Weekly Blog #7-Final Project vs. Storyboards

• Well the storyboard is definitely a good planning tool to use in the designing phase it helped me to keep information organized and know exactly what the ideas in my head would look like and how the website should flow. The good thing about the storyboard is that you can make changes and new ideas come to mind before you put things into place on the actual website. For the most part, my final project looks like my initial storyboard with a few minor tweaks and changes, but that is the beauty of doing a storyboard, you get a chance to tell your story with illustrations even in a very primitive pen and paper format. It doesn't have to be perfect as you will keep going back to the drawing board until you finally have it ready to design in the actual website template.

Weekly Blog #7 Compare/Contrast Websites

• The website I created in Web Expressions was a very different experience from the website I created in Webnode. I notice right away that working in a ready made template has its challenges as you are limited to the changes you can make to the actual template without totally changing the html code. But it was easier to make changes to the template in Web Expressions with the style sheets then it was in Webnode, I felt like my only option in Webnode was to choose another template, but that would then change my whole design layout. What I found was the same is that my masthead and tagline heading does appear on all pages which makes for a consistent design and flow. My navigation on the Web Expressions website are left aligned and in the Webnode site they are spread across the page. The color scheme is pretty much the same as my family color's are purple and gold. I was able to find a template with at least a shade of purple if not the exact color. I had some difficulty with tables in the Webnode site that I didn't encounter in the Web Expression site. The links that I set up in Web Expressions took several steps, but not so in the Webnode site so it made inserting links much simpler. All in all this experience has awakened a creative side I didn't know I could possess.

Weekly Blog #7

• I registered for this class with great trepidation because I know my strengths and I knew going into this class, that designing a website was definitely not a strength of mine. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised what I learned in just 7 short power packed weeks. Before this class I didn't know the many features in Google, the blog feature being one of them let alone how to set up a blog. I may not be a pro at this, but I definitely developed a new skill set and hope to continue to learn about now that the fear is gone. I plan to use this new skill to establish a consistent professional digital presence in  helping me with my change to a new career field in Human Resources.

Weekly Blog #6-Storyboards

Basically your storyboard is your roadmap to designing your website. It helps you visualize what your site will look like and help you present the purpose of your site in an organized layout before you actually begin the design phase. You can easily see, move, and edit content just using pen and paper, Word, or Power Point to create a site map or flow chart to keep your ideas organized. Using a storyboard will give you a picture of what your final project will look like from start to finish.

Weekly Blog #6

Overall your website should be well written for the web, not print. You want to engage your visitors from the home page and keep them interested enough to want to keep reading and navigating throughout your site. That being said, you should have good navigation that makes it easy for viewers to get around your site without confusion of where exactly they are, which means pages should have a consistent theme throughout. Use links to help your viewers get to important information in a way so that they don't leave your site; using "click here" is not a good idea or web design. Make sure your site has a personal touch and doesn't feel impersonal so that viewers have a sense of connection with you. If you have good well written content and are able to make that personal connection with your viewers you will have return visitors to your site.

Week 5 Blog Activities

• Anyone with a computer can create a website. Is this always a good thing?

There are many software programs that have made it easy for anyone to create a website, but unfortunately not all websites are created with the best interests of others in mind. Some are created for the sole purpose to spew hatred, venom and other negative views.

• What are some of the advantages to creating your own website rather than hiring a prof.? What are some of the drawbacks?

One of the main reasons for creating your own website rather than hire a prof. is that it can be rather expensive, but if you are willing to put in a little time and creativity you can create a very well designed site for free with the help of many website builder programs that are available.

• Usability vs. Accessibility

Usability is how you design your site and how you want users to be able to use your site. How you design your site will make or break how many people visit your site. How well  your site organized and easy to navigate is key to accessibility. Even if your site is designed well if everyone is not able to access it whether they are visually impaired, or disabled in any way your sites accessibility will limit your services, products you offer to the public.

Website Evaluation

1. http://www.belco.org
This is my credit union website and because I do most of my banking online, I need this site to be very easy for me to navigate. The graphics are minimal and the background is a simple white with contrasting green. The home page is easy to understand and clearly directs you to the other product pages and from each page the home page is also listed to easily navigate you back to the home page. Other important information is listed across the bottom of the page as hyperlinks. Visually, the page is easy on the eye and doesn't have too much going on so as to make interactivity and loading time is quick and easy. The two main contrasting icons direct you to online banking or an online loan application.

2. http://www.cwds.state.pa.us
You know instantly that the most important information on this site is for person's looking for employment which happens to be the first and prominent frame with a link to the job bank. The three different frames direct you exactly to the right purpose whether your seeking employment or training and education, or other services. The site is easy to read and navigate and each frame is in a different color, and other important informational hyperlinks are listed at the bottom of the site. What I found most helpful was the hyperlinks located at the top of the page for Spanish speaking link, a help link, and an accessibility link. The information is presented in a clear design, you don't have to search and search to find what you're looking for. Hyperlink load time is quick allowing you to navigate with ease.

I am developing more of a critical eye when searching websites and evaluating if it's easy to navigate, is it appealing to the eye, and am I able to find the information easily or do I have to go on a scavenger hunt just to find contact information. For my website project, It will be important to design and plan for interface and navigation because I know how it feels to search aimlessly on a site for the most basic information.

Ch. 7 Quiz

Of the two examples shown on page 154 the bottom (B.) immediately got my attention because I could see the whole page at one time. All of the navigation icons were neatly placed in a frame on the left-side of the web page, and the same hyperlinks were listed at the bottom of the page directing you to other pages on the site. The graphics  do not distract your attention from important information about the site, and the font style is not overpowering as far as its size. The top example right away the background color is very distracting and dark, the important information about the site is not clear. The navigation buttons are too big and take up way too much space on the screen. They are advertising products that are not even ready or available to the public. These are just a few of the problems with (A.) it is overall just an ugly website and poorly designed and is not easy to navigate.