School Web Site Design

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School Web Site Design
Searches
Frames
php

• A Collection of Tips Tricks

Pop-ups
Accessibility
HTML
Hollye Knox 2007
Scrolling Text
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Key PointsKey Phrase Back to Basics

• Content
• Readability Accessibility
• Organization Navigation
• Browsers, Plug-Ins, Pop-ups
• Good Deeds
• Bad Deeds
• Resources

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Dont Forget Basic ContentWhat information
should be on a school web site?
Academics

• Know audience
• Know purpose
• Keep it short to the point
• Answer users questions
• Use common language
• Searches

Athletics
Contact Info
Main Events
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Readability

• Low-vision users
• Senior citizens
• People over 40
• People with vision problems
• Legibility
• Bad fonts
• Fonts to small
• Let users control font sizes

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Organization Navigation

• Organize and coordinate
• Sports pages
• Clubs organization pages
• Content management systems
• Keep it simple!
• How will each page flow into other pages?
• Help users find what they need
• Keep a short list of key features on the home page

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On the subject of links

• Make it obvious whats clickable
• Differentiate visited and unvisited links
• Create lots of links?
• Dont ever test them!
• Best not to open pages in new windows
• Except pdf files

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Forms

• Overused
• To long
• Cut un-needed questions
• Dont make fields mandatory (unless they really
  are)
• Support autofill
• Use flexible input

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Graphics

• Blurry due to resizing in an HTML editor
• To big (long download times)
• Do they compliment the content?
• Use meaningful graphics
• Dont just decorate
• Offer users the ability to enlarge photos for
  close-up views if warranted

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Browsers, Plug-Ins, Pop-Ups

• Browser Incompatibility
• Doesnt everyone use Internet Explorer?
• Flash
• Bronze medal for annoyance
• Pop-ups
• 1 most hated advertising technique
• Jumping on the Real Cool bandwagon

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Good Deeds

• Name Logos
• Straightforward and simple headlines and titles
• Structure that helps to facilitate scanning
• Accessibility for users with disabilities
• Ok to do the same as everyone else
• Users spend most of the time on other websites
  and form expectations

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Annoying Web Sites

• Huge photos and lots of graphics
• the longer it takes visitors to load pages, the
  longer they will hang around to see what
  develops!
• Cram as much information possible on each page
• After all, a web page can go on forever and
  people love to scroll!

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Bad Deeds

• Use lots of frames
• Everyone has 21 Monitors!
• Require a variety of plug-ins
• People like to download 6-8 versions of
  Quicktime!
• Have a different colored and textured background
  on each page.
• Black text on a dark navy background is very
  effective.
• Have those pages look like Times Square on New
  Years Eve!

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References

• 2006 Top Ten Web Design Mistakes http//www.use
  it.com/alertbox/9605.html
• Web Design for Instruction
• http//www.usask.ca/education/coursework/skaali
  d/
• Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites
• http//www.w3.org/WAI/References/QuickTips/
  
• Web Design Guidelines - University of Illinois
• http//www2.uiuc.edu/help/recommend.html
• Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005 (Nielsen)
• http//www.useit.com/alertbox/designmistakes
  .html