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Web Standards. 99.9% of Website are still obsolete Designing & building with standards The trouble with standards Findability, Syndication, Blogs, Podcasts, the Long Tail, AJAX (& more) Assignments & topics. Changes in Web design.
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Web Standards • 99.9% of Website are still obsolete • Designing & building with standards • The trouble with standards • Findability, Syndication, Blogs, Podcasts, the Long Tail, AJAX (& more) • Assignments & topics
Changes in Web design • How much do you think the design of Web pages & sites has changed? • Functionality • Interaction • Information (Content) • Obsolete? • By what measure? • Technically? • Metaphorically? • (Browser) functionally? • “Forward compatibility” in design & IA
The Cure • Attain more precise control over layout, placement, and typography in graphical desktop browsers while allowing users to modify the presentation to suit their needs • Develop sophisticated behaviors that work across multiple browsers and platforms • Comply with accessibility laws and guidelines without sacrificing beauty, performance, or sophistication. • Redesign in hours instead of days or weeks, reducing costs. • Support multiple browsers without the hassle and expense of creating separate versions.
More Cures • Support nontraditional devices without the hassle and expense of creating separate versions. • Deliver sophisticated printed versions. • Separate style from structure and behavior, delivering creative layouts backed by vigorous document structure & facilitating the repurposing of web documents in advanced publishing workflows. • Transition from HTML to XML-based markup • Ensure that sites so designed & built will work correctly in today's standards-compliant browsers & perform acceptably in old browsers. • Ensure that sites continue to work in tomorrow's browsers & devices, including those not yet built. (Forward compatibility). (p 41-42)
Web Standards • Web Standards Project • How do we get there? • Do tools help? • Are standards the only problem? • Designing Web sites isn’t the same as architecting them • Layout is important, but not the only thing • What about IA standards? • Failed designs • Failed designs category • Finding failed designs is easy, finding good designs & architectures is hard
Web Standards Trinity • Structure • XHTML Markup is key • Well-formed documents • Validating XHTML • Presentation • CSS controls typography & layout • Efficient, beautiful code flows from well-designed CSS • Behavior • Browser behavior executes Javascript (*)via the Document Object Model
Well designed sites • What are the characteristics of well-designed sites? • Do you know them when you see them? • What are their benefits? • Quality? Quantity?
Forward (Hybrid Design) The code should reflect the architecture & design • Valid XHTML • Valid CSS • Typography, color, margins • XHMTL table nesting with CSS where possible • Structural labels for key information • Javascript with support for older browsers • Valid Accessibility • Forward Compatibility (p 69-71)
Standards in Action • XML • Easy to read (it’s not binary or a dbms) • Extensible • Consistent (mostly) • Lots of tools & systems already use it • XSLT, RDF, RSS, XML-RPC, XMLHttpRequest (the foundation for REST/AJAX) • CSS • The most impact in (re)design • Examples • Smart browsers (iTunes client & Web store) • Blogs, Feed Readers, Podcasts • Web-based, interactive applications • What browser(s), or similar applications do you use?
Site Design Critique Paper • 5 page written critique • ”Before" and ”After" screenshots of the Web page(s) • Approved • Critique of the overall site (written) • navigation, overall information architecture, code quality, interaction methods, graphic design and layout quality • your own alternate ideas for a site re-design • Due on February 20th • Printed copy to class • Digital copy to TA
Topic & Class Presentation • What are you interested in related to IA? • Something new to learn • Something you think everyone should know • Something you think needs improvement • Technologies • ActiveX, Flash, XUL • JavaScript and Java • HTTP, Web servers and Web services • Databases, Data Access and Data Management • Concepts • Semantic Web and Digital Libraries • Search and Navigation • Navigation and Faceted Browsing • Portal Design and Use • Methods
Topic Presentations in Class • What’s in a good presentation? • Overview • Short history • Examples • Guidelines • How to use for IA projects • Walk through, check for ideas, look for complimentary sources
Design Project • Plan, Analyze and Prototype a site idea of your own choosing (preferably a unique idea). • A project proposal is required and must receive approval before additional project work begins. • Deliverables • Review and analyze comparable Web sites. • Plan project work and associated project deliverables and timelines. • Explain your methodology as the process framework for Web site information architecture and design. • Lightweight design with user stories & scenarios • Lightweight prototype(s) to illustrate your idea • Working code, sketches, paper prototypes, wireframes, interactive application (flash)