MCCSC: Sample 2 My Favorite Author
Monroe-Bloomington School
Monroe County Community School Corporation
1001 Somewhere Road
Bloomington, IN 47401
The "form"/"table" lines/borders are visible
only to illustrate how the page is laid-out.
The page looks better with the TABLE BORDER=0 element. Take a look.
More Help

Planning and Designing
a Web Page

Using Word 97
to Create a Web Page

  • "View" the HTML source code to see how this page was constructed.
    See HTML Details, if you'd like to do it "from scratch."
  • However, the page can be constructed in Office/Word 97 and "Save-ed As HTML".
  • Try designing a similar page in Word 97.
  • Follow the instructions in Using Word 97
    to create a similar page.
Books and Stories by ...The Author
  • Examine the layout of this page.
  • Notice the table structure of cells in rows and columns.
  • Notice how some cells span across 2 columns or down 2 rows.
  • Notice the color changes in the "background" of both
    • cells, and
    • the page.
  • Notice the underlined/colored hyperlinks to other pages.
  • Notice the varying type faces, type sizes, and  type emphases.

A Day at the Zoo
Other Information about ...
Learning Outcomes developed for British Columbia (Canada) schools
Intercultural E-Mail Classroom Connections
THOMAS: US Legislative Information on the Internet
Access Indiana: State of Indiana Government
CNN Interactive: Cable News Network
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
www.MCCSC.edu Menu | | Administration | | MCCSC Schools | | MCCSC Programs | | Lifelong Learning | | Information
Webmaster
Last update: 9 November 1998

Designing Web Pages

Designing for the Web is not so different from designing for print: You are providing visual cues to help your reader navigate the space. The difference is that people already have a built-in expectation of how paper works: They know the feel of paper, how to turn a page, how to follow instructions like "continued on page 14." With the Web -- and with other interactive media -- you are creating a new environment, and at the same time, training the reader to develop a new set of expectations. Then, of course, you must meet those expectations through consistent design and use of design elements.

The key element of Web design is visual "wayfinding" through a vast and undefined abstract space -- call it "cyberspace," or even conceptualize it as a computer monitor. Just as sign designers present clearly labeled directions, Web designers have to take complex information and clearly point the user in predetermined directions.

A good Web site is clear and easy to read, like a good layout. It also has navigation aids on each separate Web page -- often a toolbar that offers a brief outline of the whole structure; the click of a button returns the user to the home page or to a custom location.

Keep in mind that most people still don't like to read a lot of text on a screen -- [do as I say, not as I do!]. Bite-sized bits of information, often just enough to fit on a single screen without scrolling, coupled with clear directions and navigational assists, will keep a web-surfer's attention long enough, perhaps, to read your material -- the ultimate goal of making information available.

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