Design Concepts

There are many processes that must be thought about before putting together a Web Site. The following list will get you started with these steps. This is not a complete list of everything that needs to be done, but if you develop a Web Site in this order you will have a good start.

1. Getting started - What do you want to say?

   1. Purpose of the Web Site.

      1. Educational site

      2. Group or organization site

      3. Personal site

      4. Commercial site

      5. Entertainment site

   2. Audience

      1. Students – what grade level?

      2. Teachers, Adults, Scientists, etc.

   3. Content

      1. Projects

      2. Members of an organization

      3. Announcements

      4. Explain, etc.

2. Design your pages - Web Sites should have Consistency

   1. Think of a Theme

   2. Create a Storyboard (see handout)

   3. What will it look like? How something looks can be as important as what it says. Sometimes it is more important.

   4. Look at other web sites to get ideas.

   5. Sketch out what your page will look like. Actually draw on paper!

   6. Decide where to put the pictures and the text and the titles.

   7. Corresponding buttons

   8. Consistent backgrounds

   9. Similar Layout

   10. Similar Title and Text formatting

3. Tips for designing home pages

   1. Make reading easy

   2. Put text over plain white or plain black background. Experiment with colors to find what’s most readable. A picture or a pattern underneath words makes them hard to read. Try to format the text so there are eight to ten words on a line so it will fit the computer screen.

   3. Keep images small but clear

   4. If the pictures are too big, they will take a long time to download over the Internet. If they are too small, they will be hard to see. Trim images closely (cropping) so only important parts show.

   5. Text -keep the sentences short and the verbs active

   6. spell check all pages

4. Print a hard copy

   1. Proofread

   2. Have others proofread

5. Images

   1. Draw the pictures

   2. Use photographs

   3. Scan the images

   4. Keep it simple and make it look good

   5. Save it as GIF; or JPEG

   6. Give each image a SHORT descriptive name (extremely important)

6. Titles

   1. Make a list of all your titles exactly as they will appear on your site.

   2. These names are what appears in your “Favorites” or “Bookmark lists.  (These usually are different then the page name)

   3. Keep titles short, so that they will fit on one line

7. Build your pages

   1. Create color or background pattern

   2. Enter titles and text (set size and color)

   3. Insert images

   4. Move images to proper location

8. Build that second page

9. Create links between pages

10. Build and link more pages

11. Test your pages

    1. Your pages must be tested carefully. Using various versions of Internet Explorer and Netscape.

    2. Take notes of things that need to be changed. If possible have others check your page and make suggestions.

    3. Make your changes.

    4. Check your pages again.

12. Publish your Web Site.
     

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