Ch 1 of the Text Book

Here are 5 key points from Chapter one of the lovely textbook that we are using.

-Know what you want to say: The first time a web site is visited, several things run through the users mind. What should be immediately portrayed is, what this web site is about and for. I know when I come to a web page and I can't tell what it is for, it is frustrating and I generally leave the page quickly.

-Know your targeted user or audience: A web page should be easily identifiable by someone of the audience you're looking for. Thats not to say it should follow a cookie cutter design for the topic the web page is about, but based on the easily viewable content, they should have an idea as to what the web page contains.

-What is the user looking for? Is the user going to be able to access what they want to easily? What would this user generally come to the web page for? Is it easy for them to find what they need? Or is it buried behind a dark trail of links?

-A site should be organized. "Unlike books and cities, the Web lacks any "real" physical structure. As a result, web users are often landmark-less and unable to understand "where" they are within a site." This is where navigation of a web site is very important.

-Determine the content of the site. What information is needed. Where should it go? The audience determines the content of the site. Some of the content could be very irrelevant.