Let's Unpack This!

Posted In: Reflective posts

When you are designing a website, there are many things to consider:

  1. What do you want the website to do?
  2. What should it look like?
  3. How will you drive the right people to the site?
  4. Who are you targeting with the new site?

When the web creator(s) know their audience, it will help them identify the key features needed for the website. It is important to include all the things the target audience wants to do on our site. For example, my group and I (spoiler alert!!) are creating a website focused on informing our audience (Texas A&M students) about all things voting. Our audience members will be those interested in the topic who want to gain more knowledge or have a clear understanding of any questions they might have. Because most students at Texas A&M are Texas residents but not specifically live in Brazos Valley, we will also include voting laws in Texas as a whole.

Next is the design of the website. We need to identify the audience we are designing to to help us figure out the best way to approach our site’s look and feel. Because my group and I are catering to Texas A&M students, we will collectively figure out how to incorporate the right photos, colors, font size and styles, and layouts. We will make sure to tailor the design of our site to the appeal of our target audience. So definitely a touch of maroon! Even though my group and I want our website to be visually appealing, we cannot take away the important content. We will provide informative content that is easy and clear to find to educate our target audience about voting.

After reading through the 12 Timeless UI Patterns, I can envision my group using either Single-Page Layout or Multi-Page Layout. A single-page website is a website under one HTML page, and to navigate to different sections on the page, the user clicks the link, and it sends you to that page. An example is Gmail. A multi-page website contains multiple pages and subpages within a menu like Amazon. The only to navigate to and view pages is by clicking on the links within the menu.

I would have to do more research, but my group and I’s website will include additional links for additional information, whether it is a new article, debate video, candidate’s website, etc. As of right now, I don’t know if a single page will work, so I need to read more into it.

The 7 Rules for Creating Website Color Schemes will help my group understand the color wheel, color combinations, color psychology, and more. This will help us make sure that the colors we pick complement each other and are easy on the eye. We wouldn’t want to have a hot pink with a forest green as those two colors, in my opinion, do not accompany one another. When we decide to incorporate color, we will discuss which ones we want, how many to have, and where to put it on the site.