Web pages use hyperlinks to connect documents and allow nonlinear navigation between pages. Hypermedia extends hypertext by incorporating multimedia like images, audio, and video. Effective web design starts with a plan through flowcharts and storyboards. Key elements include clear navigation, use of color and fonts for readability, and optimizing graphics, multimedia, and file sizes for online delivery. Organization, copyright, links, and file names also require consideration for a functional website.

1. Web Pages: Basics
INTC 5340 Summer 2012

2. Defining Terms
 Hypertext
 Hypertext refers to the idea of linking different
documents together using hyperlinks. A
hyperlink often appears in a hypertext
document as a piece of highlighted text.
When the user activates the hyperlink,
typically by clicking on it using a mouse, the
user's view of the document is changed so as
to show more information on the word or
phrase concerned.

3. Defining Terms
 Hypermedia
 Hypermedia is a term created to describe the
fusion of two other new technologies:
multimedia and hypertext
 Hypermedia documents are simply hypertext
documents with multimedia capabilities in
addition.

4. What it does for you
 Multiple channels of information for the
learner helps with processing
 Read it, hear it, see it – links the information
via multiple pathways
 Provide for learner control of how
information is presented
 Adaptive to learner preferences (styles?)
 Navigation can allow for a variety of paths
 Interest and motivational benefits

5. Potential problems
 Information overload
 Too many channels make it hard for learner to
attend to important information
 Can obscure information as well
 “Lost in cyberspace”
 Navigation difficulties can trap users
 If lost, focused on navigation not content
 Difficult to produce
 Time consuming for teachers to develop

6. Start with a Plan
 Start by sketching out your site and pages
 Flowchart the pages/screens and how they
connect (hierarchy or web)
 Common flows for web pages:
 Organizational
 Linear
 Heirarchical
 Web (or Network)
 More info at:
 http://www.usu.edu/sanderso/multinet/wwwnavi.html

7. Start with a Plan
 Start by sketching out your site and pages
 Storyboard your common page setup by drawing it
freehand (or using software)
 Does not have to be artistic – just convey what needs to be
on the page
 Be sure to include your navigation in the storyboard
 Use your flowchart as a guide
 More info at:
 http://www.public.iastate.edu/~nielandj/SCM/anatomySB.html

8. Start with a Plan
 Both flowcharts and storyboards help you:
 Organize
 Insure
completeness
 Reduce errors and changes
 Do not get started on the pages until you
do a flowchart and storyboard!
 Flowchart your site now, and storyboard
the first page.

9. Tools for Prototyping Designs
 Some great Web 2.0 tools can help:
 https://gomockingbird.com/mockingbird/
 http://productplanner.com/
 More tools at:http
://www.uxbooth.com/blog/15-desktop-online-w

10. Navigation
 How will users get around at your site?
 Navigation benefits from:
 Clarity:links are obvious visually
 Coherence: makes sense to the content and structure
 Simplicity: limited options
 Completeness: allows all necessary movement
 Three-click (five-click?) rule: guideline stating
that user can get from one part of site to any
other in 3 clicks of mouse or less
 Useful as a guideline in designing navigation

11. Links
 How you link depends on your design:
 You can embed a link in the text.
 You can make the link an image.
 Too many links can confuse the learner.
 Website Navigation Tips
 http://www.grantasticdesigns.com/navigation.html

12. Use of Color
 Backgrounds
 Solidcolors best
 Pastels or lighter shades often work
 Need to be “easy” on the eyes (not too bright)
 Contrast
 Achieve high contrast between foreground
elements (text, graphics) and background
 Color Design for the Web
 http://www.coolhomepages.com/cda/color/

13. Color Example
Very poor contrast
Not quite enough contrast
Good contrast but background
too bright

14. Color Example
Highest contrast is black/white
For Web pages, some color is nice
But you need to be careful not to go
Overboard !!!

15. Color Example
Though terribly cute, picture
backgrounds are difficult because
it makes it impossible to stick to
one color for text.

16. Fonts
 Larger is not better!
 Don’t use multiple styles - one is enough!
 Generally, 12 point font works best.
 Some fonts safe for the Web:
 Arial
 Comic sans
 Times New Roman

17. Graphics
 Three main types used on Web at present:
 GIF (Graphic Interchange Format)
 Uses non-loss compression
 Limited to 256 colors
 Good for simple images.
 JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
 Uses lossy compression
 Best for images with gradations of color
 PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a new type
that is replacing GIFs
 All compact images into small files suitable
for sending via the Web.
 See a side-by-side comparison.

18. Graphics on the Web
 Photographs
 Navigational tools (icons, image maps)
 Background images
 Dividing lines
 Explanations
 Clip Art

19. Multimedia
 You can use the following video types:
 avi
– Windows format
 mov – Apple Quicktime (any platform)
 mpg – MPEG newer popular format
 You can use sound files of the following types:
 wav – primary format for Windows
 mpg – MPEG format very popular for music
 midi – electronic music
 au – primary Macintosh format
 ra – RealAudio type – needs plugin

20. Multimedia
 Inserting sound and movie files just as
easy as pictures
 Considerations:
 Often large files; these make downloading
slow
 Use only small files (1 mb or less) unless you know
users will have fast access
 Format issues since user has to have a plug-
in or player software
 Guidelines:
 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9512.html

21. Important Tips:
 Put everything inside of one folder
 Make a folder first
 Keep everything for the Web site in that folder
 Organization (layout)
 Table of contents
 Order: important information first
 Copyright
 Consider page length
 Verify links to outside sites
 File names need to be safe
 No spaces
 Lower case only