the art of the book
This interactive website was created on my own to showcase the art of bookbinding and is an example of developing content for a learner to use to further knowledge on a specific subject.
COMPETENCIES DEMONSTRATED:
This artifact represents my ability to structure a learning system designed to inform the end user of a topic of choice. Delivered through the web, this site highlights the ability to use JavaScript, HTML and CSS while adhering to sound design principles such as the use of color scheme, white space and layout of objects.
| Utilizing the design principals outlined in The Principals of Beautiful Web Design (Beaird, 2007) and CSS for styling, each student was required to complete a web site based on content of their preference. I choose to create mine based on one of my hobbies, bookbinding. Prior to developing the site, a mockup was created to get a sense of the overall look and feel. The design plan is important for a few reasons. First, it allows you to think through how you want the final site to appear. It also forces you to think through how each page is connected to one another to provide a seamless experience for the user. Lastly in the professional world, a draft is a key requirement for clients prior to signing off and allowing the development to occur. It's usually the first time they are seeing their requirements visualized by the designer and is meant to provide a visual representation of the actual body of work. | |
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| After the first draft of the site was created, usability testing was conducted by two classmates and an outside resource. This phase of development allows others to thoroughly evaluate the site from a user's perspective and aids in catching items that need to be debugged. | |
The website went through a series of changes prior to being finalized. The results of the usability testing was taken into consideration and elements were modified based on a prioritized set of recommendations. My final site was score 19.8 out of 20 possible points. |
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| This process taught me a lot about good, sound design. My site used many images and one thing I learned was the importance of naming conventions to quickly locate items. Organization of objects into folders for easy access was also key. Though I had worked with CSS sheets in previous assignments, this final project truly highlighted for me the importance and usefulness of them because I was juggling multiple pages. If I had had more time, I would have liked to learn more javascript to make the site even more dynamic. I feel like I've just scratched the surface of what JS can do. | |
references
Beaird (2007). The Principals of Beautiful Web Design. Sitepoint
Wyke-Smith (2005). Stylin' with CSS. A Designer's Guide. New Riders