Social Psychology of Web Architecture:
A Learning Adventure
***Table of Contents***
Instructions for this Report
Introduction: A Brief Preview
Taking a Look through the Eyes of the Past Generation
Web Designer Principles as I See It: Some Helpful Advice
Psychological Aspects to Web Design: My Interpretation
Annotated Index to Web Designs: Sites That Can Make a Difference
Navigation Table
Introduction
Creating a web page was something Iāve always wanted to do, but didnāt know how. I used to surf through the Internet and see so many beautiful and creative pages and wondered how they were done. Before taking PSY 409 and PSY 459, I had no real knowledge about the Internet and creating home pages. Iāve been exposed to the World Wide Web previously, but I didnāt know much about what it was about, or what I was really doing. I also didnāt know the individual parts of an Internet address. Although Iām a beginner and have created my first homepage, I can say that I know the basics, and have learned a lot. There is a whole lot more that I donāt know yet, but Iām working on that. I feel that everyone should take the time to learn what the Internet is all about because it offers so many good things to society today. The Web has become a big part of my life, particularly this semester. Iāve spent so much time on-line doing class assignments, and also exploring it on my own. I would recommend taking these Internet classes because you will learn a great deal.
Taking a Look through the Eyes of the Past Generation
Cherisse Eguchi (G10) also did her report on the Web Architecture. I thought she was very informative. These are the reasons why·.
Cherisse did a good account on addressing the topic. She provided a rather lengthy introduction, in which she thought was "rambling," but she covered many important points. She discussed how she used to have "technophobia," and how this Internet class has helped her overcome her fear of the Internet. Furthermore, she described her computer experience as an "adventure," and I feel that was an accurate description for it. You learn so many things and experience a lot of emotions in the process as well. She emphasized the importance of keeping up the technological world, and I agree with her. Computers have become the way of life, and an efficient source of communication.
Aside from general explanations, she included much more substance, including her reactions and true feelings. She also made good suggestions to future generations, which is necessary for expansion on the topic.
She didnāt have a Conclusion heading, but did end her report with an effective summary. She described her introduction in further detail, and seemed very honest about her feelings. She basically ended saying that thereās much more about the Internet to be learned that you donāt learn in the books.
She also did an effective job in commenting on past generationsā reports. Here, she also gave honest opinions, and made useful comparisons.
Her personal experiences and emotions were plentiful in her report. I liked her report as a result of that. Itās more affective to get more than just a general and objective view. Criticism can be a good thing for purposes like these, in which students can improve.
In her report, she was affected by all of these areas (opinion, action, and declaration). She commented on all of these areas for every individualās report that she discussed.
Overall, I liked Cherisseās report. It was informative. I especially liked it because it was simple. She didnāt use a variety of colors or any graphics, but I wasnāt concerned about that at all. I felt that the content of her report was more important.
Web Designer Principles as I See It
Jeffrey Gloverās site entitled, "Sucky to Savvy" provided numerous links of information. The purpose of his site helps people improve on their web pages. He talks about his "sucky" list and his "savvy" list. This is what I learned in each of his links: Read on!
From Jeffrey Gloverās "sucky" list:
Principles I Understand
Blink: Blinking images are annoying, especially blinking text. Instead, it is better to use bold or larger text to emphasize certain points. In my opinion, I think blinking images are eye-catching and creative. However, I prefer working with text design.
Auto Background Music & Sounds: Background music is obnoxious, especially if youāre at work, and some kind of music coming out of your computer draws attention and may be annoying at times. Visitors to your site should be able to have the option of whether or not they want the music or not. In my opinion, I feel that it is best to let visitors have that option. In my experiences with background music, I usually turn the speakers off because it annoys me.
Loud Background Images: These backgrounds and images are "straining" on the eyes. Certain backgrounds make the text hard to read, which is a turn-off. I donāt like when I have to put my face close to the screen to figure out what a word is. Itās annoying as well. I did have a comment about my Generations Report, and was advised to change my background color. I had black text on a dark blue background, and although it wasn't difficult for me to read the report, it wasnāt as visible to others.
Gratuitous Use of Frames: Frames are divisions which separate areas on your screen. There are only two things I like about frames: They have a different look and serve a good purpose. However, I donāt know much about moving in or out of frames. I think frames can be confusing sometimes.
Scrolling Marquees: Scrolling marquees are also eye-catching. However, I prefer seeing text all at one time, instead of reading a moving text. Itās appropriate in certain cases. For example, I donāt mind reading a scrolling marquee for advertisement purposes in front of a store, but not so much on a homepage. I feel that you concentrate too hard on every word seconds at a time, and you tend to miss the whole point as to what is being said.
From Jeffrey Gloverās "savvy" list: Principles I Understand
Include Contact Information: I like homepages that include a way to get in touch with the people who created the pages (ex. e-mail addresses and guest books). I like going into a homepage and being able to comment on their page. I think that itās necessary to have contact information for commentary. Personally, Iād like to know what people think. It gives me an idea on what likes and dislikes visitors might have, and can also give me the option of making changes.
Use Thumbnail Graphics: Thumbnail graphics are small, low- resolution versions of larger images. I become impatient waiting for large images to download.
Be Unique!: I think that this is the bottom line in creating a homepage. Iāve visited many interesting homepages where people create talk about their interests. For example, I love reading and writing poetry, and have visited interesting sites. An example is the MichaelAngelās Page for Hopeless Romantics. In his homepage, he includes beautiful images, but he doesnāt overpower his homepage with too many images. There are just a couple on his page. And in each of his links, there are only a few small images as well. Recently, I visited a homepage by a friend from my home island. She had links to pictures and memories of friends from back home, a link to her background, a link to her interests, and a guest book. I thought that was pretty cool! Instead of using a whole bunch of images on her homepage, she was creative with background colors and fonts, which I think is just as attractive as putting pictures all over the place.
Psychological Aspects to Web Design
My instructor, Dr. Leon James has a site on the social psychology of home page architecture. The ideas I liked included the
Stylistic Features of Home Pages and the Taxonomy of Home Pages and Links, which includes the function of home pages and the function of links.
The same information I learned from his site on style is the same information he emphasizes in class. He suggests not showing off by creating too many "spectacular" images or backgrounds because visitors shouldnāt have to wait too long for your home page to download. Although appearance and creativity is important, it shouldnāt be overdone. He also emphasizes the importance of spacing, particularly between links.
According to Dr. James, "each link has a purpose or function". A link takes a visitor to another screen, which is another section of a document. And when it takes you to a different screen, there you might find more links to further documents.
- Dr. James also discusses the three categories behind home pages: (A table that illustrates this can be found here
The function of links can also be found by clicking here.
What Itās Like to Become a Web Designer
Like I mentioned in my introduction, I havenāt had much exposure to the Internet. When I was a secretary for a small computer business, I was introduced to the Internet. I didnāt know much about how to search the Web. I recall clicking here and there without really knowing what I was doing. A couple of semesters ago, I remember registering for PSY409, but ended up dropping the class because of my fear of the Internet. This semester I decided to give it a shot, and Iām thankful that I did. It took taking this class for me to learn all about the World Wide Web. At first I was intimidated by what was required of me in this course. For some reason, I thought that I would be the only one in class who had little exposure to the Web, but later found that others were in the same boat as well. When I first started out, I was creating my assignments from scratch in notebook. I didnāt know that there was an easier way, which is to type it right in Word and save it as an HTML document. So far, Iāve learned the basics on how to create a home page. I still need to learn how to put different pictures and graphics onto my homepage. I want to learn as much as I can because Iām considering putting up a personal homepage.
For future generations, my advice would be to always start on reports early! There is a lot of work involved in setting up these reports.
Annotated Index to Web Design
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Social Psychological Principles by Dr. Leon James
Sucky to Savvy by Jeffrey M. Glover
Navigation Table
My Generations File
My Newsgroups File
My Oral Presentation #1
My Oral Presentation #2
My Oral Presentation #3 (Extra Credit)
My Report 1: Definitions of Traffic Psychology
My Report 2: Social Psychology of Web Architecture
Icons Folder
My Class Home Page
Dr. Leon Jamesā Home Page
E-mail me