Web Programming - Week 6

This week was a more in depth look into site planning.

This week we took a look at wireframing as a method for web design. Wireframing adds a method of seeing the outline of a website with no other information but the very basics. Wireframing is not about having an indepth look at your website but rather it is about visualizing the basic architecture.

I found this to be a valuable method in producing the basic outline for my CA, as it allows for getting layout and functionality ideas down fast, by initially establishing the main overall components of my site I would be able to start to work with a solid base.


Example of a basic wireframe: 

Web Programming - Week 5

This week we had an introduction to css

After having learn't the basics of HTML, it was time to start the basics of CSS as this would be needed for our CA. The first thing we looked at was how to display CSS. We learned about styles in CCS which define how to display HTML elements.

Immidiatly it was apparent to me how much more visual and poweful css can be in producing a website. The Syntax of CSS can be a lot easier and produce more powerful results at the same time.
With the use of a selector (e.g. h1) and a declaration (e.g. color:blue) 

Web Programming Week 4

This week covered the steps taken before developing a website

This was a more theoretical class where we were introduced to some examples of how to go about planning for designing the website for our CA.

The first step that was cover was the breakdown, i.e. the planning of the site. This involved firstly drawing inspiration from examples already out there, when reviewing this method I learned that there should be a focus on genre specific sites that will match the purpose of what you are trying to develop.

The next important step is to determine what the goals of the site will be. For example a  website for a small business retail store will have an overall goal to promote and possibly sell the products, where as a bands website will have a goal of trying to introduce possible fan to their music. Therefore the target audience must be considered in the overall look and feel of a website.  I found helpful questions to help in this process are things like, 'who will use this site', 'what do you expect them to do when they visit' and 'what could stand in the way of people and the purpose of the site;.

Web Programming - Week 3

This week we built a basic site using HTML

After having learn't about basic syntax and structure the previous week. In week 3 we put that knowlage into practical application by designing a basic site. We used note pad to create a HTML document and created an outline.

Tags such as <h1>, <p> and <ol> were used to create a number of elements to our site such as, a heading <h1>, paragraphs <p>, ordered lists <ol> and unordered lists <ul> . By the end we were able to establish a basic textual site and open it in any web browser. This gave me an understand of who HTML code is interperated by browser to produce to overall result.

An example of a basic HTML document:

Web Programming - Week 2

This week was entirely focused on HTML

   We learned general theory about how to write HTML effectively and technically. The basics of syntax was covered such as ">" symbols and the importance of always closing them off. This is no doubt imperative to anyone who wants to learn html, of programming in general. This was also exemplified by mistakes I made in these early stages, as expected, the whole foundation of my site could be gone by any small error.

  We also covered some resources to aid learning HTML, such as www.w3schools.com which covers a sound list of topics on not only HTML but  XML, JAVA Script, PHP ect.  I was explicitly told W3 schools should not be the main focus of learning HTML as noted by the w3fools.com which tears the site down on its methods of teaching HTML.

  In addition I was introduced to a lot of other excellent sites for tutorials on web design:

• premiumpixels.com - a site containing tones of very high quality photoshop files. Most for free, with some addition premium ones. This site has a feely simplistic look and feel to it, I doubt that I will be using many of the files at this stage, but none the less everything seems to be of high quality. 

• psdtuts.com - offers a comprehensive list of free video tutorials on photoshop. This site has pretty much any answer to a question any beginner in photoshop could have.

• beautifulpixels.com - this is an analyitical site focusing on web design. This site is a great help for idea, and how to manipulated them into something better. The reviews are also of a very high quality and clearly by people who know a lot about this area.

Web Programming - Week 1

This week we were given a general overview of what the course will entail for the year such as HTML CSS Java Script ect.

    Furthermore, we learned about the steps taking in creating a website. I found that there were far building blocks incremental to web design than simply just using one method e.g CSS.

   The inital idea, needs to be sketched and planed, there then needs to me the foundation of the site created with CSS or HTML and further on in the process tools like, JAVA, PHP and FLASH need to be added to enhance the sites look and feel, and to keep on par with the industry standard.

   Finally this week we took a look at some examples of the elements of a good site such as http://www.Nike.com and critiqued them on what made them appear well made. In addition we also took a look at some examples of a badly designed site. This really helped me get a perspective of what is generally accepted as good and bad, even if this can be very subjective.