Introduction to Web Design -- (Day 1)

Instructor:   Paul N. Lee, [Owner/Consultant of Nahee Enterprises]

Hands-on workshop intended for those either starting from scratch or whom already have existing web sites.   You will learn proper site design, planning, and layout, along with many Do's and Don'ts.   Analysis and critique of your own organization's web site.   The basics of HyperText Markup Language (HTML) will also be discussed, along with the use of graphics and graphic file formats. The class concludes with a brief introduction on the use of MS FrontPage.   Several handouts will be supplied, along with a CD containing 222 files of examples, templates, training, help files, many tools/utilities, various browsers, and more (a total of over 260-MB of information).

The following is the outline used for this class:

  1. Basics.
    1. History and Definition.
    2. Process of producing web pages.
      1. How to make a web site.
        1. Your first web page.
        2. Saving your HTML pages.
        3. Index pages.
        4. Viewing your page.
        5. Linking pages together.
      2. Uploading your pages to the web.

  2. Web Page/Site Analysis.
    1. WhoIs.
    2. Validators.
      1. HTML.
      2. Links.
      3. CSS.

  3. HTML.
    1. Basics.
      1. What HTML is, and what it is not.
      2. Limitations, Non-Standard Extensions, Exploiting Bugs, etc.
      3. Basic structure for an HTML document.
      4. Embedded Tags, Comments, and Text.
      5. Understand/Know which DOCTYPE declaration to use and why.
      6. Know how to insert META tags and why they are needed.
        1. META and HTTP headers.
        2. META and search engines.
        3. Character Set Recognition.
      7. Hyperlinks and Multimedia.
    2. Text Formatting.
      1. Divisions and Paragraphs.
      2. Headings.
      3. Content-Based and Physical Style Tags.
      4. Expanded Font Handling.
      5. Precise Spacing and Layout.
      6. Addresses and Special Character Encoding.
    3. Lists, Links, Images, and Rules.
      1. Understand and be able to insert lists into the document.
      2. Know how to create links to other pages/sites.
      3. Be able to add images to your web page.
      4. Visually separate sections of the HTML document.
    4. Tables.

  4. Understanding design.
    1. Why No-one looks at the screen.
    2. Scanning.
    3. Content.
    4. How people use web pages.
    5. People are impatient.
    6. Other factors.
    7. The Brain's strengths.

  5. Principles of web design.
    1. Simplicity.
    2. Trusting the user.
    3. Do not Decorate, Communicate!
    4. Golden Rule.
    5. Conventions.
      1. What conventions are.
      2. How they work.
    6. Branding.
      1. Personality.
      2. Tone of voice.
      3. Heart.
      4. Focus on the best bits.
      5. Usability.
      6. Visual stuff.
    7. The Sphere of Design.

  6. Does My Web Site Suck?
    1. Checklist #1 -- Mortal Sins.
      1. First Impression / Big Picture.
      2. Text and Links.
      3. Graphics, Video, Audio.
      4. Navigation.
      5. Content.
    2. Checklist #2 -- Potential Mortal Sins.
    3. The Answer Sheet.

  7. Microsoft FrontPage.
    1. The Basics.
      1. Starting FrontPage.
      2. Customizing FrontPage.
        1. Views.
        2. Options.
        3. Preview Browser.
      3. Files and Folders.
    2. Designing Web Pages.
      1. Creating Web Pages.
        1. About creating and designing web pages.
        2. About page templates.
        3. Create a new web page.
        4. Create or modify a web page template.
      2. Cascading Style Sheets.