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Great Web sites are not built by individuals, they are built by teams with members that possess three essential skills:
- writing skills
- programming skills
- artistic skills
It is nearly impossible to find a single person who can write well, is a great artist, and can program interactive Web pages using tools such as JavaScript, Dynamic HTML, or Java.
Instead, companies that need a great Web site will hire several people with differing skills and abilities and expect them to work as a team to accomplish the goals they have established for
their Web Site.
To keep all of these talented people working together effectively, design documents are created. A design document is to a Web site as a script is to a movie--it guides the action. A design document outlines the goals of the site, including all of the individual sections and interactions that need to be considered as the Web site is created. Design documents are built around three critical design issues:
- information design
- interaction design
- presentation design
The design process is best done in the order listed above--first you determine the general information, its purpose, and structure; then you decide how to organize it. Only when you have made these decisions can you decide how the Web site should look.
Information Design
When you do information design you think about what you want to tell about, whom you're going to tell it to, what things they already know, why you want to tell it, and how the information will be put together. Knowing the answers to these questions is a necessary foundation to everything else you need to understand to create high quality Web design.
There are five things to think about in the process of information design:
- Message: What information do you wish to share?
- Audience: Whom do you wish to share your message with?
- Purpose: How and why do you want to share your message with this audience?
- Background: What does your intended audience already know about the subject you are discussing?
- Structure: How can your message be organized most effectively?
Information Design Example: www.irs.gov
Interaction Design
Interaction design, is concerned with how the information will be organized on the page, how people will find their way around your Web site, and how people will work with the information on your site. Interaction design is concerned with what cues or guidelines you will give them for getting around without getting lost.
Interaction design looks at three essential things:
- Organization: How are the graphics, text, and other elements arranged on the page?
- Navigation: Are there any links or buttons on the home page that make it easy to move to other parts of the Web site?
- Interactivity: Do you have a chance to interact or to participate in the Web pages in some way? Are you expected to do something with the information on this Web site?
Interaction Design Example: www.yahoo.com
Presentation Design
Presentation design is sometimes called visual design. Presentation design helps you plan how your Web site will actually look.
The following questions are the issues to keep in mind for presentation design:
- Color scheme: What colors should you use for the background, text, and links on your page?
- Font selection: What style of letters do you want--simple or fancy, large or small?
- Graphics selection: What pictures or graphic elements do you want to appear on the page?
- Multimedia effects: Are there any multimedia motion or sound effects that you wish to include on your page?
- Arrangement: Where on the page should you place your graphics, text, or multimedia effects (known as layout)?
Presentation Design Example: www.chateauversailles.fr
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