| Dr. James | G5 home page | My home page |
| Introduction | Web Designer Principles As I See It | Psychological Aspects to Web Design | What It's Like to Become a Web Designer | Annotated Index to Web Design |
Have you ever wondered whether or not you could design your own Home page? Need some ideas about where to go and what to do? Well, here's something just for you. This report will give you ideas, suggestions, links to go to for more help, and even more ideas about creating your own Web page. I'm not an expert in Web design, but I'm offering you clues and suggestions on avoiding the mistakes I made, plus, there are some really cool links that you'll find helpful from Masters of the Web.
In one section you'll find some helpful tips from Jeffrey Glover's Home page. He offers helpful hints to avoid creating a "sucky" Home page. Dr. James offers some help about the social psychological aspects of Home page architecture, and knowing what to look for as a new designer. You will even get to hear about me and my experiences as a beginning designer of my own personal Home page.
I have learned a great deal about Web design within these last few weeks and I'm excited about sharing with you the knowledge I've gained over a short period of time. Having a Web page of my own has encouraged me to learn new and better ways to improve my designs, and offers me the challenge of keeping up with newer and smarter ideas.
The following section discusses Web design principles using www.glover.comas a Web site example. Jeffrey Glover is the creator of this remarkable Web page which offers informative tips for any newbie, yet maintains a high level of entertaiment for every visitor to his site. His personal Home Pageis also another excellent site to visit for more tips and ideas about creating your own page on the Web.
My first impression of this site was one of amazement. I was drawn into his "world" simply because of its aesthetic ease at operating. Every link connects quickly and each site maintains that particular style and quality that Glover portrays on his own Home Page. I think the purpose of this site is to inform and educate the Internet-using audience about himself, his qualifications as a web designer, and give people ideas through his examples and expertise. An example of his use of advertising through his Home Page is the link (which can be found on many of his pages) to the company he is newly creating called the Mining Company.This link is incredible! The graphics are great, the page is alive with movement and color (but not too busy), and everything seems to pull together so well that I feel compelled to click everywhere on this site just to see what other "cool" things he will come up with next. Every link he creates is similar to this one. He is obviously very knowledgeable about using and creating web sites on the Internet, and I think uses his site to educate and assist others who might find Web construction difficult or may lack in the creative part of this process.
There are four different links to be found at Glover's site. The first link is his personal Home Page in which I've already briefly discussed. The second link is called Top Ten WaysTo Tell If You Have A Sucky Home Page. Here are just a few of the ways to tell if your page sucks!
Glover uses a scale called a suck-o-meter to determine the "suckiness" of the technique being critiqued. He also offers links that can connect you to this Top Ten list in three different languages namely, Italian, Malaysian, and Danish. This link is presented in an almost comical light, but the tips that are given can be very valueable to any webbie.
Disney Disasteris the second link that gives more of a personal look into his life and activities. This link shows pictures from a recent trip to Disney World and appropriately displays his wit and humor. Although personal in nature, I think this is an enjoyable link because it shows examples of how photos can be used with text in being informative and entertaining at the same time.
Finally, New! Sucky to Savvyis a link formerly known as "The Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Home Page." This is my personal favorite link. Glover uses two scales in comparison, the SUCK-O-METER and the SAVINDICATOR. Examples are listed and then graded according to one of the scales. Explanations accompany each example like:
Dr. James' article about the "Social Psychological Principles of Home Page Architecture" is an interesting source for information about the topic of building a Web page. There are three sections within this article that I found to be most interesting. Each section deals with a different aspect of importance to consider when constructing your own Web site. The first section looks at Psychological Characteristics of Hypertext Links.
Three characteristics have been identified when using hypertext links. Affective is the first characteristic which refers to goal-directedness or motivation. Why did this person include this link? Asking a question like this can lead to answers about a person's values and beliefs, interests and hobbies, or more simply, what is on their mind. Cognitive is the second characteristic that refers to an argument or its implication. What new knowledge is gained through a particular link? What types of ideas are being communciated through this link? I think once you begin to assess the individual's personality, you begin wondering what their thought process is like and what they might be thinking. Sensorimotor refers to the location and appearance of the links. This characteristic may help to answer any of the previous questions about the individual, and answer other questions like how the link was created? Visiting someone's Web site can really tell a lot about what their thinking, why they use certain links, and maybe even what its importance is according to location and appearance.
The second section looks at the Stylistic Features of Home Pages. In the second section we looked at the importance of the element of informational content. In this section, the element of importance is on creativity, beauty, and style. When you visit any site on the Web, you're usually looking for some type of information, yet aesthetics can affect your choice as to continue browsing that particular site, or moving on to another. This is why the second element of importance to remember when constructing a Web page is the content of style, or entertainment value. If a Web page isn't pleasing to the eye and leaves you feeling bored and not very excited about wanting to stay at this site, at the click of a button, you can opt to leave and go somewhere more exciting. Many Webbies look for this element in a Web page, thus, the importance of style. Decide what your own style is and design your Home page with a personal touch. It's good to look at other sites and get ideas from other people, but ultimately your Home page is an expression of your ideas and interests, so be creative and don't cheat yourself from letting the world know how creative and interesting a person you really are.
Here are some options Dr. James gives that I thought were important to include. Loading time is important when it comes to your graphics. Be creative and don't skimp out on using the best graphics, but know how to avoid long loading periods. Making a visitor to your page wait for longer than 10 seconds for your page to load up and present itself on the screen is too long. Ultimately, you may be risking a possible visitor. I've actually gone to pages that I was excited to see, but after waiting for what seemed a minute, I stopped the transfer and went to another page. You can avoid this disaster and reduce your loading times by keeping a copy of the background in your directory (rather than a URL address). The same can be applied to icons and images. Another suggestion is to keep your links within a good distance of each other. You want to avoid having links scattered through out the screen. You also want to avoid having them squished together. Using your better judgement and an aesthetic eye can make this suggestion less complicated as it really sounds.
Just four months ago I had never been on the Internet. I had never used E-Mail, Netscape, or visited a computer lab here on campus. I was excited and ready to learn as much as I could about being on-line and learning how to use HTML commands. I was also frightened because I didn't know what I was getting myself into. The semester began with little information about mechanical aspects of using the computers. Our class was given a packet of computer exercises to complete which were supposed to help familiarize us with the different programs and expectations of the course. Minor complications happened through the semester leaving us with a lot of questions. I was reaching the point of complete despair, but I trudged on ahead anyway. I went to class with questions for classmates and Dr. James, I realized I wasn't the only one with problems similar to my own, and I frequented the Porteus computer lab (even on Saturdays). Then, one day, everything just came to me at one time. I couldn't believe it, but everything was making sense. I understood how to do it! I can't tell you if it was persistance on my part, or some kind of intervention from a higher power that took pity on my awful display of incompetence, but everything was making wonderful sense. So, this is where I am now. I'm totally understanding the workings of the Internet and actually appreciating my knowledge for HTML codes. Unbelieveable? Well, the same is in store for you! You'll probably go through the same "Hell" that I went through making tons of mistakes and not knowing what it is that you're doing wrong. But, one day it will just come to you like it did me. For now, I'm using my new found knowledge about HTML and the Internet to my advantage. This summer I am going to do a 499 with Dr. James using what I learned in this course. He's giving me the credits I need in order to graduate this summer! Things wouldn't have worked out so easily as they've done if I hadn't decided to take this course. I'm still waiting the day when I can get all hooked up and on-line at home. Now that I know how to use the Internet and how to create my own Web page, I am excited to be able to access more knowledge off of the Internet from my own home.
Advice for G6 and all future generations isASK QUESTIONS! Most times I was too embarrassed to ask any questions because I thought it would make me sound really stupid, but not knowing what you're doing is worse than embarrassment. In almost every case there are other students that have the same questions because no one in your class is entering as a Web Master. Everyone is in the same boat. Everyone is learning the same thing at the same time, and asking as many questions as you can will definitely make a difference in your Home page construction.
Advice for Dr. James? Well, the biggest difficulty I experienced was just not having the help I needed. All of my work was done in computer labs with lab monitors present. My problem though, was that many of the lab monitors were either unfamiliar with the course work and usage, or just not willing to help or answer any of my questions. One suggestion might be for you to visit the lab with the students so they can ask you questions privately, if necessary, or show you their problem if they are unable to form a question for you in class. Another suggestion might be familiarizing the lab monitors with the course work and information pertaining to the class so they can answer questions when the situation arrives.