1. CS 300 Client Side Web Development
Planning & Design

2. Step 1: Project Proposal
Build a web development team
Html coders (write the actual code)
Designers (graphically, how the site should look)
Information writers (create the text & hypertext content)
Marketing (attract visitors to the site)
Others: server administrators, software programmers, DBAs

3. Step 1: Project Proposal
Choose a site title & domain name
Determine the rationale or focus - What type of website are you going to build?
Design goals - What is the site going to look like?
Target audience - Describe the audience that your site is intended to reach.
List the main elements of the site (at least 5 main features)
Estimate the content - the number of pages needed for each feature
Limiting factors - Identify any technical or audience factors that could limit the design goals of the site.

4. Choose your name wisely.
Easy to spell
Avoid words/terms with more than one potential spelling
KISS PRINCIPLE - Keep it short and simple
Make sure it doesn’t have any negative connotations
And above all - make sure it is available for you to use…

5. Step 2: Schedule, Milestones, Deliverables
Break the project into smaller parts and schedule tasks as milestones to be completed by specified dates, and the deliverables you will provide your client.
See Projects II & III
Example of a web developers project time line.

6. What about web space? Start with a search for “top 10” web hosts.
Look at a minimum of 3 web host ranking sites.
(They will all be slightly different.)
Pick 2 or 3 hosting services that were consistently in the “top 10”,
and view their website for the services they offer, and price.
Make a decision, and pick a web host.
Note: Most web hosts can also register a domain name for you…

7. Step 3: Design Considerations
Portable
Efficient
Unified “look and feel”
Design for online

8. Design Considerations: Keep it portable
Build a relative file structure.
Stick to W3C coding standards and you will avoid most pitfalls.
filename convention:
use l.c. letters, numbers, no special symbols,
and no spaces! (use - and _ instead, if you must)
View site as it is being developed on different platforms, with different browsers, and different monitors.
(try Lynx - text only browser)

9. Design Considerations: efficient
keep page length to a minimum
keep load time to seconds (speed of connectivity)
limit quantity of information on each page (use page turners)
use small image files (<100 kb),sparingly per page & use cache (browser’s temp storage area- reuse images)
place navigation for easy access to information
(look at the “Big Guys” on the web for ideas)
leave a breadcrumb so visitors don’t get lost.
keep a Flat Hierarchy - remember the 3 clicks rule
Add A Site Map: graphically displays the organization of a web site for the user to navigate directly to desired content (use intuitive page description list)

10. Design Consideration: Unified Look
First, consider your audience, then plan accordingly.
font choices - choose a limited selection & determine what the are to denote, (e.g. headings, body, features)
Are you considering the use of text images?
navigation - keep it in the same place, if using text links make sure to underline them (it’s the convention)
page layout - consider a standard page layout, keeping aware of web page real estate
page banner - keep the same or similar graphic or logo, primary navigation, common color strip

11. Design Consideration: Unified Look
color scheme - unless you are an art major/minor consider a visit to or other color scheme site
The colors you choose can have implications to the viewer.
What does red say, as opposed to blue?
Muted colors Vs. neon colors
match graphics and logo with color scheme
(don’t wear plaid pants with a polka dot shirt)

12. Design Consideration: Design for online
Save room for active white space.
landscape layout Consider a short, wide page when filling with content.
Can you read this?
Provide contrast between background and text colors, without being difficult to read.
Use hyper-linking for non-linear access.
Can you read this?
Choose a font for 72 dpi readability.
Italics is difficult to read.
Can you read this?
Avoid horizontal scrolling -----keep page width to current standard 1024 pixels, (975px)
Use logical navigation terms,
e.g. HOME - main page of site,
and choose navigation icons carefully
passive
white space
WCAG -Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
Go to:

13. Step 4: Testing, 1,2,3, testing… before going “public” -
Is your site accessible for your audience?
Are visitors viewing the page as you had intended ?
Is your navigation structure navigatable?
Do your pages load quickly & efficiently?
Do all your images have text alternates?
Any broken links?
Do you have spelling errors?
How’s your grammar?
Did you offend anyone?
Remember, the site is going out to the WWW.
Use different people, different platforms, different browsers,
and
different computers.

14. TEST IT AGAIN!!! Step 5: Update! Make revisions/repairs
as needed after testing the site
and
TEST IT
AGAIN!!!

15. Step 6: Get Noticed - Search Engine Indexing
Add an XML
Site Map to your site
for use by the
robots
&
web crawlers
If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?
If your website has an awesome piece of information and no one knows it exists except for the members of your web staff that posted it, does it really exist?
What are meta tags?
Use <title>, <alt text with images>, and <description meta tags>

16. Step 7: Maintenance-a web weaver’s work is never done.
As with all information, once it is created, it is then “dated” - destined to become obsolete.
Thus, it is essential to maintain good client/developer relationships as site maintenance can provide continued income.
It is your responsibility as a web developer to note areas to be revised, due to advances in technology or text information
(e.g. pricing, events, seasonal).
Use <!--comments --> to “mark” areas for regular updates.
Support your client by noting these areas for revision, and promptly make changes, upon client approval, as needed.
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