The document discusses key terminology and conventions used in website design. It identifies common elements found on website homepages like headings, images, hyperlinks, navigation, and copy. Website homepages aim to provide important information and opportunities for users to interact with the page. Designers carefully consider the placement of elements on webpages to maximize usability according to research on viewing patterns, which shows users first look towards the top left corner before interacting with links.

1. LESSON OBJECTIVE: TO LEARN A RANGE OF MEDIA TERMINOLOGY RELEVANT TO THE ANALYSIS OF
WEBSITE HOMEPAGES.
TO IDENTIFY THE CONVENTIONS ON VARIOUS WEB PAGES.
WEBSITES

2. THE PURPOSE OF WEBSITES
Some websites provide information and others are for
entertainment. Many websites blur this distinction by
presenting information in an entertaining and
engaging way.

3. HOMEPAGE
A websites home page is usually the most important
page, containing various elements that provide
information in their own right or offer the audience the
opportunity to interact with the page, navigating to
other parts of the page or the website.
Websites will contain a number of these factors:

4. VIDEO: THANKS TO
BROADBAND, MANY WEBSITES
CAN SAFELY GO BEYOND
FEATURING TEXT AND STAT I C
IMAGES TO INCOPORATE
VIDEO
SOUND: USED ON MANY WEBSITES.
YOU MAY HEAR A SOUND AS THE
CURSOR ROLLS OVER SOME PART OF
A WEBSITE. MUSIC IS OFTEN USED IN
WEBSITES AS AN INTRODUCTION ON
THE HOMEPAGE. THIS CANS SET UP
CERTAIN EXPECTATIONS FOR THE
VIEW TO ESTABLISH THE TONE OF
THE REST OF THE WEBSITE
HEADING: USED THROUGHOUT SOME
WEBPAGES TO SPLIT THE CONTENT INTO
MANAGABLE SECTIONS. THERE MAY BE SUB-HEADINGS,
WHICH CAN FURTHER DIRECT
THE USER TO A PARTICULAR PIECE OF
INFORMATION.
HYPERLINK: THESE CAN BE EITHER
WORDS OR IMAGES THAT WHEN
CLICKED UPON WILL TAKE YOU TO
ANOTHER PAGE
COPY: THE MAIN
BODY OF THE
TEXT
IMAGES: USED IN ALMOST
EVERY WEBSITE - SOMETIMES
USED AS A LINK TO ANOTHER
PART OF THE WEBSITE
THUMBNAIL; IMAGES ARE
SOMETIMES DISPLAYED IN
REDUCED SIZE. HOWEVER A FULL
SIZE CAN BE USUALLY ACCESSED
BY CLICKING ON THE
THUMBNAIL.
NAVIGATION; A SERIES OF
BUTTONS, IMAGES OR TEXT WITH
WHICH USER CAN INTERACT AND
FIND THEIR WAY AROUND A
WEBSITE.
FRAMES: THE CONTENT OF THE
WEBSITE IS USUALLY BROKEN
DOWN INTO FRAMES. THIS MAKES
THE CONTENT MORE MANAGEABLE
AND EASIER TO READ
VIDEO GAME
CLASSIFICATION
INSTITUTION:

5. SCROLLING TEXT: AREAS OF
TEXT WHICH THE USER CAN
SCROLL THROUGH.
SCROLLING TEXT IS USEFUL
BECAUSE IT ALLOWS A LARGE
AMOUNT OF TEXT TO BE
PLACED WITHIN A RELATIVELY
SMALL BOX.
NAVIGATION; A SERIES OF
BUTTONS, IMAGES OR TEXT
WITH WHICH USER CAN
INTERACT AND FIND THEIR
WAY AROUND A WEBSITE.
INSTITUTION:
LIKE: INTERACTIVITY WITH
FACEBOOK AND SUGGESTS
POPULARITY
TWITTER :AUDIENCE
REACTION
SHARE; A SERIES OF BUTTONS,
IMAGES OR TEXT WITH WHICH
USER CAN INTERACT SHARE
CONTENT FROM THE WEBSITE
SEARCH BOX: USUALLY A
BOX IN WHICH THE USER CAN
TYPE A WORDS RELATING TO
THE CONTENT THEY ARE
TRYING TO TYPE.
CROSS PROMOTION:

6. LAYOUT AND DESIGN
Consistency in design and layout in any website is
important. In the case of music bands/ artistes it helps
to build an awareness of them with the audience. The
colours, text, logo and general design become familiar
and easily recognisable to the audience.

7. HOW WE LOOK AT WEBPAGES
Web pages are not just thrown together. The placing
of each element is carefully considered by web
designers to give maximum impact and to make a web
page user friendly. Over the years a set of conventions
has developed that underpins website design. This
has, in part, been influenced by repetition of design,
but also in part by research that suggested particular
patterns in the way we view the website.

8. THE PATTERN THAT OUR EYES
FOLLOWS AS WE CAN A WEB PAGE

9. THE POSITIONING OF ELEMENTS THAT
MAKE UP A WEB PAGE
According to the viewing pattern, the first place that the
audience will look when viewing a website is near the
top left hand corner. This is where the Amy Winehouse
logo is to be found on the homepage. This serves to
anchor the meaning of the website and reassure the
viewer.
Moving on, the next area of a webpage that our eyes
come into contact with, according to the research, is the
link buttons. These are the main elements of interaction
to other pages.