3 credits

Prerequisite: Y59.1360/Principles and Applications of Publishing on the Internet

This course combines basic HTML with a focus on the fundamental principles of information and user interface design. Students are taught the "hands-on" skills necessary to create simple web pages while receiving a thorough grounding in the essentials of information design including basic strategies for organizing information and designing navigational and labeling systems. Students will participate in brain-storming sessions, metaphor exploration, and prepare page mock-ups and design sketches. HTML is covered up to an intermediate level (tables and frames) allowing students to experiment with information structure and to develop simple prototypes. Issues of redesigning and reorganizing web sites will also be thoroughly addressed. Additional topics include usability testing, how to build context in a web site, how to accommodate a variety of user needs and search patterns, content mapping, and methods for the visual display of information. Students will also learn how to upload and administer a personal web site.