Major Project 3

Here you may view my final major project which I created with Tim Anderson

http://mywebspace.quinnipiac.edu/jlleblanc/aft/index.html

Final Project Mission Satement

The mission of the Atlantic Freedom Tour web site is to bring up to date information during its voyage to the international locations during the tour. It will exhibit all of the planned port visits, history, relevance of each port, the events scheduled at each location and a map displaying the current position of the Freedom Schooner. The navigation system of the website will have a graphical interface for the port visits on an interactive map. The site will cater to the general public including the friends and family of the crew.

I will be working with Tim Anderson. We will both be taking an equal part in the creation of the web site. We will create a new mock up of the web site and re-work our navigation system.

Atlantic Freedom Tour URL

http://mywebspace.quinnipiac.edu/jlleblanc/index.html

Chapter 8

Dynamic content publishing makes it easier to update sites automatically since the site's content and formatting are separate. With HTML the content may be obscured by loads of code making it much more difficult to make changes.

Dynamic content publishing also allows the designer to cater to the user on more of an individual level. A great example of this is on Amazon.com. The site presents items that it thinks may be of interest to the user based on previous searches.

Dynamic content can also make a site more interesting to repeat visitors but monitoring the date and displaying only current information.

In general, web users believe that information on the web should be free to access so web businesses are better served by web-based applications that can provide a service to the user, not just information.

Templates are a great way to create consistency throughout a site without having to do a lot of work. They establish a concrete personality but they are flexible so they may work around different contents.

Templates can also help avoid the need to create different versions of a website to cater to different browser capabilities. With dynamic publishing, the browser and version can be detected and the proper template will be used to display the content correctly.

When designing a template, be sure to know what to expect. The template has to know what it may encounter and know how to deal with it.

Web applications may be viewed as half web site and half client application. The overall personality of the application should match the web site but the actual application functions on its own.

Web applications can be a powerful tool in creating repeat users. A user is likely to be willing to spend more time with a web application than they would trying to search a site for information because they will benefit from their time spent based on the service provided.

It may cause confusion if a user still has access to the browser navigation while the web application is open. This problem may be solved by making the web application full-screen or opening it up in a new browser-less window.

Chapter 7

Clearly, the home page on any site is the page which is most commonly visited and therefore all content displayed on the homepage is what the most exposure. This does not mean that a home page should be cluttered with as much content as possible. The designer should carefully choose which elements and information will be of most interest to the end user. That information is put on the home page while useful links will direct the user to all of the other content.

Avoid placing large elements on a home page if they do not enhance the user’s experience. Everything on a page should work toward increasing usability and enhancing the user’s understanding of the site. If a large element is not serving a purpose, then it actually weakens the design.

The author of the text loosely compares a home page to the front window of a store inside a mall. Its function is to give the user a glimpse of what they may find inside. The home page should identify who you are, what you do, what you may be able to provide to the user, and it should clearly establish that personality discussed in previous chapters. All a user has to do to quickly leave your site is click the back button. The home page is responsible for keeping them there.

Anticipate what users will be looking for when they come to the home page and make those elements or that information dominant in the visual hierarchy. This makes the users experience fast and convenient and will increase the likelihood of their return to your site.

Highlight new additions to your website on the home page. If there are never any changes to a site, why should the user return? Notify them of the changes right up front but do so in an organized fashion and avoid creating too much clutter on the home page.

Chapter 6

A navigation system is there to guide the user through a website. The look and feel of the navigation should mesh with the overall personality of the site but the navigation elements should not overpower the content. Once a user has selected where they would like to go, the navigation should fade out of the user’s focus.

It is important to give consideration to the visual elements which make up a navigation system. High contrast borders around buttons may interfere with the intended visual hierarchy and detract from what the function of the button is.

A common practice in effective web design is to avoid large blocks of body text. When a user encounters a lot of text in one group, the tendency is to move on. Create body text in small sections and open it up by using a couple more points of leading than you might use in print design. The text becomes more approachable and more readable.

Visual hierarchy within the body text of a web page is important for communicating to the user different levels of importance of specific lines of text. To create this hierarchy, manipulate fonts, size, color, and weight and keep the choices consistent throughout the site so from page to page, the user will find that headlines are presented in a similar fashion, as are captions, footnotes etc.

Images are used as an important visual tool to help reinforce the personality of a site. In choosing images, be sure that they fit the personality decided upon for the overall website. Each individual image does not stand alone, but is part of the entire visual presentation.

Images may be used to create visual interest by reflecting geometric shapes found elsewhere on the page. This technique can help to tie elements together.

Most users will have a preconceived notion of what they should be able to find in a footer based on the conventions that have developed. A footer will usually contain information regarding the designer of the site, copyright information, the date when the site was last updated, basic contact information, or some combination of these things. If this information is not placed in the footer, some users may not know where else to find it and they may not try to find it.

Footers are usually fairly small and with the amount of information expected to be there, the designer should choose carefully what will be included and how it will be presented. If a footer is too full or has too much weight it will be out of its place in the hierarchy and become distracting to the user.

In creating a form, there are many different types of questions that may be asked of the user. It is the designer’s responsibility to anticipate all possible user responses and to choose the best form element for each question (i.e. a drop-down menu, text field, etc.). If the user is given the opportunity to enter information into a text field, the designer must clearly specify any formatting restrictions. In the case of a phone number, should they include parentheses around the area code and should they include hyphens between each set of numbers.

Forms should ideally be created with a nice visual flow. Often a user may make a mistake while filling out the form. If the form is created with consistency, it is easier to add in an alert element which will stand out to the user and allow them to immediately see what they have done wrong.

Atlantic Freedom Tour Mission Statement - Revised

This site will exhibit all of the planned port visits, the history and relevance of each port, the events scheduled at each location, and a google map displaying the current position of the schooner. It will offer two navigation options, a map with clickable markers and drop-down menus below the header. Short historical audio narrations about each port will be made available as the ship arrives at the corresponding location. The site will target the general public and aims to spread interest in the tour and the story of the Freedom Schooner Amistad.

Chapter 5

The personality of a website comes from its organization, interaction, and visual presentation. It is the website’s look and feel.

Personality is like a website’s own branding. If an appropriate personality is created to match the user’s expectations and the intended message of the site, it may help to create loyalty among users. If a user can connect with your site, they begin to trust your “brand” and may be more likely to return to your site later on.

If a website’s personality does not match the user’s expectations based on the site’s contents, they may leave the site immediately and look for information elsewhere.

Be as unique as you can when designing a site. Something that a user has not seen before will be more memorable and will create an immediate association with your site. It may also convey some of the designer’s personality.

Filling a site with quality content can make up for any shortcomings there may be in the visual presentation. Content that meets all of the user’s needs in a prompt and effective manner will generate credibility and loyal users.

A consistent personality throughout a site is important to tie all of the pages and content together with a single, unifying look and feel.

Typography is a crucial element in creating an effective personality. Every font automatically generates associations with the user and many fonts have strong historical connections. It is important to consider all of the baggage that comes along with a font choice. Typographical decisions have the power to make or break a design.

Color choice is also an important design decision in creating personality. Take into consideration the kinds of emotions that specific colors generate. You may also want to be aware of the different interpretations of colors from culture to culture if your site will be viewed internationally.

Analogous colors are colors that are near each other on the color wheel. These colors are low in contrast and generate a calm, soothing emotional feel.

Contrasting colors oppose each other on the color wheel and as the name implies, they are very high in contrast. The use of contrasting colors brings life and energy to a page. Knowledge of colors and color theory can really help in creating an appropriate personality for your site.