Creating Websites - Criterion A

Well, first of all this is a new unit where we have an opportuinity to create our own Webpage. I am very excited about this project though I also know that it is not going to be an easy task. So we have few assignments over two weeks to work on as an investigation.

Week one

We were asked to create an account on http://webteachertools.com/wtt/login/index.php due to the fact that we would be participating online classes during this new unit. Then on this wedsite we created our own accounts and MYP Technology classes where we could join discussion forums as well as the assignments given to us. I was not familiar with it first, though it looks like I can handle it.

For me websites are the shelters inside Internet. Repository, which all different kinds of information is kept inside. Every day we enter many websites in order to find information, investigate new ideas. Well, for me I use Facebook for the most of the time. I actually do like the design they use. It is very simple and easy to follow. It does not give me a headache with too much colors, nor it too much text. Though sometimes the uncountable notifications bug me to the fullest. Well, I dislike websites, which has the following:

• too much advertisement
• sudden music/noise everytime entering the link
• takes ages to upload/open the page or download something
• too much text
• has a link, where there actually is nothing
• the colors, they use. (TOO MUCH PINK... etc)

Well, I have looked over the websites which won the competition. Those best web sites were the ones, which had cool animations which related to the topic of the website, brief but interesting information/facts, not a lot of writing included, the fonts were easy to read but also fancy. The website, which won the competition was on chocolate. It looked cool with its ideas on creating almost every single detail of the website relating with chocolate. For instance, they had different categories in one page, which all lead to something new or different. So every category was represented as a chocolate bar then the whole page was a set of different chocolates. So it was very fun to look at, however the alternatives were that the website looked cheap. Maybe the combination of the text, color, font did not go together that lead to make it look worthless.

Then there was another website, which I found just randomly. It was not one of the high ranked or competition winner websites, however I loved the website. It did not look cheap, everything was done with such high detail. The photos, layers and the combination of fonts and style was so good that I wanted to go further on. The website's topic was on Mongolia, tourism. It was made in 2007 but it looked as if it was completely new. From the moment you entered the website, you could hear Mongolian throat singing (huumii). The actual master page was with this photo of Chinggis Khaan and the main color,which was used throughout the website, was nude and brown. Just like we use in art, we should use color that match together or the colors that are opposite to make the webpage stand out. Everything was done perfectly, but there were 2 details about the website,which bothered me. First, everytime I moved my mouse or clicked on the next page, it made this weird annoying sound. I do believe that the transition bells, or small ringtones may help for the users to notice whether they are going to new page. Then another thing which I totally disliked about this website was that all the pages were the same. Maybe because the first expression about this webpage so high that I expected more as I was travelling further. So if I actually am potential and want my webpage to be good, I would like to have couple of different designs for different pages.

Other than that overall, websites look good if it is simple. But since we are making websites for others' convieniency and pleasure as well as information source, I also want mine to look as exciting as I can manage but also in a positive way.

While looking through the websites, I also thought about my own creation/website. Basing on my previous experience, I wanted to make a website for my personal project. (I am redoing it as I was asked) So in my evaluation I wanted to create website covered, I wanted to use this opportuinity to combine both of the assignments. However I figured out that this project is going to cover the whole remaining IT classes. This was the final project until the very lat day of school. So I want to choose something interesting for me. For instance:

• fashion, a website like http://www.lookbook.com/
• ice cream, decribing the top ice cream places around the world
• adolescence, identifying solutions to come over the difficulties
• art, including artistic pieces and how it is done
• shoes

Then on after this assignment we visited a website http://w3schools.com/, where we investigated a lot more about creating webpages. I felt as if anyone can use this tutorial and learn how to make webpages/website. It described every single thing step by step. One of the benefits of this website is that we could try whatever we learnt just by clicking to enter another link.

Week 2

1. Kyrnin Jennifer."What Design Scares You?".http://webdesign.about.com/u/ua/webdesignbasics/what-design-scares-you.htm

It basically was a discussion forum on about.com where the administrator asks users to describe what web designs are scariest and most annoying to them. Around 11 respondents wrote their opinion and most of them did mention about:

• how clear the text is
• the contrast of the text with the background
• sudden music or sounds
• disability of going to BACK to previous page
• too much animation

2. Shannon Ross. "Accessibility". http://www.yourhtmlsource.com/accessibility/

Woah, this website was HUGE. There were a lot of information on almost everything about HTML and the fonts etc. I think I have learnt a lot, however I think I read a lot about things I neve notice. For instance, the subheadings/categories are listed on the left side of the desktop or sometimes on the very top and etc. This website basically talked about which way is better for the audience. The fonts and style of the web pages would be better if its simple and one of the most important things I learnt through the learning was the NAVIGATION. The most important thing was that navigation to the home page should be very easy to find; so I am thinking about having the links to the Homepage and different Categories on each page. Then it will be better for the users. Further more, I have read quiet a lot on HTML 4 and HTML 4.01 and a little more about XHTML. First it was annoying to read and not understand what the auther meant; but I actually went to the very History page of HTML which did provide with a lot of information.

3.
Sidebar: A list of reminders http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/1-process/5-list-of-reminders.html

This was a small article like list of reminders about website making guide. The actual content was very similar to what I was reading before in the previous two articles. But it was brief and one of the reminders was to LIMIT TO THE MINIMUM. I like how the webmaker did apply that suggestion on his/her webpage unlike article # 2. So briefly I enjoyed reading it although I was pretty familiar with all of them. The one suggestion, I liked the most, was to post everything that the audience wants. It is something that I really should take in consideration because I feel like I am more of a self centered person. So I need to know what visitors seek through in my topic so that I can make a successful website.

As you have commented on my blog, you left this really cool page where I found a "dialogue" between a website and a user. I loved it. Instead of reading pages of long writing one after another, I would love to read stuff like this:

• Me: (tries to visit a local restaurant’s website via iPhone)
• Restaurant website: I require Flash. F*** off.
• Me: I just want to know how late you’re open.
• Website: Nope.
• Me: But I’m on my phone. Don’t you have a little “HTML Version” link up in the corner or something?
• Website: I’m ignoring you.
• Me: What if I’m on my phone because I’m out, looking for a place to eat? Didn’t that ever occur to you?
• Website: F*** entirely off.
• Me: (gives up, switches to computer)
• Website: Oh! Hi! What can I help you with today?
• Me: What are your —
• Website: Hang on, I’m loading the music.
• Me: Really.Website: You’ll love it. It’s “Girl from Ipanema” arranged for steel drum and keytar.
• Me: No, you don’t have to —
• Website: Loading…
• Me: All I want is —
• Website: I SAID DOT DOT DOT.
• Me: (drums fingers on desk)
• Website: There we go. Isn’t that nice? It’s… what’s the word. Ethnicky.
• Me: What are your hours?
• Website: Take a look at our menu! It’s a PDF of a screenshot of a scan of a Word document printed on a dishtowel. With fonts!
• Me: I don’t care. What are your hours?
• Website: Don’t worry, the menu loads in a new window so the music won’t stop. Can I show you some broken images?
• Me: What. Are. Your. Hou. Rs.
• Website: I… I don’t know.
• Me: (goes to Denny’s)

Whineman Dan, "A Conversation I have every month or so" http://venomousporridge.com/post/389785000/a-conversation-i-have-every-month-or-so

I think, it happens to everyone and indeed I hate such cases.

So the final job for Week 2 was to work on this worksheet and basically I have done it and put in in my student folder, under IT/Website. DONE!!! INVESTIGATION IS DONE