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Design Basics and Usability: Insights from Summit Studio

In this introduction to design and usability by Shelley Paulson, she shares her journey from starting Summerset Studio in 2003 to becoming a web designer since 1996. Covering essential design principles such as concepts, layout balance, content prioritization, and color palette selection, she emphasizes simplicity and effective branding. Usability tips include straightforward navigation and clear instructions for users. The process entails thorough research, sketching, mock-ups, and dynamic content creation, ensuring collaboration and creativity in design projects.

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Design Basics and Usability: Insights from Summit Studio

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  1. Design Basics & Usability Shelley Paulson June 1, 2005

  2. Introduction • Started Summerset Studio in January, 2003 • Design-Photography-Video • www.summersetstudio.com • Previously: • Johnson Bros (Director of Communications) • RedStar Creative (Interactive Director) • Bennett Office Technologies (Web Designer/Developer) • Web designer since 1996

  3. BDK

  4. Design Basics • Start with a concept • Let your layouts breathe • Find a balance • Create a focal point • Prioritize content • Keep it simple • Choose a color palette • Limit typeface usage • Design with CSS • Reinforce Branding

  5. Usability • Don’t mess with what people know • Form Buttons • Links • Navigation • Keep it simple • Provide instructions • Scannable Text • No skip intro pages!

  6. Show and Tell

  7. View the redesigned page

  8. View the redesigned page

  9. View the redesigned page

  10. View the redesigned page

  11. My Process • Design research • coolhomepages.com • designinteract.com/sow • digitalrefueler.com (“sites we love” section) • misspato.com • cssvault.com • stylegala.com

  12. My Process • Sketching • Yep, paper and pencil • You don’t have to be an artist • Saves a bunch of time

  13. My Process • Mock up Design in Fireworks • Design home page • Include all the elements, including dummy text • Send proof to client as a jpeg • After home page approval, design secondary page

  14. My Process • Slice and dice • Slice up home page and secondary page design in Fireworks • Export html just for the rollovers • Rebuild page in Dreamweaver • Create templates for secondary pages

  15. My Process • Make it Dynamic • Create output pages in Dreamweaver with dummy content for output • Create applications, replace dummy content with cfml

  16. Working with a Designer • Collaborate - clearly define goals • Provide sample output or spec output • Be specific • Leave room for creativity!

  17. Resources • How Design (www.howdesign.com) • Creative Latitude (www.creativelatitude.com)

  18. Questions?

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