Principles and Standards of Web Design

For the past two weeks, we have covered the principles of web design and how they are utilized in today’s web design methodologies. First off, we discussed Nielsen’s 10 huerestics for user interface design. We were able to test these huerstic principles in Assignment 12 by testing Google Scholar and a Rutgers database. By doing these tests, it really allowed me as a user to see the different options. Also, it helped me distinguish what is important to me as a user and what is not. For me, the ones that were the most important were Consistency and standards, User control and Freedom, as well as Flexibility. These are the most important because these I feel help the user be the most efficient with their search queries.

Web Accessbility

This I thought was the most interesting part of what we were learning last week. I never had realized the difficulty that arises with people with disabilities when accessing the web. There are many aspects of the web that may or may not be hard for people with disabilities. Personally, I feel the web should be easy to access for all. Similar to handicap parking and other options that handicap people have to make their lives even a little bit easier for them. The internet should have options to ease the access of the web. I was thinking that maybe browsers can create Handicap modes or allow them to have an option to view the web in a different way. This however is a very important topic for people to be aware about especially with the increase of the web.

User Experience

From my experience at work and in class, user experience is key to a successful website. Utilizing what we learned in class about accessibility, hueristics, design, etc, users having a positive experience with your website is what counts. Issues with navigation, confusing options, and overwhelming design are the main issues that I came across. These affected my experience with some of these particular websites. When looking at the developer tools, I began to take more a technical approach to these situations. I began to notice certain HTML and CSS tags that were in the developer tools at certain locations of the web page. I would also attempt to visualize how I would have the website created with different tags placed at different locations. I use that in my own assignments to ensure that everything is placed strategically.

Conclusion

Overall, these last two weeks of class have been the most intense yet informative. Working on Assignment 15 will be tough but I do look forward to it. Using everything we learned from web accessibility, to user experience, to the hueristics, all these elements will help me create my web page.