Home Stretch

Tips and Tricks

Chapter 13 describes a few neat techniques that make a web designer's life easier.  One of these techniques is the use of tables to align graphics and text on a webpage.  With tables you have complete control over your layout and have the flexibility to change cell properties including color, border, padding etc.  Tables also give you the ability to reassemble sliced graphics giving you even more flexibility in layout design. 

Another technique that I found interesting is locking the transparency of a layer to be able to change the colors of the pixels on a layer without affecting the transparent background around the image.

Testing the Site

This is a crucial step in web design and one that cannot be overlooked.  There are a number of tools available that help with testing and site management.  Most html editors have the ability to find and update broken links, missing graphics and other website issues.  These tools are critical in making your life easier when managing large scale websites.  Testing your site using the major browsers such as chrome, internet explorer, safari and Firefox is also a critical step that should not be overlooked.  And lastly, you should always check your site on a mobile device to make sure it’s accessible, legible and usable.

Picking a webhost for your website and uploading the content is the last step required to get your site on the web.  There's a large number hosting options available that are inexpensive and easy to use.  Some of my favorite webhosts are 1and1.com and hostmonster.com.  They have packages available that start at less than $5 per month for unlimited space and bandwidth.  The domain name typically costs less than $10 a year and most hosts will include one free domain name with your hosting package.  When choosing a webhost stick to the ones that have been in the business for a few years and check online reviews to help make your decision.  Uploading your site can easily be done using ftp or the control panel that is provided by your webhost.

Why bother with storyboards?

Storyboards facilitate creative thinking and allow you to visually plan out your website layout and content without worrying about the technical aspects of web design.  Storyboards are an effective way to figure out the content of your website, how the information will be laid out and presented.  Using a storyboard is a critical step in web design and helps you achieve consistent and an effective website that achieves its objectives.  I personally have always skipped this step but after using it for this website I can see why it’s so critical and how much planning ahead with the storyboard helps stay organized and promotes creativity and efficiency.

Accessibility and Usability go hand in hand to make sure your site is available to any web user even the ones with a disability or someone using a mobile device or a slow internet connection.  When a website has good accessibility, its users can access all services and content all the time.   Usability goes even further to make sure that not only is your website accessible but the site is efficient, intuitive and simple to use.  The difference between these two terms can be summed up as a site with good usability is “web-user-friendly” while a site with good accessibility is “all web-users-friendly”.

I will be using Wix to design my web 2.0 site.  It appears to have all the features that I need including great templates and rich multimedia options using html5 technology.