define goals
3. Website Planning
4. Development Team
5. Initial Planning
6. Design Reminders















Objectives
In designing a website, you must know what it is you want the website to do. The website must consist of information about the product or organization you want the user to know. All forms of information must be taken into consideration.

Define goals
You may have a client who tells you what they want. Try to get really clear about what the goals of a site are. What does success look like? How will you know when you’ve got there?
Having this stuff clear in your mind helps you:

1. Make the thousands of design decisions between now and a finished product
2. Communicate with your client and maintain their confidence throughout the process
3. Show that you’ve done what you set out to do.

Website Planning

This step involves two  parts. In the first part, you must gather a development team (bear in mind that in most cases the "team" only consist of you, the designer), analyse the needs and goals of the client and then work through the development process. In the second part, you must create a project charter document, give your intent for the website and the reason for this, explain to your client the forms of technology and content needed to provide their needs, estimate a length and cost for the project and give an overall assessment of the project.



Development Team
Your development team should consist of a person that will do the following:
1. Strategy and Planning
2. Project Managing
3. Information Architecture and User Interface Design
4. Graphic Design
5. Web Technologies
6. Site Production
As stated before, in most cases, and for the purpose of convenience, it is best if the team were you and only you.


Initial Planning 
The initial planning process consist of:
Understand and communicate top three (3) goals.

1. Know you audience.
2. Web analytics.
3. Design Critiques
4. Content Inventory

Design Reminders

These are a few reminders a designer needs:

1. Put yourself in the background - its all about what the client wants.
2. Work form a suitable design - not every idea the client has for the project is a good one because they may be impossible to do or cause a problem with the site.
3. Do not over write.
4. Prefer the standard to the offbeat
5. Be clear
6. Do visuals last - it is better to put the things that will make the site more attractive, such as fonts and pictures, after you have entered what is needed most.
7. Be consistent.
8. Do not affect a brezzy manner.