1. Planning and Designing Effective Web Pages

2. When planning a new site... 1. Determine site goals 2. Identify the target audience 3. Conduct market research 4. Create end-user scenarios 5. Create categories of information 6. Create a flow chart

3. Determine Site Goals Can have one or many goals Examples could be:  Provide information  Sell a product  Increase brand recognition  Provide help or instructions for use

4. Identify the Target Audience Target Audience – Group of users who you would most like to visit your site Create a user-profile

5. User-Profile May answer questions such as:  What is the age range of the user?  What is the gender of the user?  What is the education level of the user?  What is the economic situation of the user?  What is the primary language of the user?

6. Conduct Market Research 1. Conduct a survey to determine your audience’s preferences 2. Evaluating your competitors

7. Create End-User Scenarios Imagined situations Allow you to envision what the user will be experiencing while visiting your website

8. Create Categories of Information These categories will determine how your site will be structured Each category might represent a different web page Your navigation should be determined at this step

9. Create a Flow Chart Home Page BooksAuthorsOrdering Order FormScheduleCategories

10. When designing a new site... Create a site concept and metaphor Select Colors Select Fonts Choose a graphic style and graphics Create page content

11. Creating a Site Concept and Metaphor Concept – general theme that runs throughout your site Metaphor – a comparison in which one idea is represented as another Example: Site concept might be fluidity, and the site metaphor might be a river. Everything on the site would suggest this concept.

12. Selecting Colors Keep it simple – More is not better!  This is too much color! Include three to six colors per site Consider mood you hope to create Keep in mind target audience Consider contrast  Red text is not a good choice on a blue background!

13. Selecting Fonts Use no more than 2 fonts on a website  This is really difficult to read. Consider what you are trying to convey  This would not be an appropriate text if you are talking about bull riding Consider accessibility  This might be really difficult for someone with vision problems to read.

14. Choosing a Graphic Style and Graphics Be consistent Make sure graphics have a purpose  For example, the graphic on this page Consider size Consider target audience Support your site concept and metaphor Be careful with animation!

15. Creating Page Content What information will your website give to visitors? Will there be any music or sounds? What type of backgrounds will your pages have? Do all your links work correctly? Are frames necessary or useful?

16. Summary There are many steps to consider when planning a website It is important to complete each step and consider the design of your site Before beginning your site, you should think through your site design, including concept, metaphor, colors, fonts, etc.