- Course Information
- Attendance Policy
- Grading Criteria
- IDCC Web Site
- IDCC Courses
- IDCC Major
- IDCC Minor
- About Bentley
IDCC 380 Course Information
A revolutionary development in communication, the World Wide Web offers unprecedented access to mass audiences. Just a decade ago (1991), Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Caillou put together the first rudimentary Web site at CERN in Switzerland. Today, the Web dominates our lives: through e-commerce, higher education, corporate knowledge management, b2b (business-to-business) partnerships, and day-to-day interactions for information, financial transactions, entertainment, and education.
What is Web Design?
Jeffrey Zeldman (Zeldman.com ) in his book Taking Your Talent to the Web offers a good description of the
roles and responsibilities of the Web designer.Keep it in mind as
you progress through this course:
"A Web designer is responsible for the look and feel of business-to-business and business-to-consumer Web sites.
[Note: I would add "intranets" as well and expand the term "business" to "organizations," especially "not-for-profit organizations," wb]Web designers solve their clients' communication problems, leveraging brand identity in a Web-specific manner (in other words, in a manner that respects the limitations and exploits the strengths of the Web). A Web designer understands the underlying technology and works with team members and clients to create sties that are visually and emotionally engaging, easy to navigate, compatible with visitors' needs, and accessible to a wide variety of web browsers and other devices." (138)
So what is the difference between a Web designer and a Web developer? Is there a difference? Yes. Again, let's call upon Zeldman to elucidate:
"The Web developers on your team will be responsible for the technical implementation of the site. You might hear them talk about Perl, Java, ASP, PHP, SSI, XML, ColdFusion, and other technologies. Just smile and nod as if you get it. . . . Many developers have their roots in UNIX. Some are old hippies; others look like preteen rejects from the cast of The Matrix. With the frantic need for qualified personnel, developers also might come from the ranks of traditional information technology (IT) services. Many of these people are wonderful, but some have a strong bias toward particular technologies and generally do not approach Web development with a "Webby" mindset — by which we mean a preference for open standards and accessibility." (129-130)
What is Web Design II?
This
course, Web Design II: Information Architecture and Site
Management, builds upon the knowledge and experience you
acquired in IDCC 370 Web Design I: Information Design Principles
and Practices.Web Design II develops further the generally
accepted concepts and applications of information architecture,
human factors, and usability in creating and managing Web sites.
Topics include page layout and design, navigation systems, interface
design, Web graphics and multimedia, interactivity, writing for the
Web, site architecture, management, and maintenance. Students will
work with high-end Web authoring tools to create various site
elements. By the end of the course, student teams will design and
create fully functional prototype Web sites.
It is good for you to get involved in Web design teams. Such teams generally are made up of writers, graphic artists, computer programmers, HTML experts, database designers, information architects, usability designers, quality controllers, network specialists, and system administrators. There is plenty of work for talented people in all these areas, especially as more and more businesses develop their Internet, intranet, and extranet presence. For this course, I don't expect that your team will have all this extensive talent, but you will get used to working with others and collaborating on essential tasks in designing your Web site.
Learn More about Web Design
If you are interested in pursing a career in Web design, these links will introduce you to the most common functions, salaries, and expectations of professional work in the field:
- Information Architecture Institute
- Architects and Information Architects
- The Art of Information Architecture
- Information Architecture Strategy & Specification
- Getting Started in Web Design
- Computer and Information Technology Jobs
- Career Spotlight: Web Developer
- Information Architecture Tutorial
- Information Architecture and User Centered Design Reading
List
- Introducing Web Design
- Median Salaries for Internet Careers
- So You Want To Be An Interaction
Designer