Web design principles for common and expert users

Web Design Evolution for Common vs. Expert Users

Anyone with basic computer skills can create web materials using some very simple stages and steps, the most important of which are, understanding client/organization goals and intentions, design, function, technical (hardware) support, universal usability and then these are elaborated on based upon the host organizations goals and intentions.

New approachability to web design.

Web design basic principles.

Understanding client/organization goals and intentions

Designer understanding of mission statement for broader organization.

Designer understanding of goals and objectives for website.

Basic functional steps of web page as reflected by goals and intentions.

Designer understanding of creating and implementing needed elements of webpage.

Function

Designer Offline and Online testing of links and processes of website prior to going live.

Client Offline and Online testing of links and processes of website prior to going live.

User Offline and Online testing of links and processes of website prior to going live.

Technical (hardware) support

Assurance that all technology is in place to support webpage, by proxy or internal server.

Outside or internal support for security associated with information and/or e-currency transactions.

Universal usability

Online testing by user, client and developer once live.

Rapid response to support issues, with regard to technical problems with site or usability questions and concerns.

Summary

Introduction

Web design is a complex process that involves the development of web materials and information that fits the goals of the function and/or organization that is being developed on a website. (Lopuck 37) the development of web pages has often been thought of as a specialized area of expertise to be tackled by those who are trained in the tools used to create them, yet more recently designers have developed tools that allow any user to create web pages and host them without understanding the basic software applications that are normally used to do so. (Castro 13) Web pages, to a large degree have become an area of commonality, where nearly anyone with the ability to follow directions and use a PC can build a webpage, through basic design principles with limited skills. This trend creates a need for more basic understandings of web design that create usable pages that match the intention of the client and the purpose of the website and pages.

Mayhew 4)

This dummying down of process, has created a system that allows anyone with basic computer skills to create web materials using some very simple stages and steps, the most important of which are; client/organization goals and intentions, design, function, technical (hardware) support, universal usability and then these are elaborated on based upon the host organizations goals and intentions, for both the website and the broader organization.

Edlund 22) These five basic principles of web design will form the basis of the thesis of this work and will be elaborated on with more specific details about the steps of each principle. The major trend in web design today, which includes the teaching of the basics of web design is to stress that utilization of existing writing skills and graphic placement skills is only part of the answer to good web design. The novice designer must also understand design principles as well as the finite web design processes that when used together make the design universally usable, meaning usable and functional on both ends, sending and receiving information. (Karper 340)

Understanding Client/Organizations Goals and Intentions

The most basic principle of web design is the development of a core understanding of what it is the client (in some cases one and the same as the developer) wants the design (resulting page or site) to do. If this stage is skipped the whole of the project can be scrapped without remorse as the design will certainly not meet the clients' needs or the users' needs if this information is lacking from the design. The designer may need to meet with client representatives, research with and independently from the client and build a repituar of what it is that the client needs and it seeking from the organizations' web presence.

This step should begin with a greater understanding of the broader mission of the organization.

Hoffman, Coffey, Novak, and Canas 170) if the client and the designer are one in the same the organization/individual may even need to formalize a mission statement and apply it to the process of web design. Research may need to be done to understand what it is the broader organization does, as an application of their mission and goals. General research, organization maps and a clear understanding of trade lingo may be essential to development of a web product that reflects the needs of the client and links the client with the user in a format that reflects the intentions of the client.

Once the above information is clear the web design process begins, first by developing another set of information regarding the desire of the client for the functioning of the website. In other words; What does the client want the website to do? If the website is simply a bridge to the client for information the site can be designed using basic principles and a good set of examples from the web, that reflect similar clients, the applications used by the comparable and the ease of use of the pages in the designs. This process can be done independently and then shared with te client to see if a middle ground has been met, between the client and designer. If the website will have purchasing functions, then the designer must use existing resources of the client to help create this function or research and apply for services from web-based alternative purchasing systems.

Chan, Lee, Dillon, and Chang 285)the complexities of these systems often require additional contact with intentions and challenges posed to an external provider or an internal it provider that has an existing knowledge of the needs of an e-commerce site. Bottom line, the designer and client must have a mutually clear, non-shifting, understanding of what the function of the web materials will be and if they meet the needs and standards of the broader organization. (Lopuck 37-44)

Karper 340)

For this reason, relative examples, as explained in the previous subheading may provide the best clues for how the website should look in HTML and in a browser. The work must be balanced and usable, on every level and must be supported by the system it is intending to serve to update content and repair bad links and other such issues.

Dix 42) Balance, color, content accuracy, and most of all simplicity interspersed in a very usable format are the keys to web design, beyond the basic principles of writing in HTML. To some degree the issue of professionalism and the ethics to seek out greater knowledge when the designer is facing information he or she does not yet know is also essential to meeting the clients' and users' needs.

Zhu, Vu, and Proctor 324)

Function

Once a web page is created, utilizing basic design principles, such as clarity, balance, proper editing of text and other design and ease of use principles it is essential that the designer, client and proposed user test the functionality of the webpage, prior to it going live, or being uploaded to a live web server. The designer needs to see that the functionality of the page is associated with all the basic research and information that had been given to him or her at the onset and that the design meets the clients, needs as the designer understands them to be.

The client must test the functionality of the page, before it goes live to see that the webpage does everything they envisioned it doing, now and in the future and everything they believe they communicated to the designer at the onset. Simply viewing the page, especially in print for will not suffice, as the client must utlize the page in hypertext form, see how it makes them feel and see if it is reflective of their needs.

A user (even a plant user) must also view and interact with the design, offering feedback about how it functions, how it makes them feel and how motivated they might be to use it in the future. If the site is an information only site the user might be asked if they learned novel information about the organization and its intentions if they believe such information is available elsewhere or if they are moved by the information to act, if that is the intent. If the site offers sales of merchandise the view-ability and accuracy of the merchandise might be reviewed as well as the functionality of the internal or external purchasing support. These three fundamental tests should be conducted and then the designer should go back and make any changes he or she thinks need made based upon the directives of the organization. Additionally, end users become test subjects, and the support of the design must be reflective of the whole system.

Dix 42)

Technical (Hardware Support)

The best possible web design for any purpose is useless without assurance that the equipment to support it exists and is online. The designer may need to meet with the it support staff and depending on the needs and access of the site the designer may need to direct the organization to purchase additional technology or subscribe to additional resources to offer and serve the site as it needs. "Sometimes it is easier to start with broader sets of principles, such as procedures for overriding, technology, people/organization, systems management/tools and processes. These can then be augmented or refined as needed for particular projects." (Edlund 22) Server, either internal or external must be equipped to serve the level of traffic on the site that is expected and the software and technology used for processing secure transactions must be in place if the design features purchasing options.

Because any complete e-business solution is necessarily an amalgam of different technologies and disciplines, it is almost impossible to separately address network design (or any other aspect) outside the context of related application development, systems integration, management and security issues. For the sake of brevity, and before we introduce these principles, let's assume that we are about to develop a typical e-business website. Because it will be part of a corporate extranet and will support transactions (sales, database inquiry, other I/O functions), it must meet general, basic requirements for high availability, functionality and performance. To these we add the core systems and network management disciplines: problem management, change management, performance management, availability management and security.

Edlund 22)

The designer must understand the technological functions needed to support his or her design and if he or she does not them he or she needs to know where to look and who to ask for such information.

Universal Usability

Universal usability is defined as the ability of the client, designer and the user to access and easily use all the functional capacities of a design. To facilitate this the practice must begin with good design, as is associated with design principles and the proper software and hardware support for it.

Not only does this mean that end users become test subjects, but the distributed nature of the Web makes it hard to observe them in actual use. However, the fact that the Web is intrinsically networked and that much of this goes through a single server can also have advantages. It is possible to use logs of Web behavior to search for potential usability problems. For example, in an e-commerce site, we may analyze the logs and find that many visitors leave the site at a particular page. If this is the postsale page we would be happy, but if it is before they make a purchase, then we may want to analyze that page in detail. This may involve bringing in some test subjects and trying them out on a task that involves the problematic page, it may be to use detailed heuristics in that page, or it may be simply to eyeball it.

Dix 42)

The client and the designer must be ensured through access to the site that it is being used effectively and efficiently, to as great a degree as possible. The process begins with the initial design research and development and then the pre-live testing. The concept of universal usability is one of intrinsic importance as the design is of no use if it does not do what was intended by it and if it does not create an experience of universal usability for further development and support.

Design becomes additionally useless if the site is not supported by the organization that asked for its development in the first place. The need for rapid response to technical and usability issues is essential, and relying on simple feedback for users is not always key, because the user cannot be watched to see if the site is hit but not used or if the user is simply so frustrated with the design that he or she logs off without linking to any other additional information. Rapid response time on queries regarding website use and any other functional problems should be in place prior to going live with any page. Finally, the role of support is also to develop a set of guiding statistics to understand and view data supporting the use of a design, in other words the number of hits vs. The number of users, how long they stayed to look (or buy), and if they offer feedback about the design.

Summary

This work describes the basic trend of web design, becoming much more easy to do. Novice designers must then seek out software, information and research that helps them key in to what it is the client needs form their services and respond with a design that meets the criteria for good design and technological and universal usability. Designing functional websites, with the basic principles and tools of design, as well as ability to use a PC, basic HTML software and most importantly translate the needs of the client to the design being produced is an essential creative process that must be supported by end user reactions and use.