EDN205- ICT in the Classroom.

Assignment One Rachel Melissa Wood- 31873798

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EDN205- ICT in the Classroom
Assignment One
Website Considerations

















Words:
EDN205- ICT in the Classroom. Assignment One Rachel Melissa Wood- 31873798
2

A Reflection of website design and implementation
issues.
Introduction:
Creating a website can be a challenging and sometimes testing task. This however,
can be made easier with the use of effective technology and key design elements
being addressed during creation. In this report I will describe key design and
implementation issues that may be encountered and my experiences in creating my
Rachels EDN205 site over the last month.

Web Design Issues
When creating a website you can encounter many issues that hinder design and
publishment. These issues can include; Navigation of your site, accessibility by the
public, readability of your information to viewers, layout of your site, fonts and the
colours used in our final presentation of the site. In the following paragraphs I will go
into detail about how to face these issues head on and create the best possible
website.
Navigation:
Creating a website that is easy to move through is vital for public interest and visits
to the page. Web site navigation is the way users move through sites. It must be
well constructed, easy to use and intuitive. Poor navigation does not help users and
often, your site can prove to be less accessible than others. (Mardiros, 2010). A
home page in an easily accessible to assist with navigation back to a familiar starting
point. Your websites title should be able to take you back to your home page once
having been clicked upon. Lastly is you have a large amount of information on each
page, creating navigation buttons at the bottom of each page for ease of movement
can also be favoured by visitors.
In creating this function of my webpage I thought of the frustrating aspects as an
internet user and attempted to rectify them in my own website.
Accessibility:
Creating an accessible site requires users to easily source your site without
spending a large amount of time searching. To do this, creating a name that is
simple, easy to remember and unique allows for the greatest possible traffic to enter
your page. Providing information seekers with an interesting but low worded website
name gives yourself or your business the greatest chance of a successful and highly
visited website.
In creating my name I remained aware of the importance of keeping my websites
name simple and therefore opted with simply Rachels EDN205 site. Upon
reflection, I know this may pose an issue if I was looking for originality, however for
the purpose of this unit I did not feel the need to do so.
EDN205- ICT in the Classroom. Assignment One Rachel Melissa Wood- 31873798
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Readability:
Readability includes many different things such as, the layout of your website, the
font and colours used. Your website needs to be simple and easy to find information
within. Users should be able to see a flow between pages. The font used needs to
be large enough for visitors to see and be a style that can be read with ease and little
extra effort. The colour of the font should have good contrast to the background
colour.
I have used the same layout on each page so that the user can recognise where
they are. My layout of each page has a title, navigation buttons, picture, subtitle and
then information to follow. I have made the font rather large in the hope that the
majority of visitors will be able to read and follow my website.
Layout:
Many sources suggest that website layout should be simple and uncluttered. This
makes it easy for the website visitors to move through and navigate your site for the
required information they were searching for. Your website should not contain large
amounts of text without breaks of pictures or links. In saying this however, all
pictures and links should directly relate to the content you are discussing on that
particular day. Each page created should flow and remain fairly similar to the others
of the site.
The technology I used, Weebly, gave me many different themes to choose from
when first creating your page. I chose a particular layout because Ii felt it would suit
the type of website and topic of the website I was creating. I feel this theme allows
me to produce a layout that is user friendly and relevant. Once having picked the
theme you can then choose a basic layout you wish to use. I have chosen the same
one for each page as I feel it flows the best with the information and pages I have
created.
Fonts:
In much of my research it has been suggested to use very few different fonts to
assist in viewer readability. It has also been suggested that paragraphs and all text is
kept short and succinct to best maintain readers interest. Lastly it is suggested that
the fonts used relate to the content matter of your website. For example in a website
similar to my own, using font that is easily read by children and has relevant letter
shape.
I have used only two fonts throughout my website. One for titles and one for the body
texts. I have made the text size big enough that I feel most readers will be able to
access and read it. I remained conscious to keep writing in short succinct
paragraphs so as to ensure readers remain interested and able to focus.
Colours:
Colour plays an important role in viewer interest of your site. It can also effect the
emotions people feel from your site. In general, a website should only contain two or
three major colours in the scheme (Australian Flexible Learning Community. 2002)
which makes a site flow. Certain colours make people feel certain emotions. This too
EDN205- ICT in the Classroom. Assignment One Rachel Melissa Wood- 31873798
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can assist in your website development. Beyond Blue (2010) tells us the emotions
people often feel when confronted with different colours;

Sourced from Deepermind.
The interaction of colors in a design through complementation, contrast, and
vibrancy. (Cannon, 2012) are the key to web design and I feel the greatest tool we
have in first capturing readers attention.
In my website I have used blue, green and yellow tones, which according to the
above wheel encourages trust, growth and success. I will these highlight the values I
wish to instil in my website and hope the theme directly relates to the topic of my
webpage.
Web Implementation Issues
Having produced a website that you feel ready to publish, it is important to take into
consideration copyright rules and laws and the credibility of the information you are
presenting.
EDN205- ICT in the Classroom. Assignment One Rachel Melissa Wood- 31873798
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Copyright:
When creating a website it is vital to ensure that you only claim rights to that of which
you have produced.
In my website I have added a disclaimer at the bottom of my homepage informing
visitors that all photography and music/sound used in this website either belongs to
Weebly, myself or will be otherwise specified. Those links that I have hyperlinked in
are lead to the homepage of the company/institution that owns it so people will be
aware they do not belong to me.
Credibility:
It is important for webpage visitors to know whether a website is credible and
trustworthy for information. It is vital for readers to be able access the authors name
and contact details somewhere on the page in an easy to find spot.
In my website I have included my name and full contact details. I have also dated the
site and informed users what the site has been produced for.

Creation of my Website and Recommendations:
After much research into free website creation technology I chose Weebly as I felt it
was one that I was yet to try, it gave step by step instructions during creation and it
allowed me to create a website that already had some design features in place so I
did not have to start from scratch with little idea. I found Weebly very easy to use and
am enjoying the challenge and excitement of finding new functions each time I log
on. The wide variety of features Weebly has to offer has given me new
understandings, and allowed me to create an exciting and individual website. I have
accessed the technical support once and found their staff and FAQ area to be
informative and very relevant. Although I have not been with the site long, I have so
far found their privacy settings to be high and have had no issues with junk emails
etc.
I previously uterlised Yolas creation technology however found it sometimes
frustratingly confusing to navigate and search through. In researching Google sites,
iWeb, Jimbo, Webnode, Wix, and Zohosites I found I felt confused a way into
reading how to create a site. This is why I instantly gravitated towards Weebly when I
found it far easier to interpret.
Overall I have found Weebly to a helpful, creative and interesting site to work with
during website creation. I am proud of the site I have produced however feel I could
not have achieved this without the help Weebly has offered. I would recommend
anyone wishing to start a website with a free technology to utilise their service.

Conclusion:
In reflecting before and during completion of this report I have found that website
design and implementation has a much deeper concept than I first realised. In taking
EDN205- ICT in the Classroom. Assignment One Rachel Melissa Wood- 31873798
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these considerations on board I hope I have created a website that is not only fitting
to this unit but also can be used in years to come by either myself or others with
website creation ambitions.




























EDN205- ICT in the Classroom. Assignment One Rachel Melissa Wood- 31873798
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References:
Cannon, T. (2012). An Introduction to Color Theory for Web Designers. Retrieved
from http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/an-introduction-to-color-theory-for-web-
designers--webdesign-1437
Cornin, M. (2009). 10 Principles For Readable Web Typography. Retrieved from
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/03/18/10-principles-for-readable-web-
typography/
Laja, P. (2012). 39 Factors: Website Credibility Checklist. Retrieved from
http://conversionxl.com/website-credibility-checklist-factors/
Laverly, J. (2012). Using ICT in ATSIHC. Retrieved from http://jade205.weebly.com/
Luzuriaga, M. (2011). Choosing the Right Font: A Practical Guide to Typography on
the Web. Retrieved from http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/choosing-the-right-
font-a-practical-guide-to-typography-on-the-web--webdesign-15
Mardiros, C. (2001). Good Web Site Navigation - Reaching The Information
Instantly. Retrieved from http://www.mardiros.net/good-navigation.html
Montecino, V. (1998). Criteria to Evaluate the Credibility of WWW Resources.
Retrieved from http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites.htm
Norwood, G. (2007). Deepermind. Retrieved from http://www.deepermind.com/