Web Design Students
Millikin University

Nicole Fucinari

Learning Review

User Knowledge

I came into this class having experience with building web pages. I have been making webpages for myself and others since I was about 11. The only professional web builder that I had used was Flash, so I didn't know anything about how to use Dreamweaver. I think that the tutorials were a simple way of learning the program basics, and I like the fact that if you don't want to use the code, you don't have to. Also, there is something about doing those tutorials that you just remember how to do everything that you've learned after you're done. Plus, even though we only learned how to do some of the things that Dreamweaver has to offer, there are infinite design possibilities!

After completing this course, I feel like I can make a web site with just about anything that a client could want. However, I think that the time I take doing it could be cut down a lot if I knew the program better. I didn't quite get the CSS, but I also don't think we spent enough time on it either. I think there should be a seperate class just learning CSS and the more advanced features of Dreamweaver because that is very important to professional web designers but really isn't important for the average Dreamweaver user. So I plan on doing more research of my own on how to do CSS but maybe there should be a Web Design II class.

Design Knowledge

I have learned that design is not as easy as just putting colors down on the page. It is about taking in the overall feel of what you are designing for and designing the site to capture the feel of that person, place, or product. For example, looking at the differences between the Mayfly Magazine site and the Macon County Historical Museum site, the Mayfly site had to be simple and sophisticated like its haiku product. And the MCHM site, although it is a history museum (a potentially boring subject) it had to look like a fun place to go because of the site's orientation towards kids and teachers. So, the design is what makes the site.

I think that we were indirectly taught design through the tutorials as well. The H.O.T. book used a consistent theme of the Bonsai site to teach us the different aspects of Dreamweaver and here we saw an earthly, oriental theme that would be used to sell this kind of product and I think that that idea was pretty easy to pick up on.

I also touched on design and e-commerce in my presentation. Sites such as Crate & Barrell have to design with their product and overall feel of their product in mind to upsell the products a little more. Selling online can be difficult without the physical presence of the product in the customer's hands. Whether the customer realizes it or not, the web site is helping to make that picture of the product a little more real.

Overall, I think that the "keep it simple" idea is best in web design. Too many elements, including a lot of cheesy graphics that don't need to be there, can distract a person from getting what is needed out of the website. Also, the navigation needs to almost pop out at the viewer because if they can't get to the content, then your time spent on making the website is wasted. Also, I definitely recommend having someone outside your web project look at your site. It makes a huge difference when someone who didn't help build the site navigates the site for themselves. Everytime I make a site I have a friend or family member go to the site on their own and then either I watch how they navigate it and if they navigate through it correctly or I have them tell me what they found good and/or bad about the site. The most important thing that I have learned is that the way you look at a site and the way someone else looks at a site can be completely different. The goal of the web designer is to lead the person through the site so that everyone navigates it the way it is supposed to be navigated.

The other graphic design students and I might have had the advantage in the class over the other students because there are a lot of connections between web design and other forms of art. Personally, I had problems with breaking out of a static box point of view and using the vertical scrolling in my design. I have a tendency to not like to have scrolling elements in my web designs. I would have liked to see more formal education in the classroom as far as the design aspects of web design go.

Project Management Knowledge

As in most classes, there were times when working as a group didn't seem like such a good idea. It is hard to manage a small group of people to get a website done when it is stored on one computer. It is easy to let all the work fall on one person because web design is easily a one person job.

I worked in two different groups for two projects this semester and a lot was learned from working in both. For the Mayfly Magazine site group, I worked with Carrie and Paul, who are also graphic design majors. The advantages to having other design majors in my group was that we came up with a great design easily. The down side was that design was our strong side and the execution of the site (the user knowledge) was not as strong. In this project, I felt like I did all of the work and the site building time was probably a lot longer than it should have been. However, in my Macon County Historical Museum site group, things ran a lot more smoothly. I worked with Megan and Stacey and none of us had the same major. This way we all had different strong points and each person could work equally on what they were good at.

I usually play the role of the person in the group project who tries to take on all the work. This way the fate of my grade is in my own hands. But you also have to consider dividing up the tasks at hand. I think that the best way of handling the group situations is finding out what needs to be done, who would be the best at doing each one, and then dividing up the tasks. By doing this with the second project, it made it a stress-free and pretty simple site to do.

Tutoring Knowledge

One of the most important parts of a class like this is learning not just from the teacher but learning from each other as well. The first day of class we went around the room and said why we took this class and some of us had experience with web design and some of us had none at all. It was at this point, that we all knew who to go to if we had a problem. In a lab setting type class like this, everyone can learn from each other both in class and outside of class.

My favorite part of class was when we got to show our sites on the projector. This part of these types of classes is different from any other class because you don't just get to see what you did on the assignment, but what everyone in the class did. This was a form of tutoring. We got tutored when the class made suggestions on our site. We tutored when we made suggestions. Then, when the client came in to view our final products, we got even more suggestions on what to change. I didn't ever take this as criticism but kind of like a test that you get to take home and correct and then hand in again for more points.

Web sites take a lot of time to build, so there were a lot of days and nights spent in the MAC Lab working outside of class. It was pretty rare that you would be in there working alone, especially if you were working with your entire group on a project. A workshop/lab setting like this makes it really easy to get answers for anything that you want to do on your site because you can just ask around until you find someone that knows your answer. I wish that there had been more time for workshop classes in class because I found this to be a important part of information sharing in learning web design and Dreamweaver.

final project

For my final website project, I want to do a website for my dad's business, The Decatur Back & Neck Center. I think that this would be a good project for me because I already have a portfolio website that I have done and I want to try to do a website for an actual client/business. When I graduate, I want a job as a web designer so I have been trying to build up my portfolio of web design projects. For the site, he wants two sections. One for patients and one for his teaching through ICS and NCMIC. I would like to use CSS to do this site because I feel like I need a lot more experience in that. Also, the Decatur Back & Neck Center lacks any web presence or established identity. I can create a functional website complete with color scheme and logo relating to the business itself, creating a well established corporate identity feel. This would be a good project for me because it will be a site that will actually be used, making it a good website to include in my portfolio and also will require the site to be fully functional, since people will actually be using it.

Hands On Training Tutorial Responses

Chapter 13

I thought that chapter 13, on forms, was useful and easy to do once learned. Forms are an important part of any interactive website, especially for gathering information of your viewers and even in e-commerce. The book explained the different options of forms very well but I was dissapointed that I couldn't easily apply this to any of my websites that I have made like the other tutorials because of the way that it needs to be processed. I was glad that they provided some free websites for getting forms like that processed. I enjoyed doing the jump forms also. I think that they provide a clean, easy to use navigation system and it made the frames look consistent. I liked doing these better than the other forms because they are usable within Dreamweaver, but it seems like they wouldn't be as necessary as the other forms.

Magazine Case Review

http://students.millikin.edu/~nfucinari/mayfly/index.html

Our group designed this layout, because we wanted something that is consistent with the Mayfly theme that is not only creative, yet functional and easy to understand as well. We like simplicity. Our group emphasized the white space a great deal, since there is much white space for the haiku.

We downloaded a brush font to represent the sumi ink painting of Lidia. We incorporated the Brooks Books frog on each page as well. When a viewer clicks the Mayfly bar at the right, they go directly back to the homepage. Moreover, when a viewer clicks on the frog, they go to Brooks Books contact page.

We decided it was also important to keep the page black and white, except for the Lidia's symbol. We put that in red so it stands out and if someone clicks on it, they go directly to a page about the artist. There is a brief paragraph about her and some examples of her works that were used for past covers. When a viewer clicks on one of the images, a separate window opens with the image enlarged.

We also decided to just have the black bar on the left side, because, although it works well to have it on both sides for the Mayfly book, we believe that on the web, having the black bar on both sides makes the window seem small and enclosed. Almost like the haiku are trapped, and since haiku is about time and space, we like having it open and "free."

We chose to put the navigation bar at the bottom, and tried to make it almost look like a haiku itself. We just picked a few sample haiku so as to let the reader know what kind of content is in each issue, but not revealing too much so that there is still a sell value for the magazine itself. We wanted to keep it simple and not cluttered with information.

Members of our group:

Nicole Fucinari
Paul Kloeckner
Carrie Seymour

Chapter CSS

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Chapter 10

I think that rollover images are a neat feature, but not really worth the time it takes to make them. The rollover image doesn't really make the page any better, but just adds a cool little effect that isn't really necessary. The good thing about them is that when you are using an image as a link, it makes it more obvious that the picture does something. I liked the multiple-event rollovers. These seem like a good way to simplify a page, like how they added text on rollover. I think that it is interesting that there are so many ways of displaying navigation on a web page and even more ways of displaying rollovers. Just by changing the way a menu is displayed on a page can make the design possibilities of a web site endless.

Chapter 8

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Chapter 7

Chapter 7 helped me out a lot with Dreamweaver! I wish they had put this chapter sooner in the book. The tutorials before this were easy enough but when I went to build a site on my own, I found it difficult to manage my items on the page. I was finding that I couldn't put things next to each other unless I wanted them only a couple spaces apart and it was getting frustrating. Though, after I learned about tables, I redid all my pages that I have made so far for this class and I think that they now look 100% better. I like that the tables allow for many possibilities and are very easy to use. I think it adds a professional look to a site without the complications of it.

peer resume critique

I reviewed Carrie Seymour’s web resume. I like that because she is a graphic designer, she showed her expert use of color in a controlled manor. She used a neutral, high contrast; background that is easy to read and makes the important parts stand out, while also highlighting the different parts of the resume. When I first viewed the site, I didn’t even see the headings on the far left. I think that those should be moved over, closer to the content under the headings for more continuity through the page. I think she showed good use of computer skill by creating the text graphic for her name but I think that the alignment and perhaps use of tables for the entire page would be better at keeping the page organized.

The navigation at the top of the page is clear and well directed. I like the blue lines between the links to create some contrast and draw more attention to the fact that they are links and not some orange text. I like that she has included the navigation links at the bottom as well, for easier navigation, although I don’t know if it is necessary for a page that is not very long. Also, the “back to top” links should be farther away from the same colored headings. I didn’t notice that they were there at first because they were the same color.

Some of the spacing on the page should be worked out a little better. Even though it is ideal to keep a resume short, I think you have some more freedom on the internet to make it longer, because the navigation is so easy to do, a person doesn’t necessarily have to read the whole thing. However, since a resume is important, you want everything to stand out. I would recommend making some more important things bigger font. Such as the computer experience section, making the brands of computer technology slightly larger font than the actual programs so that someone who might not know what all the programs are can distinguish software from brand.

One thing that I would like to see more in Carrie’s resume is links. She could make her resume more interactive by including email links at the top. I think that just picking one email address and one phone number to display would be a good idea. Having two at the top could create some confusion on which one to use or maybe create confusion as far as if they are linked to two different people or if one is business or one is personal. Also, links to the places she has worked or examples of her work would be helpful as well. For example, it would be interesting to see what kind of art was featured in the galleries she worked at, if the art pertained to her work or not. Also, she should include some different ways of downloading the resume, so that a potential employer wouldn’t skip downloading Carrie’s resume just because she didn’t offer the right file download type. It doesn’t take up any extra room to include a variety of file types, so I would put down more than one. Something interesting that she could do with the courses section is to make a link to further explanations of the individual courses so that an employer would know what, for example, “Art of Entrepreneurship” is. I don’t know if that is a standard thing to do with web resumes, but it would be an interesting suggestion to make the resume more than just a digital readout of the resume on a black background. Another suggestion is in the references section, to make the sentence “references available upon request” into a link to her email. This way a person doesn’t go through the trouble to follow the anchor link down to the references section only to find a non-fulfilling sentence. Another thing that should be fixed is the title of the page, which still reads as Untitled Document.

Overall, I think that Carrie’s resume is a good start but I don’t think that she is done with it. She uses the meta tags very well, including a lot of keywords and her objective as the description. I think that the site needs links to the downloadable resume and some of her information should be linked out to other pages. Also, I think the alignment is something that should be worked on because as it is now, it is a little hard to read and I don’t think that it flows as well as it could.

resume critique

Good resume: http://www.basilwillis.com/resume/
I like this resume because it sticks to a resume format but makes it even better for the web. The categories are clearly headed and separated and include anchors to and from the top of the page. There are graphics for some of the technologies that he works with as well. There are links to his email and portfolio and also various ways of downloading and viewing the resume. I really like how he states that he "sanitized" the web version so that his personal information is password protected. If this is possible with Dreamweaver, I think this would be a good thing for the class to learn. I think the simple graphics that mark the top and bottom of the page are a good way to tie in the whole site as well. Also, the URL itself is nice and simple and easy to remember.

Bad resume: http://members.aol.com/kmoore4318/
Well, you might think this one is a joke when it first loads. The picture of the guy kind of made me laugh and it would probably be the first thing to turn me away from hiring him. The grammar and spelling are pretty bad and there is not very much organization to the site either. I'm pretty sure my reaction to the long blocks of text would be like any employer - just scroll to the bottom and leave the page. I think this person could have chosen a better place to put his page also because all the AOL ads and banners are pretty distracting.

Also, I thought that http://www.careers.unsw.edu.au/CareerEd/JobApplications/Resumes/badresume.aspx is a good site to look at because it shows a typical student-looking web resume and points out some things that you should not do when making a web resume.

presentation topic - eCommerce

Bookmarks site critique
9/22/06

I reviewed Russell Conway’s bookmarks website of illustrator’s websites. His site contains links and visual previews to various illustrators’ sites.

The navigation of this site is pretty simple in that all you have to do is scroll down. I think it would be better if it was broken down into categories or you knew what kind of illustrators these were or if they were all similar in some way. I think that anchors at the top of the page or some kind of menu or table of contents would be helpful in letting the viewer know where to start. I like that there are visual connections with each link so that it leads you to want to look at the site, although bigger pictures would be easier to see.

The orientation of this site would be a little confusing if you happened to come across this link at random. There is no introduction, title, or stated purpose to the site. You wouldn’t know if these are a particular type of illustrators or just random illustrators. I do like the casual tone of the annotations, like the author of the site is talking to you personally about each one and telling you why you should go to each link. As I was reading through the site I found myself reading, saying to myself “oh, I loved that book, The Stinky Cheeseman when I was little”, and then clicking on the link. I think it is a connection like this that you need to get to your viewers on the site so that your site can be affective. I think that the use of tables with this site could really focus down on the navigation of it and make it flow much more easily.

The content of this website is limited, but good. It has illustrators that have a new and modern feel and keep the viewer interested. I would like to see more illustrators listed. Also, a linking to why the author chose these illustrators, or even the topic of illustrators would be good as well.

This site has a good start but I think it still needs work. It mainly just needs more information and a more organized layout to help you move through the information a bit easier.

Chapter 6

The chapter 6 tutorial offered a lot of problem solving techniques involving text that I wouldn't have thought about. First of all, I think the text groups are a really good idea to use instead of just one text so that you can be sure to get your text looking the way you want it to on your site. I really liked the flash text because not only can you use unusal fonts that will work on other computers but it adds a more animated quality to the site that you wouldn't expect. I didn't have any problems with the chapter as long as I just ignored the parts that didn't correspond between the book and the new version of the program.

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/default.htm

The Cirque du Soleil website offers more than just the abilty to buy tickets to the show. It allows you to go behind the scenes and really experience the feeling of the show. I like this website because it really captures the eerie playfulness feel of the show. A lot of creativity (and good knowledge of flash) has been put into this site. They mixed animation with still photos to create the feeling of the constant movement of the stage while keeping it simple enough to navigate through without getting confused. I like how the normal attributes of a website have been changed but you still know where to click, like the progress bar is acrobats and the drop down menu is stars. These attributes plus the incredible graphics make this site really amazing.

Favorite site analysis
9/16/06
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/default.htm

The website I chose as my favorite is the Cirque du Soleil site. This site offers ticket sales to the various shows, a look behind the scenes of the shows, an online merchandise store, and information about the company itself. I like this site because it is complicated yet still simple. By this, I mean that there is not so much information that you can easily get lost among the pages of the site but there is a level of detail to the site that in a way, lets you experience the show whether you have been to one or not. Also, the graphics really enhance the website and this is essential to the nature of the site. Cirque du Soleil is a visual attraction, featuring the elaborate costumes, set design, movement, dancing and acrobatics of the show.

When you first enter the site, if you didn’t know where you already were, you might not know what site you were at. The only title is in the topmost Internet Explorer bar. I think that the information on the page needs to be bigger because it is kind of hard to read. Also, the thing I find most distracting about the main page is the wide black space between the navigation area and the other information on the page. It makes it seem like something is missing. However, if you went to the site intending on purchasing tickets or viewing information about a specific show, then it is pretty easy to find. Of course, ticket sales are the most important part of this company, so the black void might lead the eye away from the no profit area of the site. Also the clown/mime person is beckoning you with his finger towards the purchase tickets of the site, which is another clever way of encouraging ticket sales from this site.

The navigation of this site might be difficult for some. It is really a website that you should go to wanting to just click around and explore. The main page is simple but there are many places you can go. I think that this site is a mix of an older version of the site and a new version. I think that they upgraded to flash for the more visually pleasing part of the site but kept the non-flash version for more information. I like both views because the flash version is very interesting but the non-flash version offers about one minute video clips of each show and more information about the show. There is really no specific way of going about this website. There is a lot of information in it and all the information wouldn’t pertain to one person, being as their shows are in many locations. I like that they included some “non-touristy” information like how to become part of the cast and who are the sponsors of the show.

I think that there is no question as to the quality of this site. It is very up to date with technology as it offers video, music, and animation along with ticket and merchandise sales. While this site doesn’t offer a lot of information, it provides a good all-around feeling of what the shows are like and what the music for the shows sounds like. I thought it was a pretty entertaining site and spent a lot of time exploring it to see how much it contained. The only problem I have with this site is the strength of the main page. It seems a bit empty and really only leads you to buy tickets, which could have been on purpose.

Bolter, Chapter 1

When reading chapter 1, I found myself disagreeing with the author. It seemed as if he was fearful that the computer would take over the book and print would become a thing of the past. My question is - if digital media overtook print, would that really be a bad thing? While I don’t know if this would happen in the future, I don’t think it would be a bad thing. There are so many advantages of print on the computer that you would think that our society would want be pushing print into the past. Digital media is cheaper and faster than print, not to mention that we’d save a lot of trees if we weren’t printing books. When you think about this subject, you cannot take into consideration the computers we use today because this will obviously not happen any time soon. We have progressed a lot with technology over the last ten years and there is no telling how far we can progress in the future.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 let me explore the different ways of linking. I liked doing the point to file feature better than the other options. Having worked with InDesign, I knew about placeholders already and I liked that this program has that feature too. I didn't understand why when doing an email link, you would have to use the insert tab when you can just type in the email and it automatically turns it into a link. I also thought that the anchors and image maps were a neat feature because it adds a different level of complication to a web site that is easy to do.

Chapter 4

In chapter 4, I was a little confused by the part that leads you through defining a site. However, after I got through that part, it seemed pretty easy. I think that the book does a good job explaining each step very clearly and I found myself going through the chapter quickly. The only problem I had was finding some features that had changed in the new version of the program. I have used Flash before but this was my first time using Dreamweaver and I thought that Dreamweaver was much easier to use and understand than Flash. I like that the design possibilities are numerous but the program is easy to use.