The purpose of this course is to teach Web authors (designers, developers, content providers, etc.) the basic components of effective Web design. This course will discuss basic writing and design principles for the Web, which may be applied with a variety of Web editing software. This course is not a tutorial for specific Web editing software (i.e., FrontPage). All of your authoring questions will not be answered in this series; however, our class objectives are to
- learn what makes a Web page/site effective;
- learn how the Web differs from print media;
- learn to recognize and correct common design mistakes;
- learn how to write more effectively for the Web;
- learn how to organize material for the Web;
- see examples of good Web design; and
- learn about other resources you can use.
Take a self-assessment quiz on what you know about effective Web design.
Lesson 1
Designing for Your Audience
Learn what makes a Web site
effective; design for varied demographics and multiple platforms.
Lesson 2
Organizing Your Information Effectively
Learn how to organize an entire site,
as well as individual pages.
Lesson 3
Using Color, Graphics and Text
Effectively
Learn how the Web differs
from print media; learn what graphic design techniques work best.
Lesson 4
Writing for the Web
Learn
how the Web differs from print media; learn what writing techniques work best.
Lesson 5
Using Web Technology Effectively
Learn how to work
with current technology to create effective Web pages.
Lesson 6
Planning for Change and Evaluating Your Site
Learn how to
design for constant updates and future makeovers; learn the best methods to
evaluate the effectiveness of your site.
To be included in each lesson:
- helpful activities
- examples of effective Web sites
- accessibility solutions
- other learning resources
The answers to the self-assessment quiz
UMCE "Must Haves"
Items that must be included on all UMCE Web pages and places to go
for help when creating UMCE Web pages
Credits
Authors:
- Cindy Eves-Thomas, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- Lana Johnson, University of Nebraska -- Lincoln
- Carolyn Langley, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
- Kyle McCaskill, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- Pam Peters, University of Nebraska -- Lincoln
- Katherine Robinson, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Cook Computing Services
- Leigh Stribling, Auburn University, Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
Editors:
- Cindy Eves-Thomas, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- Kyle McCaskill, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Reviewers:
- Rhonda Conlon, North Carolina State University
- Jenny Field, Specialised Training Services, Australia
- Lana Johnson, University of Nebraska -- Lincoln
- Jo Mercer, Delaware Cooperative Extension
- Gail Ogden, University of Nebraska -- Lincoln
- Jim Segers, Texas Agricultural Extension Service
- Sandy Shetler, University of Illinois Extension
- Leila Styer, College of Agriculture and Home Economics, Pullman, Washington
Contributors:
- Luben Avramov, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Heather Richardson Cameron, Colorado State University
- Cyndi Carey, Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences
- Ross Comstock, formerly of University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- Linda Ffolliott, University of Arizona
- Donna Lamb, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- Linda Reed, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- Lois Berg Stack, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- Nan Stenzel, University of Maryland
- Jeanne Wiebke, Iowa State University
- Kathy Wright, Kansas State University
A Member of the University of Maine System
Document located at http://www.umext.maine.edu/webauthor2/intro.htm
Updates are made by Cindy Eves-Thomas, University of Maine Cooperative
Extension, cindyet@umext.maine.edu.
Last update: 08/13/2006
Information in this web site is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned in this web site. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.