Functional and Usable Design
A functional Web site renders without error and functions as expected:
All internal and external links work
All forms of interactivity function
The page loads quickly
Can enhance Web pages and help to create an engaging, interesting experience.
Popular graphics applications:
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Fireworks
GIMP
Inkscape
Pixlr
Fonts are categorized into "families" based on their characteristics.
The most common font families are
serif
sans-serif
cursive
fantasy
monospace
Contrast:
Two or more page elements display differently in color, size, shape, texture, orientation, position or movement to group or separate elements on the page
Monochromatic Definition
color schemes use varying colors, shades or tints of the same hue. (See Figure 1-6.) Start with a base color, generally darker, and then choose at least two other shades of the base color.
Usability assesses how easy a user interface is to use.
Measures the quality of a person’s experience while interacting with a Website.
Anticipate and responds to the needs of visitors (FAQ)
Visitors can quickly and easily locate needed information
Aesthetic Web Design - Color
Website’s color scheme should enhance the page and help establish or reinforce branding.
Should provide a good contrast
Number of fonts
Use limited number of fonts
Using too many fonts can clutter the document and make it more confusing.
Documents with no more than 2 or 3 font faces look more organized, more streamlined, and more coherent.
Alignment:
The placement, position, orientation and grouping of elements.
Analogous Definition
color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. They are usually a good match and create eye-pleasing effects.
Writing Tips for the Web:
Do not use industry jargon or slang
Be cautious using humor or clever headings
Write headings that clearly communicate the content of the Web page or subtopic
Do not underline text or headings. They may be confused for hyperlinks
The layout helps form relationships and define meaning of page elements
Creates visual hierarchy and visual interest
Increases readability and usability
Font Variations
Two elements in HTML create a bold text appearance, the <b> element and the <strong> element.
The <b> element has no semantic meaning. The <strong> element means "strong emphasis.”
If the purpose in using bold text is to emphasize content or give its meaning importance, the <strong> element is appropriate.
If the purpose is to simply present fatter text, the <b> is appropriate as this is purely cosmetic or stylistic.
Proximity:
Refers to the closeness of elements in a page. Different elements in web pages can be grouped together to create a bigger association. Apart from being similar, the closeness of these elements with each other than other page elements will automatically be paired in the viewer's mind.
Complementary Definition
colors are across from each other on the color wheel.
Accessibility is the practice of making Web sites usable by people of all abilities and disabilities.
Provide text links as an alternative to image links.
Choose a high amount of contrast between page background and text colors.
Do not use color alone to convey meaning, because you will exclude people who are color blind or use screen readers.
Provide alternative text description for images and other visual elements.
Summarize tables and provide headings as appropriate for line-by-line reading.
Provide transcripts for audio and captioning for video.
Should follow the CARP design principles
Contrast
Alignment
Repetition
Proximity
Capitalization
Typing sentences or phrases IN ALL CAPITALS is rarely a good idea. It may make sense under some circumstances, but only rarely.
Repetition:
Repeated elements can include colors, shapes, textures, fonts, typography, graphics, spatial relationships and so on.
Triadic Definition
colors are colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel.
Objectives:
3.1.2: Relate basic components of a Web page (e.g., color, space, written content, typography, images, links, multimedia) to aesthetic, functional and/or usable design principles.
3.1.5: Compare functional and usable design principles, and explain how usability can affect a Website's success.
3.1.6: Critique the aesthetic design, usability and accessibility of sample Web sites.
What does aesthetics mean?
The look and feel of a Web site
How engaging it is to viewers
Invites exploration, etc.
Serif fonts
Serif fonts are characterized by the flared extensions, or strokes, on the tips of such letters as f, l, and i, as seen in the screen shot below:
Serif fonts also usually have a combination of thick and thin strokes, as seen in the curve of the letter "f" above.
Examples of serif fonts include
Times New Roman
Georgia
Book Antiqua
The layout helps form relationships and define meaning of page elements
Creates visual hierarchy and visual interest
Increases readability and usability
Primary colors:
Red
Blue
Green