Web Design: The Vowel Complex
In the discipline of Web Design, there are many thoughts about important elements of sites that are found in many diverse locations. The Vowel Complex is a paradigm which I put together for the TTU Web Design program. In the program, this paradigm represents our core values as well as the primary evaluation criteria for student work including portfolios.
Each vowel represents a key value. No one element is more important than any other, and, in fact, it could be argued that they are all inter-related and inseparable. This paradigm simply represents an organizational structure through which page quality can be examined.
Before, listing out the specific elements, I must, of course, begin with a caveat that there are many ways in which web sites and web pages can be analyzed, this is one which I find most useful. The Vowels are:
Accessibility. In this instance, accessibility does not refer simply to compliance with section 508 standards. While those standards are critical, they are but one aspect of the larger accessibility concept. Accessibility expands out into two additional areas. First, accessibility also includes access across the digital divide. This means that an effective site recognizes effective use of bandwidth and accommodates multiple browsers, platforms and connection speeds. A potential user should not be denied access to a site because of their hardware or connectivity. That does not mean that everything should move back to plain text; it means that the requirements for the site to function appropriately are dependent on its target audience. Some sites do have higher requirements—to state otherwise would be to inhibit innovation, but a visitor who needs a given site should not be denied it. In a secondary manner, accessibility, as it has come to be associated with section 508, also refers to compliance with legal, social, and ethical standards as well.
Excellence of Content. One constantly hears complaints about sites being pure “eye candy” (on a positive note, such complaints are becoming rarer). Such mis-direction of sites is usually caused by site designers forgetting that the web itself is simply a vehicle for communicating. In order for a web site to be successful it must employ all of the best communication principles.
Innovation. A web site must be innovative and unique to be successful. A generic site with stock images or clip-art does not entice the site viewer. However, innovation is not simply about appearance, but refers also to the structure and the content.
Organization. Not much needs to be said here as the web is itself a structure to be navigated, and without organization, navigation becomes impossible.
Usability. The site must be there to allow the reader to perform the tasks they need to on the page and fulfill their objectives in visiting the page. While there are some who surf randomly, visitors to a web site come to perform a task (even if that task is to get information for a specific reason)—and everything about the page must facilitate that task, and the designer of the page should be aware of what those tasks are.
Each vowel represents a key value. No one element is more important than any other, and, in fact, it could be argued that they are all inter-related and inseparable. This paradigm simply represents an organizational structure through which page quality can be examined.
Before, listing out the specific elements, I must, of course, begin with a caveat that there are many ways in which web sites and web pages can be analyzed, this is one which I find most useful. The Vowels are:
Accessibility. In this instance, accessibility does not refer simply to compliance with section 508 standards. While those standards are critical, they are but one aspect of the larger accessibility concept. Accessibility expands out into two additional areas. First, accessibility also includes access across the digital divide. This means that an effective site recognizes effective use of bandwidth and accommodates multiple browsers, platforms and connection speeds. A potential user should not be denied access to a site because of their hardware or connectivity. That does not mean that everything should move back to plain text; it means that the requirements for the site to function appropriately are dependent on its target audience. Some sites do have higher requirements—to state otherwise would be to inhibit innovation, but a visitor who needs a given site should not be denied it. In a secondary manner, accessibility, as it has come to be associated with section 508, also refers to compliance with legal, social, and ethical standards as well.
Excellence of Content. One constantly hears complaints about sites being pure “eye candy” (on a positive note, such complaints are becoming rarer). Such mis-direction of sites is usually caused by site designers forgetting that the web itself is simply a vehicle for communicating. In order for a web site to be successful it must employ all of the best communication principles.
Innovation. A web site must be innovative and unique to be successful. A generic site with stock images or clip-art does not entice the site viewer. However, innovation is not simply about appearance, but refers also to the structure and the content.
Organization. Not much needs to be said here as the web is itself a structure to be navigated, and without organization, navigation becomes impossible.
Usability. The site must be there to allow the reader to perform the tasks they need to on the page and fulfill their objectives in visiting the page. While there are some who surf randomly, visitors to a web site come to perform a task (even if that task is to get information for a specific reason)—and everything about the page must facilitate that task, and the designer of the page should be aware of what those tasks are.
posted by Bob Clougherty | 5:56 PM
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