Saturday,
October 5, 2013
Journal
#1: Niederst, Robbins Jennifer. Learning
Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to HTML, CSS, Javascript, and Web Graphics.
Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly, 2012. Print.
Summary:
Web
design usually involves teams of designers, each with a specific job. There is an interaction designer, User
Experience Designer and a Visual/ Graphic Designer, as well as multimedia
developer, content strategist and information architect. A web designer must always have the user in
mind. O’Reilly distinguishes between
frontend design and backend development.
Frontend design has more to do with how the user will see and use the
page, while backend development has more to do with the programming and server
management.
HTML: A markup language, which sets up the
structure of the webpage.
CSS: Is responsible for how the webpage looks.
JavaScript
is a programming language that is responsible for what a webpage does.
The
web is a way of sharing information in addition to file transfer and
email. The internet is the network of
computers. Servers allow sharing, or
communication between computers. A domain name links to an IP address, to be found on a server. A URL is a pages address. The source document contains text and HTML
and CSS mark ups to define how the page will appear. The graphics are accessed by the mark ups,
such as in the Jen’s Kitchen example.
There
is a lot to consider when designing webpages these days. There are many different devices that it will
be viewed on, with a few different ways to connect. As designers, we also need to consider how
the user will be viewing the page. Are
they in a hurry? Are they sitting at a
desk? Do they have a small phone screen
or a large monitor? Sticking with the
W3C standards will help to ensure uniformity.
Using the progressive enhancement strategy is one way to help with
differing browser capabilities. The
designer starts with a very basic page that can be accessed by all, then adds
layers of complexity. Responsive web
design uses CSS to allow the page to open in different ways depending on the
size of the screen, therefore allowing for optimal user experience.
The
Web Accessibility Initiative was started to ensure Web access for all. For example, users with vision problems can
use screen readers and users with limited use of their hands can use altered
keyboards etc.
Would I be more of a frontend
Designer or a Backend Developer?
I
definitely find myself more drawn to frontend design. As a frontend designer, I would need a good
eye for design, as well as solid knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In addition, knowing about server side
programming and database management would be beneficial.
What was the most interesting
information you learned from this reading?
I
found the explanation of how webpages and the web work to be very helpful and
easy to understand. I also learned that
responsive web design can make pages easier to read on the iPhone, by breaking
up the elements, and allowing them to be viewed larger without too much
scrolling around.
