FIT3084: Web Site Design & Information Architecture

In the previous lecture:

• Labels may be textual or iconic but they should always be clear and assist the user in moving through a body of information.

In this lecture:

• Designing a website is an on-going process
  
  
• Consider the page layout, typefaces, colours, sounds and imagery...
  
  
• Consider organisation of information on the pages and between pages
  
  
• Always consider your audience and the goal of the site.

The web design algorithm... Plan Plan Plan Plan Plan Plan Plan Execute Test Goto step 1 ...an infinite loop!

References

• Lynch, P.J., Horton, S. "Web Style Guide", Yale Univeristy Press, 1999 (or later edition), Chpt 1,2,3
• Rosenfeld, L., Morville, P. "Information Architecture for the World Wide Web", O'Reilly, 1998, Chpt 7,8

A Vital Note On Copyright

• DO NOT use any material (images, text, programs or anything else) on your web page from any source unless you have explicit, written permission from the author to do so....
  
  
• This means for example that in general (and especially for your assignments) you may:
  
  NOT scan in, nor copy images already on the web, for inclusion in your own web pages,
  
  NOT even if you alter them in some way yourself,
  
  NOT even if they are supposedly public domain.
  
  NOT hyper-link to an image created by another person to include it in your own web page.
  
  (You may link to the entire web page in which the image originally appears however.)
  
  
• It is better from a copyright standpoint (also from the standpoint of interesting web design) to create all your own imagery.
  
  
• Quotations taken from published sources must be clearly and fully referenced immediately following the cited text.
  (Not buried somewhere on a separate page.)
  
  
• Explicitly protect your work by placing a copyright notice on your homepage.
  
  
• An example copyright case.
• An example of why using clip-art may have undesirable side-effects.

Q: What is good design?

A: It depends on the design goals... set these before beginning to design!

VW and Ferrari design excellent cars but, a combi-wagon would not be a good racing car, nor would a Ferrari be of much use as transport for a hippy commune.

A Sample Web Site Design Brief

Identify (for the site) the

Four major themes of information delivery (Lynch & Horton, "Web Style Guide", pp. 31)

Information Architecture

Information architecture refers to the process of organising information to enable:

• users to locate the information they require
  
  
• users to know their current location in a sea of information
  
  
• information organisers to easily maintain a large collection of information

For each site, depict the result of this organisation in a branching diagram...

Common site elements to consider: Home/Main pages Menus and Subsites Resource Lists, Related Sites pages Tables of Contents, Site Indexes and Maps Search Features Latest News pages Contact Information and User Feedback FAQs Custom error pages

Employing an Organisation Scheme

Organization scheme : the system of using shared characteristics of content items to govern how they will be grouped.

Hybrid schemes

Combine the above schemes with care - avoid confusing the user with multiple organization models.

Organisation structure : the arrangement and types of relationships established between (groups of) content items.

Sequential (Linear)

	terminating sequence
	looping sequence with a "digression"

Hierarchical (Tree)

Deep hierarchy	Broad hierarchy

Grid-based	Wheel

Web	Database
	The database model requires data to be sectioned into strictly defined records. It is therefore most suitable for homogeneous data. This can then be accessed via user queries.

Choosing an Appropriate Structure

Answer these questions in your own time:

Where might the web and database arrangements sit on this graph? What arrangement might you use for explaining how to bake bread? Why? What arrangement might you use for describing how to fix a broken-down car? Why? What is an example of an instance when the grid might be useful? Head to your favourite (or any random) website. What organisation structures and schemes have they employed? Have they been used appropriately?

• Ensure everything is spelled out in writing and agreed upon before you start coding XHTML
  
  
• In particular, determine your audience and their requirements to establish the goals for a site
  
  
• Decide how the information on your site will be organised using appropriate organisation schemes and structures.

Courseware | Lecture notes

©Copyright Alan Dorin 2009