More Than Frosting
by Heather Champ
The actual designing of a Web site remains a nebulous area that can be hard to pin down. Unlike HTML, which incorporates a very specific standard of operation, the actual pixel pushing or massaging of content on either an individual document or through an entire site can be difficult to articulate in such a formulaic manner that will guarantee a well-designed, "cool" site.WYSIWYG tools very quickly enable a designer to generate a site, but this speed or ease of creation doesn't always ensure a positive result. In the end, these new tools may only provide a speedier path to disaster.
While the home page or splash screen sets the tone of a site, it are the individual documents at the end of any possible click path that are the ultimate destinations of your users. Working backward, structuring the architecture of your information is a great way to ensure the best possible user experience. If you are working for a client or creating a site for your corporation, this can be a hard sell. People invariably want to comment or participate in the creation and detailing of how the site looks.
The navigation and flow through the site, which is an equal partner in its success or failure, can typically be given short shrift. It's understandable that the look and feel would cause the most concern, but designers need to educate clients that Web design now means more than a frosting of graphics. In many instances, people are unaware of the amount of time it takes to create graphics, and until the exact content has been nailed down, a significant portion of time can be wasted creating elements that will have to be reworked to fit the final content and architecture.
Some designers choose to create flat files in Quark or Photoshop, which are presented to the client. Once approved, these files are then handed over to a production team to be converted into a functioning site. How can flat files ever fully convey the potential interactivity of the Web?
A simple HTML wire frame model of the content areas' flow and navigation can be a very valuable asset in the creation of a Web site. It's easy to move around information and change links and flow without worrying about scaling graphical features to match. This framework can then develop into the site. It's far easier for a designer to work with a known quantity of real estate than reworking graphics and layout to incorporate new content or additional features.
In any event, although it may not be possible to only develop wire frame to final design, working at the problem from both ends can be far more rewarding and infinitely less frustrating than simply working from the top down.
