Top Ten List for designing curriculum for the Web

The Library of Congress

Top Ten List for Web Designers Designing Curriculum for the Web "Good design is clear thinking made visible"- Edward Tufte
Where are you going???
1. Purpose:	Why am I doing this? What is my goal? What do I have to say that's worth sharing via the Web? Inaugurations Feature Thomas
How will you get there?
2. Developing Content	Who is this for? Consider the needs of your intended audience(s). What information will you need to provide to make this lesson "usable"? When Work is Done The Hetch Hetchy Controversy United We Stand
Before you begin..
3. File Structure	Organization is key to a successful site. Plan AHEAD! Diagram Oregon State University: Anatomy of a Web Site: File Structure
4. Planning the Site	Developing a structure for the site...what goes where? Storyboarding White boarding Visual Approach
The process..
5. Organizing Content	Within the broad sections...what goes where? Buckaroos in Paradise (Collection Connections) On the Homefront: America During World War I and World War II (Activity)
6. Navigation Scheme	How is the information connected? Who am I? Where am I? How did I get here? How do I get back Learning Page We the People Community Center
7. Engaging Content	Is your content inviting? Will they want to stay? Will they want to come back? Was it frustrating or enjoyable to use your site? What's engaging? Primary Sources Applehead Gang Thanksgiving Timeline
8. Visual Appeal	Consider issues of: Browser compatibility (Browser Differences) Platform compatibility 256 colors, background colors, backgrounds Use of white space Images/File Size resizing: don't use width and height tags in your html code to resize images. Make images exact size you will need in a graphics application. File size: the larger your file size, the longer it will take to appear in the browser. No one wants to wait for a file to down load. The larger your graphic images and the more you have on your page, the longer it will take to download. (Download time: the time it takes for a page to appear in your browser.) Thumbnail Images Do as I say...not as I do!

9. Consistency	Have you pulled a visual look through your site? Thomas Elections...the American Way Is navigation consistent throughout your lesson? Does the voice of your content remain the same? Are your fonts, and titles consistent? Three Essays: The Role of Experience in Hannah Arendt's Political Thought Discovering American Memory Workshop
How will you know you are there?
10. Usability	Did you beat your site up? Did you have as many people as possible with different skill levels and understanding use your site? Did these users understand your purpose? Could they do what you expected/wanted them to do? Could they find their way around? Could they find their way back? Is your site accessible for disabled users? W3C: Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
Possibilities..
Bells and Whistles: from simple to complex...used judiciously, they can make a difference!	Slide Shows How Did You Do That?: Gif Animated Slide Shows Who's That Lady? Power Point Games Kids Play: Power Point Pizzazz Sound and Video Journeys and Crossings: Pearl Harbor Oral Histories Words and Deeds in American History
Quick Tips
Make your Web site accessible to all!	For Complete Guidelines & Checklist: www.w3.org/WAI/ Images & animations: Use the alt attribute to describe the function of each visual. Image maps: Use the client-side map and text for hotspots. Multimedia: Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and descriptions of video. Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here." Page organization: Use headings, lists, and consistent structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible. Graphs & charts: Summarize or use the longdesc attribute. Scripts, applets, & plug-ins: Provide alternative content in case active features are inaccessible or unsupported. Frames: Use the noframes element and meaningful titles. Tables: Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize. Check your work: Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/ (c) W3C (MIT, INRIA, Keio) 2001/01
Web References
Helpful sites to visit..	http://www.lynda.com/ http://www.ncdesign.org/html/index.htm http://www.w3.org/
YOU will produce a WONDERFUL site! That's all folks..

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Last updated 06/15/2003