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Planning and Designing Your Web Page

Contents:

  1. Planning a Web Page
  2. Web Page Design Checklist

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Planning a Web Page
Because anyone can publish on the Web, you'll see all kinds of poorly designed, hard-to-read pages. So before you begin creating your Web presentation, you need to do some planning.
To begin designing your Web presentation, answer the following questions:
  • What's the purpose of this Web presentation?
  • What audience am I trying to reach and how does that affect my presentation?
  • What information am I trying to convey?
  • How will I organize the information?
  • What should the home or top page have on it to attract visitors?

After defining the goals of your Web presentation, you should define the structure on paper; that is, draw all the pages, define all the links, and make all your decisions before you start to code.
Use the top page or home page to organize the entire site. Create a list that links to all next level pages. Use a consistent layout for each page in the presentation; that is, use the same background, the same buttons in the same location on each page, and consistent type.
A good rule to rememeber at this point is to include only one topic per page; keep the pages short enough so that the user doesn't have to scroll to see the entire page. Don't include a large graphic at the top of the page, which will take too long to load.
Once you know what you want to say and how you want to present it, you're ready to write the content of the presentation. When writing for online publication, you should follow the guidelines in the Web Page Design Checklist.

Web Page Design Checklist
  • Be brief - use lists whenever possible; use short words in short sentences
  • Be clear - avoid vague words
  • Use simple language - avoid extra words1
  • Check your spelling and grammar - the world can visit your site
  • Use the following features to tie the presentation together:
    • Use hypertext lists or menus
    • Include a link only if it's a useful way to relevant information
    • Use consistent terminology throughout the presentation
    • Use consistent icons throughout the presentation
    • Use the same banner or logo on each page
    • Use consistent layout for each page of the presentation
    • Include a way back to the home page on each page and place it in the same location on each page
    • Make sure all links are current
    • Include a graphic only if it relates to the content
    • Include alternative text with every graphic
    • Make sure each page can stand alone yet remains consistent with the rest of the site
    • Don't overdo emphasizing or formatting text
    • Make sure the text stands out from the background
    • Use lines to separate sections of the page
  • Try out the presentation in more than one browser
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