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6. Web sites need structure!
Instructional Web sites are a staple of distributed learning environments. Let's
review some basic design fundamentals of Web sites.
Organize your content
A Web site contains the following basic elements: a Home page, graphic
or text menus, information screens, and hyperlinks to other sites.
To move from a collection of materials to the creation of a Web site,
you first will need to organize your information.
Divide written information into logical units
Discrete, succinct 'chunks' of information are easier to read on a
computer screen. Limit each page that contains print information to
no more than the equivalent of three pages of typed text information.
Be flexible and rely on your common sense when subdividing and organizing
your information. While longer documents are harder to read on screen,
they are easier to maintain and download for printing. Consider the
preferences of your target audiences as you organize your site.
Break up large blocks of text
Minimize large grey masses of print. If you have extensive text information
on your site, consider creating narrower columns of text.
Most Web pages contain lines of text which are too long to be easily
read. A reader's comfortable eye span is 40 to 60 characters per line
on a computer screen. One of the easiest ways to control the format
of text passages is to place the text within tables on your Web pages.
The borders of the tables may be invisible, if desired.
Create a visual hierarchy
Organize the content on your page so that it is logical and predictable.
Place elements such as headings consistently from one page to the
next. In the beginning start with a simple design, complex designs
are difficult to implement successfully. Use tables (without borders)
to establish the layout of the page.
From Yale Web Style Guide
Establish a style guide for your site
To ensure a uniform, professional look to the courses within a program,
it is essential to establish a set of parameters for the visual elements
in both the online and print materials. These guidelines should include
information about the font, size, and color of the following elements:
- normal type
- headings
- subheading(s)
- how emphasis will be added.
In general, use 10 to 12 pt. Times or Arial font for the normal text within your
site.
Content specialists often draft content using a word processing program
to create documents that are then converted to HTML. If this is the
practice in your project, be aware that automatic functions such as
tabs and footnotes may disappear in the process. Ask for samples of
their work to assess whether their word processing formatting strategies
are likely to cause problems later.
Evaluate the functional and aesthetic merits of your design
Create a prototype of your site. Your prototype may be a simplified
version of part of your Web site, or your design might be simply drawn
on paper. Show your prototype to others and get their feedback about
your design. Good Web site designs enable users to quickly obtain
information they need. Will the design of your site make intuitive
sense to users?
© 2002 Academic Technologies
for Learning, University of Alberta.
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