I really enjoyed project 3. I love designing websites and learning more about effective website structuring. I learned a lot about alignment and contrast and what the difference between a good site and a bad site. A Royal Tan's website was definitely a bad one. There was no alignment and the color contrast was awful. The strengths I brought to this website design was my organization skills and design skills. I need to have things in a certain order and maintain that order. There were a few things on our website redesign that were different on each page, they weren't very noticeable to the eye, but I needed to have every page consistent with the others. The one weakness I think we all had going into this project was being unfamiliar with Google sites. I decided to navigate the website a bit and create a demo website for A Royal Tan to see how easy it was. Even though the templates were already structured and made it easier for the layout of the website, the formatting for the text and font style was very limited. We decided to use power point to have those availabilities. The space was a bit more limited, but I think we worked with it and created an effective website.
We all met up in the library to complete the website redesign. We decided on what key words should be used in the navigation bar, what content would be included and what we should take out, and the basic layout of the page. Once we finished the basis of the website I offered to go back and make some design changes such as; font, color usage, and picture layouts. Once we had our peer review, there were only minor changes that needed to be made. Everyone really liked the website we redesigned! I offered to make those changes to the website. Overall I think our website was a complete success! and looks much better than before :)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Final Presentation - socialgo.com
As the semester closes we are faced with our final presentation...This project is much bigger and uses all the information we learned throughout the semester. Each group needed to think of an issue to advocate and create a website using the blogging features of personality, creativity, and website structure of the redesign project. My group is advocating about Going Green at URI. I know URI already has a stand on Going Green using paperless syllabus and other handouts (allowing us to use the wonderful website Sakai). But we will be focusing more on alternate energy. What could the University do to preserve? A lot of researching will go into this project, but I am excited to be advocating about a topic that I have been passionate about my whole life. :) I have always been interested in global warming so this will be a great opportunity to take a stand and who knows maybe even present our proposal to URI!
Peer Workshop/ Final Website Redesign
In class on Tuesday we had our peer workshop. We met with another group to discuss the older website and the changes we made. The other group did an Indian restaurant right here on campus. The website before was awful! There was no alignment and the description of the restaurant was overlaying the website frame and it looked extremely messy. After the group redesigned the site, it looked so much better. They should definitely think about sharing their design with the restaurant owners.
My group showed the current website A Royal Tan has to the other group members and they immediately were put off by the messy and chaotic website design. We then showed them our redesign and they loved it. They said it was structured and simple, yet effective. The only thing we really needed to change was the wording of one of our links. We changed "Skin Type" to "New Customers." This link had the skin type descriptions as well as the coupon from the homepage. The homepage was looking a bit empty now that I moved the coupon, so I added a picture of a model who had a beautifully natural tan. I think it brought personality to the website proving that their equipment really does work. There wasn't too much else that we changed about our redesign. We spent a lot of time perfecting this redesign and proving that this website can be effective if designed properly.
My group showed the current website A Royal Tan has to the other group members and they immediately were put off by the messy and chaotic website design. We then showed them our redesign and they loved it. They said it was structured and simple, yet effective. The only thing we really needed to change was the wording of one of our links. We changed "Skin Type" to "New Customers." This link had the skin type descriptions as well as the coupon from the homepage. The homepage was looking a bit empty now that I moved the coupon, so I added a picture of a model who had a beautifully natural tan. I think it brought personality to the website proving that their equipment really does work. There wasn't too much else that we changed about our redesign. We spent a lot of time perfecting this redesign and proving that this website can be effective if designed properly.
Critical Literacy
For my critical literacy I did the website LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a professional networking site that helps its users find jobs. You can post your resume on the website, follow companies you are interested, and much more. I have had an account for about 7 months now and I am still trying to make sure my profile is set up correctly. You need to know a lot of people who use the site in order to have an established profile. The recommendation section is a great way to gain credibility for a future employer. When I graduate I will definitely be using LinkedIn more to find a career and learn more about opportunities.
The reason I made a LinkedIn account is because it is a great way to connect with people and future employers. It is easy and a safe way to network.
The reason I made a LinkedIn account is because it is a great way to connect with people and future employers. It is easy and a safe way to network.
Friday, November 5, 2010
New Website for Redesign Project
Originally, we chose http://www.troutlakecabins.com/ as our website redesign and even though there are definitely changes we could make to the website, this website needed more help: http://www.aroyaltan.com/index.html. The website CLEARLY displays everything we discussed in class NOT to have a website look like. It is awful! There is no structure, too chaotic, and the contrast is completely off. With this website we will be able to demonstrate what we have learned in a more profound and effective way.
We split the website up so each person in our group is reconstructing a different page. The navigation for this website is too long, so we are combining some of the links and information to clean it up. I am working on the homepage where you have a preEntry page, "click to enter" then you can access the actual website. You should NOT have to do this for a website! I am combining the links: "Homepage", "Our Boutique", and "Coupons" to create a well-organized environment for this website. I am taking down many of the unnecessary pictures that clutter the webpage. I will use different colors to add an effective and professional appeal to the website. Consistency needs to be a priority for this website when using color, font, and pictures. There is way too much going on that the importance of the website is lost. The font is inconsistent and overwhelming and needs to be gentle on the eye or people aren't going to look the website. We have a lot to redesign, but I know we can make it look much better.
Google sites is one option for redesigning a website. We will try to use this, but my group members or myself are not familiar with this program and we don't want to waste time trying to figure it out if it's confusing. We have decided to use power point to display the changes we make to this website. We are meeting this weekend to further discuss our opinions for this website.
We split the website up so each person in our group is reconstructing a different page. The navigation for this website is too long, so we are combining some of the links and information to clean it up. I am working on the homepage where you have a preEntry page, "click to enter" then you can access the actual website. You should NOT have to do this for a website! I am combining the links: "Homepage", "Our Boutique", and "Coupons" to create a well-organized environment for this website. I am taking down many of the unnecessary pictures that clutter the webpage. I will use different colors to add an effective and professional appeal to the website. Consistency needs to be a priority for this website when using color, font, and pictures. There is way too much going on that the importance of the website is lost. The font is inconsistent and overwhelming and needs to be gentle on the eye or people aren't going to look the website. We have a lot to redesign, but I know we can make it look much better.
Google sites is one option for redesigning a website. We will try to use this, but my group members or myself are not familiar with this program and we don't want to waste time trying to figure it out if it's confusing. We have decided to use power point to display the changes we make to this website. We are meeting this weekend to further discuss our opinions for this website.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Project 3 Redesign Website
We didn't have class today, which I was disappointed about. Even though we have the details for project 3 I still feel a bit lost, especially because it is a group project and it would have been nice to meet with my members in class to clarify a few things. What we need by Thursday is a website URL and a plan to what we want to change about the website. After reading Ch. 6 I definitely have a better idea what makes for an effective website. :)
The website we chose is http://www.troutlakecabins.com/ It is a website on a camping ground located in Ontario. It looks like a great place to visit so they definitely should show that on their website. I think they are off to a good start, but there are many things we can add/edit to make it have more of a professional and visual appeal to it. Off the bat, the logo needs to stand out more. I want to be able to have the name of the place stand out from the rest of the headings on the page. The bear seems to be their icon and should be used in the same location on each page. The bear icon could also be used as a link back to the homepage. This shows consistency and gives an identity to the campground. They have a lot of important information, but that information needs to show it's importance. Pictures on this website are extremely important because they show the visuals of the location. I like how they have a photo album, but there are only 6 photos! :( Also, a separate page where it lists the activities to do at the campground is a great way to organize content, rather than having it sporadically located on the left sidebar of each page. Also, there is too much wasted space on the website! Fill that space with content. Also, don't forget to add social links and newsletter signup to the header. :) I will analyze the website more, but those are just some things I noticed right away. By Thursday, we will start to break down the website in our group and add what needs to be changed on the website. I think this project will give everyone a chance to get creative and learn how positioning and design can be extremely effective!
The website we chose is http://www.troutlakecabins.com/ It is a website on a camping ground located in Ontario. It looks like a great place to visit so they definitely should show that on their website. I think they are off to a good start, but there are many things we can add/edit to make it have more of a professional and visual appeal to it. Off the bat, the logo needs to stand out more. I want to be able to have the name of the place stand out from the rest of the headings on the page. The bear seems to be their icon and should be used in the same location on each page. The bear icon could also be used as a link back to the homepage. This shows consistency and gives an identity to the campground. They have a lot of important information, but that information needs to show it's importance. Pictures on this website are extremely important because they show the visuals of the location. I like how they have a photo album, but there are only 6 photos! :( Also, a separate page where it lists the activities to do at the campground is a great way to organize content, rather than having it sporadically located on the left sidebar of each page. Also, there is too much wasted space on the website! Fill that space with content. Also, don't forget to add social links and newsletter signup to the header. :) I will analyze the website more, but those are just some things I noticed right away. By Thursday, we will start to break down the website in our group and add what needs to be changed on the website. I think this project will give everyone a chance to get creative and learn how positioning and design can be extremely effective!
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