Unit 14: Developing and creating websites
After receiving feedback for "[AO4]: An evaluation of commercial websites that have been downloaded", I have fully finished this task and improved my first draft by reading the feedback given. I will be handing it once I come back from half term, as the final deadline for this task will be 1st November.
I have done more research into Dreamweaver tutorials; where using DynamicDrives.com, I have found a number of different effects to be used for images; where I found one in particular that I found interesting, this was called the “Gradual Highlight Image Script”. This effect is a JavaScript, where it is a script that makes any images appear dull, not at its full opacity before the mouse hovers over it; as the mouse hovers across it, the image will gradually change to its original full opacity. This effect is to be used to instantly add stunning onMouseover effects to the images on the website. I think this effect is very effective and useful; therefore I would like to use it in the website. Not only are there image effects tutorials available on DynamicDrives.com; there were many other tutorials such as for menu/navigation, calendars, mouse and cursors, text animation.
In the print screen below, it shows what the effect looks like when the mouse hovers across the image, for it to reveal its full opacity:
I was particularly interested in the sorts of effects there was available for menu/navigation, there was a wide range of different effects to create a menu/navigation; I was particularly impressed with the “Slide-In Menu Bar I (mouse controlled)”, where using this script it enabled a menu bar that opens/contracts from the left edge of the screen whenever the mouse hovers across the edge of the menu. However, after looking at the technique of how to create this into the website, it looked too complicated as there was a lot of coding needed to placed in different areas of the code window in Macromedia Dreamweaver, also not only having to enter the codes into the different areas of the code window, I would have to configure the menu itself. Therefore I have decided not to use this effect as it is too complicated.
In the print screen below, it shows the slide-in menu which appears on the left "Site Menu"
Unit 9: Project Planning:
The "[AO2] A preparatory report into current working practice" for web design is still in progress, where I have already researched into current professional web design companies, this is shown in the post of “Wednesday, October 04, 2006”. I have now researched into the features that current exist in existing Korean bands’ websites as well as the pages they all contain. I have found that all websites features pages of “Background Information about the band”, “Profiles”, “Schedule”, “News & Notices”, “Discography”, “Multimedia” and “Fan-board”; many of the pages liked to use music players and video players, where they all had a selection of their music and music videos. Using the research I found today, I have a rough idea of what needs to be featured on my client’s website.
My teacher has given me a help sheet for the Unit 9 Self Assessement, where she has pointed out what I would need to include in my blogs, and in my tasks. I will need to send an email to my teacher with the address to my blog, so that she can give me back feedback about aiming for the higher level marks.
Unit 14: Developing and creating websites:
I have been given back my first draft with feedback of Unit 14- "[AO4]: An evaluation of commercial websites that have been downloaded", where the feedback states that this piece of work is going in the right direction and it going towards 5/6 marks. To improve the mark, I will need to do is finish the task with the second website analysis and improve the pointers that my teacher has given, these are to make more detailed explanation of the features I will be using and won't be using for my own website. In the previous blog, I have stated I would hope to receive the feedback on the 11th Oct; however, due to the teacher's absent, I was not able to receive it till today (17th Oct).
Today, I have been learning the different HTML codes that represent different styles and functions from http://www.w3schools.com/default.asp. From this website, not only did I find the meaning and the types of HTML codes available, I also learnt how to make use of JavaScript into my website as well as the meaning of JavaScript.
( ^ click for larger view of this paragraph, it had to be placed into an image file as Blogger couldn't accept the examples of html as it interfered with the function of their facility)
There are a number of basic HTML tags that I would find useful to be placed into the website: (click for a larger view of the HTML list)
( ^ click for larger view of this paragraph, it had to be placed into an image file as Blogger couldn't accept the examples of html as it interfered with the function of their facility)
Unit 9: Project Planning:
"[AO2] A preparatory report into current working practice" for web design is still under going. I have been researching into current professional web-design companies, and find out how website design companies approach a new project. I have been told that task AO2 will be needed to be handed into on 15th November 2006.
For this task, I have found that the processes of a new project via researching on the two commercial web-design companies of “Level Ten Design” and “Perfect Blue” are very similar as both commercial web-design companies require:
- To contact the client either by telephone or email about their requirements of the website.
- After contacting the client with the requirements of their website, the company i.e. web designers will go and research into their client’s requirements to see if there are any features that are possible to fulfil the client’s expectations, this can be looking at current existing band websites for inspirations of features; this also included with the cost of a domain name and hosting package, as all clients will give a budget of the amount they would like to spend on their website to the web designers, the budget goes along with the specification of the website.
- Once the web designers have found suitable features/packages for the client’s website, they will contact the client to show what is available for the client to choose from, so the client can agree with what web designers have found.
- Once the client has agreed with the web designers’ findings, they will go ahead with setting up the website; this includes:
- Registering or purchasing a domain name and web hosting package for the client
- Produce the initial designs and the layouts of the client’s website
- Ideas of graphics the client would like on the website, or the client would provide the graphics for the web-designer to manipulate with
- The client is then contacted with the initial designs, to either view the designs online or have a client consultation of the initial designs. Once the client is happy with the designs, the web designers will go and produce the website according to the designs
- Once the website is all finished and has been tested by the client, it is then uploaded to the client’s web hosting account
Using the the topics that I, Shazadi and Naraini have discussed about "Perfect Blue"; these were looking at the techniques they used first (this was done by myself), whereas Shahzadi looked enquiry forms and Naraini looked at the prices. Using the information we found, we brought it together into one conclusion, where I will be producing a report of analysis of this web design practice, also I have chosen a web design practice of my own to analyse in the report by myself.
The final deadline for the full project Unit 9 and Unit 14, will needed to be due in on the 4th April 2007.
Unit 14: Developing and creating website:
I have handed in my first draft of "[AO4]: An evaluation of commercial websites that have been downloaded" and now I have to wait for some feedback and suggestions for improvements for this task from the teacher. For this task, I had to research into two different commercial websites and identify the types of Flash and JavaScript features they use, also get inspiration for the designs of my client’s band website. The websites that I analysed were iRiver website, which sold mp3 players and a band website, which was called TVXQ. After analysing the websites I have found a number of aspects that I would like to improve in the designs, such as the sliding out navigation buttons, the rollovers that changed colours when the mouse hovers across them, a slideshow of images, and a music player with the “Play” and “Stop” buttons for the users to use. These features I would need to research more in depth to find out how to create these features and whether or not they can be made easily.
For the "[AO4]: An evaluation of commercial websites that have been downloaded" task, I have been given the final deadline for this, which will be 1st November 2006; where I am hoping to receive the feedback on the 11th October.
I started to look and experiment with Macromedia Dreamweaver; where I have discovered that I can make templates of web pages as well as have CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for the web pages. Dreamweaver templates assist web designers with creating and applying a consistent page design and layout throughout the whole website.
A Dreamweaver template is a document that I can use as the foundation for all the other web pages on the website; where a template allows me to define overall site page layout and the elements that will consistently appear on each of the web pages on the site; this can include the logos, navigation bar, placeholders for page titles and the regions defined for the content. There are two aspects on a Dreamweaver template that I would need to take into account, these are:
- Editable regions- there will be certain elements that will be defined as editable regions; this means that I will be able to change this element on each of the web pages, i.e. the changing of the banner.
- Uneditable regions- there will be also some elements that will be defined as Uneditable regions, where on the template these elements will be kept the same on all the web pages of my website. These are the elements that, when modified in the original template, it will then globally be updated throughout the rest of the other pages in my website that I have created the template on.
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language that is used to define colours, fonts and layout and any other aspects of the document presentation; it is most common used to style web pages written in HTML or XHTML.
I have also been using the Internet to search for Macromedia Dreamweaver tutorials, as this is my first time in using this program; therefore I do not have any knowledge with how the program works. I will be using the latest version of Macromedia Dreamweaver, which is Macromedia Dreamweaver 8. I have looked at this Macromedia Dreamweaver tutorial on the web, which my teacher has provided, where on the website, it supplies basic tutorial videos on how to start up a new website; i.e. creating a root folder for all the contents of the website to use, creating a domain for the website to upload to.
The link that the teacher has provided for the Macromedia Dreamweaver video tutorials is: http://www.vtc.com/products/dw8.htm. This website only provides video tutorials on the basic needs to start up a site and an introduction on Macromedia Dreamweaver; I only have access to the basic tutorials because I need to purchase the rest of the Dreamweaver tutorials such as converting layouts into tables in order to view all the other video tutorials they have.
