How To

Overview

How To

Samples

On the Web

< Home

Weaving a Community of Learners

Content, Organization, Design and Navigation are separate but related parts of any web site.

Content is driven by your audience (students, families, teachers, visitors, community) and your goals (general info, news, calendar, instruction, gallery, forms, etc.). Good content is relevant to your audience and goals, and it's either durable or current.

Plan for the future! When you create your site, give yourself room to grow. Organization follows from your content. When you know what goes on your site, you can decide where to put it, how much will go on one page, and how web users will find it.

Design relates to the visual layout. Take into account your users' needs. Good design means the links are clear, the layout is appealing, and the content is easy to understand. Designing for younger students or students with disabilities requires thoughtful use of graphics, fonts, vocabulary, etc., as illustrated by the Kids Only Zone on the Priory Woods Site.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a form of web design that allows for easy style changes as well as accessibility for people with disabilities.

Navigation means how users move around the web site and get to what they need. Good navigation includes clearly labelled links and quick, intuitive routes to key information and resources.

Steve Krug's book Don't Make Me Think is an excellent resource for learning about both organization and design.