HTML and Designing Web Pages

u At its creation, the web was all about –Web pages were clumsily assembled –Web sites were accumulations of hyperlinked documents or coherence. u Then, designers took over, with the focus being on, rather than information content. –Some sites became “too fancy” and the fancy graphical features became, standing between the user and what they really wanted. v Fancy graphics wasted l (a business expense that also frustrated users when sites began to load SLOOOOOOOOWLY. u Now, web design is seen as a craft, rather than an art. takes precedence over form and. –Your site. It is perfectly fine to use the same features that other sites use. Your site and its navigation need to make sense to users of the site.

HTML: u A language of “” that indicate how on a web page. –D: it just indicates how it should be displayed v Bold, italic, underlined v In table v In a bulleted list or numbered list

Hyperlinks to Other Locations u text –Hyperlink to an u text –Hyperlink to u Hypertext link that allows you – text

Images and Backgrounds u –Places image on web page Extension is usually jpg or gif u … –Places a background that is on your disk onto your page –The background command. The background is an attribute of the body

Table Tags u Defines or creates a table – ……… u < Creates a within a table u < within the table. – ……. u R begin and end with the command u C with the command

Designing Web Pages u Users about the “newest technology” and they may not want new features. Content is the key to attracting viewers and getting them to return back to your web site. u Users want: –T–T –C–C –Navigation that helps them u Users don’t want: –Bugs () –T (what else might be wrong with the company?) –O content –Hypertext links

Web Page Design Mistakes u Making it difficult to distinguish text from the surrounding background. –Light text and dark background or dark text with light background. u Underlining text that is not hypertext: u Don’t just say “ ”. Indicate what at the end of the link. u Don’t open (except for pdf files or other application files) u Try to avoid using Flash and making your page move. It distracts and annoys users. Flash should not be used to “jazz” up a page. If your content is boring, rewrite text to make it more compelling and hire a professional photographer to shoot better photos. u Don’t create a web site that only works in a given platform. It should work in. You can’t control how a user has set up their web browsing software. They may even be using an out-of-date browser. u Don’t let your content became static. It. Avoid

Designing Good Web Pages for a Business u If you design a web page that needs a plug-in, be sure you make it easy for users to download a copy. u The most important part of a Web site is its. Once you have content, or at least a very clear idea of what content you will have, the next step is to organize the content so it will be easily and intuitively accessible to your audience. –Structure the page to facilitate (most users ). Use groupings and subheadings. –Structure your page logically so that its structure makes sense. –No important information should be more than (mouse) clicks away from the home page: each mouse click costs u Use hypertext links to other documents to u Make it easy for visitors to –phone numbers, addresses and your physical mailing address

Designing Good Web Pages for a Business u Do the same as everybody else: if most big web sites do something in a certain way, then follow along since users will expect things to work the same way on your site ( ). u The contents of a Web site will, or should, change constantly. Visitors should feel that the your site will hold something new for them each time they visit. G again and again. u Create a working prototype and TEST, TEST, TEST, TEST your site. –Just because something works on your computer doesn’t mean it will work on the server. –Test using browsers. Don’t assume everyone is using your browser or the most up-to-date version. v You don’t want your site to look bad or not work for a potential customer. –T with at least two of these: Internet Explorer, FireFox, Safari, Google Chrome, Opera, (the more the better) u What is the lifespan of your site? If you are promoting an event, what happens to the site (or on the site) once the event is over?

Designing Good Web Pages for a Business u P. T and. If the spelling and grammar is bad on a web site, it is a NEGATIVE reflection on the company, u When creating a web site for a “real/actual” business, DO NOT DOWNLOAD IMAGES OR COLORS ON WEB SITES THAT ARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. –You will be in violation of copyright laws. u Product photos are perfectly fine, but too many results in a cluttered look. If needed, create an additional picture page. –You might even use thumb-nail images that can be clicked on for a larger image or additional images –Lots of images (or large images) can cause your site to load sloooooooooowly. –Make sure that you upload ALL of the images referred to in your code. u T, and then

Things You Don’t Want to Do on Your Web Pages u pageguide/badpgguide.html pageguide/badpgguide.html u Use both Internet Explorer and FireFox to view site. The next site will show you many elements that you DO NOT WANT TO INCLUDE on your own web site. Expect 2-3 questions on your first exam regarding these items.