| I've been asked, "How do I design a | | | | Working things out on paper will give you a |
| successful Web site?" | | | | much better idea of how things will work and |
| | | | how to fix problems. And, if you have |
| I often respond, "Do you know the fastest way | | | | knowledgeable friends, get a second opinion. |
| to ruin a new Web site design?" As you might | | | | |
| suspect, the answer is, "Lack of proper | | | | Once you've completed the on-paper process, |
| planning beforehand." | | | | and you or your web designer is satisfied |
| | | | with the results, you're ready to translate |
| Let's put it another way. In programming, | | | | it into code. Unless you or your programmer |
| there's an old axiom, which states: "The | | | | is a pro, I would recommend using a |
| sooner you start your coding the longer it | | | | "template". These are ready-made Web site |
| takes to finish." | | | | design formats. You can choose from several |
| | | | templates by typing "template source" in most |
| Planning out your Web site before you build | | | | search engines. Many of them are free. |
| it is essential. To borrow a technique from | | | | |
| the film industry, I recommend that you | | | | Commonly Asked Questions |
| create a storyboard, which is a type of a | | | | |
| flow chart of your new Web site design. You | | | | Q: For a Web site, do I have to employ a pro, |
| don't have to be an accomplished artist to | | | | or can I call the guidance counselor at my |
| draw out your idea, but it's essential to | | | | local high school and ask for the names of |
| create it on paper first. | | | | some computer whiz kids that I could call to |
| | | | help me out (for a fee)? |
| On each piece of paper, the goal is to have | | | | |
| room for an image at the top, plus space | | | | A: It really depends on what you want to do. |
| underneath for writing down information. As | | | | If all you want is 1-2 pages , you can learn |
| you might suspect, the first page to start | | | | how to build the Web site yourself. If it's |
| with is your home (or welcome) page, which | | | | an intensive site with many pages, I'd |
| will typically have the most information as | | | | recommend student or a pro (if you have the |
| it will contain the page the people visit | | | | budget). |
| before they enter your site and as people go | | | | |
| through your site, the will encounter more | | | | Q: I see a lot of photo-oriented web sites |
| information (in tiers) as they go down. | | | | that have a black background. Is this the |
| | | | best color to use? |
| Typically, the home page links to 5-15 pages | | | | |
| below that, which we could refer to as Tier | | | | A: Not necessarily. It's a matter of opinion |
| 2. Each of those pages links to another 5-15 | | | | and personal taste. White can work just as |
| pages, which you could call Tier 3. | | | | well. I don't recommend the use of other |
| | | | colors as they can compete with your images. |
| If you use all of these pages, you'll wind up | | | | |
| with an extensive Web site design, of at | | | | Q: Is "Flash" or audio acceptable? |
| least 226 pages (including the home page). | | | | |
| | | | A: If you absolutely need Flash to |
| It's during this process that all sorts of | | | | demonstrate an animation, then by all means |
| problems will crop up. But it's much easier | | | | use it. If it's for a fancy trick, I |
| to solve them on paper than in the middle of | | | | recommend leaving it out. It's similar with |
| coding rather than when you are finished.. If | | | | sound. Unless it adds to your site, don't use |
| you don't, you might run into a major problem | | | | it. And if you do use sound, give users an |
| along the way that would require a "back to | | | | option to turn it off. If you don't, you're |
| the drawing board" complete site re-design. | | | | likely to lose visitors. |
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