Web Design and Maintenance

+Web Design and Maintenance

Purpose What do you want to accomplish?

Without a clear purpose, your site can become pointless and rambling

Who do you want to reach? Your target audience determines look and feel, but

also how content should be written What do you want to tell them?

Have some key concepts and ideas. Distill it. Remember: people skim, not read, Web pages Avoid lengthy, pedantic or overly academic content

+Web Design and Maintenance

+Web Design and Maintenance

Content is King More important than any other element, including

colors, layout or images Can be difficult and time-consuming

Content Tips Supply all of the text exactly as you want it to appear Watch for abbreviations, acronyms and jargon Don't cut corners and assume we will fill in the rest Organize content to reflect the structure of your site

+Web Design and Maintenance

Omit Needless Words After you write content, remove half the words. The page will be less noisy. Useful content will stand out. Pages will be shorter (that’s good, since people

don’t read). Avoid small talk, welcomes and mission

statements. Users want you to get to the point.

No one reads instructions. Don’t include them.

+Web Design and Maintenance

Focus on the User or Student Audience determines presentation Do not focus on the perspective of your office,

department or self

A User Should Not Have to Ask: Where am I? Where should I begin? What am I looking at? Where did they put _____? Why did they call it that? What are the most important things on this page?

+Web Design and Maintenance

+Web Design and Maintenance

Photo Tips Use high-resolution images Clearly display the subject Photos taken on cell phones/ webcams or that do

not clearly frame the subject should not be used Avoid using Bengal Card photos Examples

Good- http://www.isu.edu/english/Faculty/BrianAttebery.html Webcam-

http://www.isu.edu/english/Faculty/RogerSchmidt.html Framing- http://www.isu.edu/housing/hall_rendezvous.shtml

+Web Design and Maintenance Photo Examples

Webcam- http://www.isu.edu/english/Faculty/RogerSchmidt.html Good- http://www.isu.edu/english/Faculty/BrianAttebery.html

+Web Design and Maintenance Photo Examples

Framing (from an actual ISU page, now removed)

+Web Design and Maintenance

Photo Tips If you embed photos in a Word or PDF file, please

send the original photo files separately Schedule a shoot with Photographic Services, or

request photos they already have http://www.isu.edu/urelate/photo_services 282-3775

+Web Design and Maintenance

Print Pieces If digital versions of

print materials are available, we can use design elements from them to create a site.

Examples: http://www.isu.edu/

asisu/march/ http://www.isu.edu/

acadaff/strategicplan/index.shtml

+Web Design and Maintenance

Example of Print Piece to Web Site: March through the Arch

http://www.isu.edu/asisu/march/

+Web Design and Maintenance

Example of Print Piece to Web Site: Strategic Plan http://www.isu.edu/acadaff/strategicplan/

index.shtml

+Web Design and Maintenance