This document discusses the author's thoughts on design after taking a course that focused on design principles. The author focuses on design in terms of context, usability, and functionality rather than McCloud's six steps of design. The author emphasizes considering the audience and intended use when designing. Usability and ensuring the design can be easily used for its intended purpose are also important. Functionality relates to whether each part of the design serves a clear purpose. The author then discusses their process for designing a website about nonfiction text features for students, applying principles of context, usability, and functionality. User and peer feedback was incorporated to improve the design. The author concludes by discussing the importance of design skills for online content and the need for

1. Shawn Telford
CEP 817
April 2011
Thoughts on Design
In thinking about design as this course progressed, I do not find that my thinking
revolves around McCloud’s six steps of Idea/Purpose, Form, Idiom/Genre, Structure,
Craft, Surface and User Testing. While these elements are important, I find it easier to
focus on design in regards to Context, Usability, and Functionality.
Context
New designs often spring from dissatisfaction with old, as times change, the
needs of people change. It follows that design needs to change with the times. Also,
some designs might work for one situation and not another. One example of this was in
our Good/Bad Design presentation of the window in the bathroom over the bathtub. At
one time in our history, people mostly bathed in the tub instead of taking a shower.
Having a window high enough above the tub would be fine for this purpose as it allows
for ventilation and air flow. Obviously this does not work in the situation presented in
the design example from Florida, as bathtubs are considered areas of safety during a
hurricane. This is an example of a design that may have been fine in the past when
people took baths instead of showers, but does not work in most situations now and
certainly not in hurricane zones.
In thinking about context in terms of web design, designers need to consider their
audience and how the site will be used. For our assignment, we needed to create a site
that teaches a concept to our end user, whether it be a young student or an adult in the
professional workplace. Our audience should be the driving force behind the decisions

2. we make creating the site and the type of content we add. It also matters how simple or
complicated that site can be and how much information can be presented on a page.
All of these things have an impact on the final creation of the site, but in different ways
to each of us. All of these decisions lead to whether the site will be usable by our
intended audience.
Usability
If a design doesn’t work for the end user (or majority of end users) is it a failure?
I would say, “Yes.” If the end user cannot use the design for its intended purpose, then
it becomes art. Usability relates to the ease of use. I encounter usability issues often in
the classroom. There are tons of books and websites that have printable worksheets
for students. I find that I often have to redesign these worksheets because some aspect
is not user friendly for my students. The concept is there, but the layout or font or
spacing is awkward and cluttered. Sometimes there are too many things crammed on
the page or students cannot figure out where to write the answer. Other times there are
too many distracting graphics or the lines given to write the answer are too close
together for young students who still have large handwriting. I end up taking the
concept and reconfiguring it so my students will be more successful in completing the
activity.
Usability is a very important consideration in creating our websites for this class.
Each of us was given the task of teaching a concept to students through a variety of
media. The web now offers an endless selection of technologies to use, but as
designers we needed to choose the options that provided the greatest usability for our
audiences. One of my original ideas was to create a slide show displaying different

3. types of nonfiction text features. I went to my favorite resource to look at my options
(http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/). There were over 50 sites that will let you
do something with pictures or photos. Many of them were variations on a slide show
format. I wanted a slide show where I could add audio, so that narrowed it down. I also
wanted one that would be easy for my students to use or where I could embed it into my
page. After a long search keeping my parameters in mind, I ended up checking out
VoiceThread to see if that would fit my needs. Even though it is not a slide show
program, it turned out to be exactly what I wanted – easy to use and a great way to
present the concepts to my students. In my user testing, it turned out to be a favorite
part of my website.
Usability also applies to the end user being able to use the website to do the job
you intended it to do. I wanted my students to learn about nonfiction text features.
Each time I added a new presentation tool, I questioned whether this tool would teach
the information in a way that was easily accessed by my audience. I also want teachers
to be able to use my site to help them teach this concept in their classrooms, too.
Functionality
Functionality relates to usability, but where usability is the ease of use,
functionality refers to whether the parts serve a purpose. It goes back to whether
something is art or not. If there are parts on the website that do not have a job that
furthers the content of the site, then it is more like art – nice to look at, but nothing more.
In thinking of a site I once saw that had an overwhelming number of flashing, blinking
pieces of clip art scattered around, those icons were art, which did not further the
content of the site in any way. The blinking detracted from the message of the site,

4. because it was so visually distracting. To me, this reduced the functionality of the site
because I had to wade through the commotion to find the content. Some people might
say the flashing, blinking clipart represents creativity. I would say that since it distracted
from the main purpose of the site, it was not functional.
In creating my site, I wanted each part to serve a function to further the user’s
knowledge of nonfiction text features. I wanted to use a variety of ways to present the
information, but still keep it functional. When looking for a technology to use to present
the material, I always asked myself if this was the best technology for my purpose or
was I choosing it just to be different. This was a major consideration in choosing
VoiceThread, as stated earlier. It was usable and functional for the purpose of
presenting my material.
My Design
In deciding on a topic for my site, I wanted to do a project for language arts since
I really have not done a major language arts based project since one of my first classes.
I also wanted a topic that was not going to be tied only to second graders, as I might be
teaching a different grade next year and wanted something that I could “grow” in the
future without starting from scratch. The topic I decided to present was nonfiction text
features.
Our first assignment was to come up with an introduction that did not follow the
standard PowerPoint format and my first thought was to use Prezi. I had wanted a
reason to try it out. I found it quite intimidating at first. It was intimidating for two

5. reasons: one it was a huge blank canvas and two because I am a more linear thinker.
Once I got started, however, I liked the freedom and creativity it inspired.
Our second addition to the site was to use a tool we had researched as a group.
I was lucky to have learned about LibraryThing in my group project and was able to
apply it to my site. I want students to be able to connect their learning in my site to real
life, so I thought it would be good to give short book recommendations to books I have
in my collection (and that can be found in the library) so kids can apply their learning on
the site to real life context with books. LibraryThing offers code for embedding
purposes that puts a nice, visual icon that allows students to click on an interesting book
to get the recommendation and then click through to the site, if they so choose.
True work on my BK project began after I jotted some notes and let it simmer in
my mind a while. Then it was time to sit down in front of the screen. From then on it
became a process of adding things and moving them around on the screen, walking
away from it, and then returning to add more and move more things around. I was
thankful that this was not my first website. One of the things I realized in this class is,
like most everything else, the more you do it, the easier it gets. You learn “work-
arounds” to get things to appear as you want them.
I wanted to use Glogster to make a poster showing information about using a
Table of Contents, but ran into lots of problems. Sometimes the program would not let
me in or would not load. Then I would work on it a little bit, but it would not let me save
it. So I started looking for an alternative and came across Nota. This was suggested in
a blog as an alternative to Glogster. In my search for an alternative, I also found sites
where there were lots of complaints about Glogster and its issues (similar to what I was

6. seeing). As frequent users of technology, we get so used to expecting technology to
work like it is supposed to; it is very frustrating when it does not.
After exploring Nota, it just did not have the design pizzazz of Glogster. I spoke
with a coworker who had used Glogster with her students and did not have any
problems, so I went back to Glogster and tried again. This time I was able to get
everything to work and I could finish my posters. In the end I was glad that I stuck with
Glogster, as I really like the visual appeal and now that I have used it, I feel more
confident trying it out with my students.
At this point in the design process, I looked at the text features I still wanted to
include in my site, but realized I needed to organize them into groups so I did not end
up with a dozen mini-presentations. I decided to group the remaining topics into 3 main
categories. A side goal was to use programs outside of my usual repertoire to get
familiar with them, so that I might be able to use them in the classroom with my
students. That goal needed to be managed in light of having the best finished product
for my project. The context/usability/functionality balancing act came into play. I spent
some time looking at the http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/ wiki to get some
ideas of programs that I might use to present my information (refer back to my thoughts
about VoiceThread).
Content for my site was underway, but I wanted some initial feedback on the
general look of the site. I liked the colors I first chose for my site (black background on
the sides with a yellow banner across the top, center section for content was white
background with black words). I had made a coordinating Wordle that looked very
sharp. I liked the look, but felt it was not quite right, so I ran it by my husband for a

7. second opinion. He agreed that the look was great, but not for my audience. It looked
too sophisticated for second graders. I started playing around with other designs (in
Weebly) and came up with something that looked more appropriate. For some reason, I
had really wanted black along the sides, but there was not a choice that allowed that
and the type of heading that would accommodate photos. I know enough HTML to get
everything messed up and get it back to where it was, but not to do any major stuff. I
found a template that was simple and uncluttered that also let me add my own
photographs. I tried it, but still was not sure it was “the one,” so I let the design “sit” for
a while. In the end I really like the cleanliness of an all white page. It adds to the simple
look I was going for. I added pictures of my students reading nonfiction and redid the
Wordle with complementary colors. I really like the final look.
A great part of the course (and one of McCloud's six steps) was to have our
group members critique the websites we each created. I found the feedback from other
educators who are familiar with web design to be very valuable. One of the suggestions
I received was to add a blog to my site. I had not considered that before, but I liked the
idea of allowing students to have a more meaningful interaction with the content of the
site. Weebly offers a blog that can be added to the site, and I was so pleased to
discover that students do not need e-mail addresses to add a comment – a big
consideration when creating content for second graders. I look forward to using it with
my students.
The user feedback that was completed with one of my students and two of my
colleagues was also very valuable. I definitely see the value in doing this in the future
with any new websites I create. After a while the website creator (me) has looked at the

8. site so many times it is hard to see the forest through the trees. Having a fresh pair (or
even better – pairs) of eyes can help to tighten up some of the finer details that may
have been missed. If there had been more time for the testing, I would have liked to
test the site on a couple of other students – one with limited computer experience and
one with moderate computer experience to see how they differed in their experience
with the site. Since my student user testing took almost a half hour of sitting one on
one, I just did not have that kind of time available to repeat the procedure in the week
we had to test and complete the write up of the testing. Overall, though, the feedback
from group members and users was helpful in making final adjustments to the site.
The Designs of Others
My final thoughts about design involve the design of others. My husband and I
were talking recently about how everything new seems to be about getting someone to
part with their money so the corporation (individual, whatever) can get richer. It seems
that design has suffered in some ways because of that kind of thinking. Often it is more
about making money and less about quality design, as seen in the bad design examples
that were presented throughout our class.
The discussion about the apple peeler/corer brought up whether it is needed to
have a special gadget to peel and core apples versus a paring knife that will do the job
and peel and cut other foods as well. That led to the discussion of the myriad kitchen
gadgets designed to solve one specific problem and the cost and space required to
have them. In this case, I guess it is like design overload. At some point enough is
enough.

9. This semester I also took another class where the final class project was to
create a wiki page about reading online. Each student was responsible for a page (or
pages) on their chosen topic regarding reading online and the pages are a part of one
comprehensive wiki. It really made me think about whether being a designer of online
content is somehow like being an artist – some people have a talent for it and others do
not. Some people seemed to have a good sense of visual balance, font size, color, etc.
while others struggled. Maybe my participation in this class has made me much more
sensitive to such issues about design and I am looking at their pages with a more
critical eye than I normally would have. It did make me think that this course on design
should be a required part of the curriculum, not an elective. With more and more
content being presented online, teachers and other students in the program should
learn some design basics, as it was clear in my other class that such design skills are
not naturally present in all people. If the direction of education is toward more online
learning, teachers need a basic understanding of how their presentation of content can
positively or negatively affect their student’s experience.
As long as I am on my “soapbox” more attention needs to be paid to basic writing
and editing skills. It used to be that taking a class meant that the papers and projects
that were completed were presented to the instructor and maybe shared with
classmates. Now, with online courses, these same types of papers and projects are put
on the Web for everyone to see. A design consideration that was not really addressed
was the importance of using Standard English and editing for errors, as well as revising
the content. Having material published online that is full of spelling, punctuation, and
typographical errors, as well as improper word usage, reflects badly on the author and

10. reduces the author’s credibility – if they cannot be bothered to fix such basic errors, how
much of the content is accurate? Unfortunately, for all of the advances in technology,
there is no electronic substitute for a thorough proofreading – Spell Check does not
catch everything.
Overall, I think the work that we did and the concepts of design that were
discussed are very important to all aspects of educational technology. Teachers and
students of technology need to pay closer attention to how Context, Usability, and
Functionality relate to the material they present to the world via the Internet. Their work
may just be a project to fulfill a requirement, but when it is put it on the Web, it has just
published it for all to see and use and design plays an important role in how this final
product is received.