final re-design
important due dates
- September 29: Site Inventory and Analysis due; present findings
- October 18: Site Prototype due; present to class
- November
1517: Final Site Re-design due; present to class November 15: Poster Rough Draft dueNovember 17: Poster Final Draft dueNovember 22: Bring Printed Poster to Class dueNovember 29December 1: Present to LA ITS
creating the final re-design
The final re-design is where we take all the skills learned by and suggestions given to your group and unite them into one cohesive design for the site. One of the most important things to consider when creating the final design is that the design must be consistent with your usablility analyses and readings. If you choose to make a feature of site that does not correspond to the usability work you completed, you will have a to make a case for why that feature is necessary even though it is not usable. In short, your group may find that it has to sacrifice aesthetics for usability. Constantly question each feature you bring to the site, and then question it again. You may also find that due to the numerous benefits of CSS you will have to re-code all of your existing pages. Use Neilson, Goto, and the online readings to help with your rationales, and for interesting design ideas. Be creative, innovative, and thoughtful, and your re-design will no doubt be much better that what currently stands as the ITS site.
final design specifics
- Complete a consistent re-design of the LA ITS site. Groups of 4 will re-design a total of 8 pages; groups of 5, 10 pages; groups of 6, 12 pages. These numbers include the new home page. Each group member is responsible for hand-coding at least 1 of the required pages. In your re-design use the (revised) content from the LA ITS site. Create links to your new pages where applicable; but, where not, make link addresses to the current LA ITS site. Make sure that all links work. List and link to all re-designed pages on your group page. All re-designed pages must be either directly linked off the home page, or linked off pages that you re-design that come off the home page.
- The re-design must contain a certain number of images: groups of 4, at least 8 images; groups of 5, at least 10 images; groups of 6, least 12 images. Each group member is responsible for creating at least 2 images. An images is anything created using Photoshop or, if you prefer, Fireworks.
- Your re-design must employ web standards, which means that the code should be accessible, and written using XHTML and CSS. Do not use the following deprecated tags: font, i, b. You may uses tables for layout if you'd like, in which case you'd be using a hybrid form -- CSS for everything but the layout. However, some of your design are ideas may require CSS layout.
- For accessibility, use the following where appropriate: ALT text, long description, title tags, access keys, tab index tags (for tab order), skip to content, skip to navigation.
- Please write an accessibility statement, and have it link off every page you design. An accessibility statement simply describes the basic navigational structure and accessibility features of the site. See this accessibility statement from the old CWRL site as an example.
- Complete a rationale for your new design, referring directly to the texts. The rational should discuss your new design in terms of usability and accessibility, as well as what applications you used in order to make which features on your site. Page length: equivalent to two pages double spaced, Times New Roman font size 12. Link the rationale off your group page.
- Your group web page should have links to each member's individual home pages. The group Web page should also conform to your group's usability analysis.
- Each group member will individually complete a discussion of their role in the group. In your discussion, please highlight the following: what your role was; what specific things you completed for the group; what you would have liked to do more of; how you thought the group worked together; and what images you created. The discussion should be at least 1 page, double spaced, Times New Roman font size, and saved in a *.rtf document. All discussions will be emailed to the instructor, and will not be visible to anyone but the instructor.