Design Theory Site Design Page Design Multimedia & Web Page Design Principles: Simplicity MultiMedia Teacher Resources Table of Contents Home Page Copyright © 1999 by Bonnie Skaalid

Although gaining attention is an important part of any communication act, it is important to try to keep your message as simple as possible [1]. Use only the amount of text and graphics as is absolutely necessary to get your point across Superfluous graphics can interfere with understanding [2,3] An overabundance of fonts or colors can distract rather than assist learning. Decisions Concerning Simplicity in this Site There were several decisions which contribute to simplicity in this site. Pages for the most part are made up mostly of text, with titles saved as gifs added for decorative effect. The navigation boxes at the side and the bottom are text-based rather than buttons in order to speed up loading and make the page readable to those browsers with graphics turned off. Color is constant from page to page and graphics only appear when they will clarify a point in the text. [1] Schwier, R., & Misanchuk, E. (1993) Interactive multimedia instruction. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, Inc. [2] Anglin, G., Towers, R., & Levie, H. (1996). Visual message design and learning: The role of static and dynamic illustrations. In D.H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology . New York: Simon and Schuster Macmillan. [3] Levie, W.H. & Lentz, R. (1982). Effects of text illustrations: A review of research. Educational Communications and Technology Journal, 30 (4), 195-232.   MM & Web Page Design Principles: [Simplicity] [Consistency] [Clarity] [Balance] [Harmony & Unity] Page Design:[Multimedia & Web Page Design Principles] [Screen Design Research] [Screen Resolution & Size] [Writing Style] Main Level: [Home Page] [Design Theory][Site Design] [Page Design] [MultiMedia] [Teacher Resources] [Table of Contents]