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Dr. B.'s |
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Things to
Consider
When Creating Web Pages |
The content of the page is what you are
offering.
It should be meaningful and worth the time it
takes to read it. You also want to hold the viewer's attention long enough to get your
message across. Since this is a visual medium, you want to have a site that is attractive
to the eye, but does not overload the senses. Here are a few helpful hints that I have
learned from my own experience of surfing the web. Be Kind to the viewer's eyes,
ears and patience.
(Click on any bar to continue down the page.)
1 - Be kind to the viewer's
eyes.
Backgrounds
- First choose a color that contrasts with the
print.
(Even if you intend to use a GIF or JPEG) The color background will load right away and
allow the viewer to begin reading your information while waiting for a special background
to load. If you have white or light color font, it will not be legible on a white
background. If the surfer happens to have a slow modem, s/he will be staring at a blank
page until your special background loads. With so many sites to view, people do not waste
time with pages that they cannot read. They simply move on to the next site.
- Let the background remain in the background.
If you use a special background GIF or JPEG, it
too should be a good contrast to the print. It should not be so colorful and/or busy that
it detracts from your message, or makes your print hard to read.
Font size and color
- Create your message in a large enough type
that it is easy to read, but not so large that it jumps in the reader's face. (Not
all browsers have the luxury of being able to change font size at the push of a button as
the viewer surfs from site to site.)
- Choose a font color that is in contrast to the
background,
but not so bright that it makes the viewer's eye water and blink. Be subtle. The standard
default font is Times Roman. You have a choice of colors, sizes, bold & italics. That
is quite enough to work with to create an attractive page.
- Do not use several different color fonts in
the body of your message (unless your are intending to create a rainbow).
Italics or bold type are great for emphasis where needed. Hypertext automatically
changes the color of the font. Too many changes in font color is confusing to the viewer.
- DO NOT underline words. Underlines are reserved to indicate
hypertext. The reader will be expecting to access additional information when the word is
underlined.
- If you have a lengthy message, break up the
visual monotony. Add a subtle image ever so often, and use it to link to more text
further down the page. Scrolling to read is hard on the eyes. A simple attractive bar can
be used to help the reader along. Up or down buttons strategically placed are also
helpful.
.
2 - Be kind to the surfer's ears. Music adds a nice touch to a
web page if used appropriately.
- Select a piece that complements your message.
Let the music be the last thing you add to your webpage, a finishing touch. Place your
midi file tag at the top of your page and it will be among the first things to load for
the viewer. If the music is pleasant, it will hold the viewer there while the rest of your
page is loading.
- Let the music stay in the background.
Remember that the content of your message is what is important. Soft soothing music makes
the viewer feel welcome to stay and explore your pages, actually taking the time to read
what you have so laboriously preserved.
- Loud, glaring music distracts the viewer from
your message. The surfer may either get caught up in the music and not carefully
read what you have to say, or be disturbed by the music and move on to another site.
Either way you have not accomplished your purpose for having a presence on the web
(unless, of course, your purpose is to present the music you have posted). But if you have
text, I presume you intend for the viewer to read it.
.
3 - Be kind to the viewer's
patience.
Images
- Images should enhance your pages, not dominate
them. Heavy images take a long time to load. Use them sparingly. If you load your
pages down with images, you will lose your reader before your message is read. The viewer
may either get tired of waiting for them to load and move on, or spend the time looking at
all of your cute images rather than the message.
- Choose images that complement your message.
Do not just put an image on your page because it is cute; go for relevancy and visual
effect. Your first page is like the cover of a book. You want to make it visually
appealing and welcome the viewer into your web space to explore more.
- Check to make sure that all of your images
have been uploaded to your server (otherwise they will not show). A quick way to
check is by viewing the document source. The image should be identified by its name with
no reference to your file on your hard drive.
- Allow the viewer to begin reading your
information even while your images are loading. If you belong to a web ring
requiring that you place an icon on your page, place it at the bottom rather than the top.
Or better yet, place it on a different page within your site rather than on your beginning
page. After all your site is your place in cyberspace. You don't want to send the
surfer to another site before your own gets read.
Navigation
- Make your site easy to navigate. Don't
assume that everyone is an experienced surfer. Give instructions to the reader as to how
to move around within your web site. Make certain that each of your pages has, at the very
least, a link back to your home page.
- Check all of your links to make sure they work
the way you intend. They should be linked to a URL on the Web, not your hard
drive.
.
The above advice is simply
what I have found to work best for me. The links below will lead you to advice from the
experts. These are a few good resources to get your technical questions answered and to
help spruce up your pages:
Where to get help from
LAUSDnet
FYI
Dr. Carolyn O. Burleson -
Instructor
E-mail - cburleso@lausd.k12.ca.us
*Newly Scheduled Classes
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Lincoln_HS/DHS/fall_2001.htm
© 1998 - C.O. Burleson
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