Ch 6 Site Seeing

-The fundamental elements of web pages are: Page footers, body text, links, navigation systems, images, site IDs, forms. Not every web site needs to have all of the fundamental elements. Unique combinations of these common elements make the web useful an exciting.

-Site elements reinforce and help establish site personality. Even the amount of elements says something. Sites with a lot of information often have a lot of navigation, whereas some sites meant for entertainment, such as ones for movies, have less navigation.

-Navigation should be visually organized so the audience can expect certain types of behaviors from their selections.

-The minimalist button is current look for buttons. It provides a much cleaner look on the web site. 3-dimensional looking buttons were more common through out the history of the web, but now less is more.

-Having several different ways of navigation is a good idea as well. People like having alternatives for navigation so that they can move freely through the web site.

-The role of navigation is to get the user to their destination and then be out of the way so that the user can focus on the content. The best navigation systems are the ones that are barely visible.

-Body text carries a lot of visual weight and should be taken into consideration visually. Text on a monitor is also harder to read. With that said, text should be limited, or broken into smaller blocks so it is easier to read.

-Font size is also important, as well as line length, and font choice. It is about having easily readable text.

-Images elicit interest in a web page. They create visual interest by breaking up the text. They play a quick and effective role in communicating personality.

-Footers are common not just in web pages, but also books and TV. Footers give us information about the web site. Such as the designer, Site ID, a contact link, and copyright & privacy information. The date of the last updated information is important to have as well. I hate coming across a site that I think is current and find out that it hasn't been updated in 3 or 4 years, but at least the footer tells me that.