Group items tagged

Here is the link to my blog site and usability test. There are instructions as a single pdf file to be reviewed, a search to be conducted and a 13 question survey/poll afterwards. You may open the pdf file in one window and then go through the instructions in a different window to keep the pdf file accessible. I have left a section for comments/suggestions on the poll but you may add them to my blog as site as well. Thank you in advance for participating.

Another simple but useful article about writing instructions.

This website lists "10 Principles Of Effective Web Design" that I believe are very useful. The images and information about where the users eyes fall and how to strategically organize your page are all helpful in designing not only blogs but any web page. These tips are very effective because they view everything from the users' perspective, saying things such as "users follow their intuition" or "users want to have control." I think that the aspects mentioned are good to take into account when design a site.

This page is more of a resource than an example of aligntment. The examples that Kayla(the author) shows looks like good examples however the resolution they were posted in makes it blurry and hard to judge. Kayla however breaks down in a few brief paragraphs how effective and important alignment is within an article, or project. One aspect that she hits on that makes a lot of sense to me is the images in alignment and how they can also be placed into alignment even though it is a photo. There is a lot more that goes into alignment that first expected. 

This site gives some interesting views on alignment and some examples that I'm not sure I like. In saying that though I really do like some of the notes for instance, that there are many points to align to on a layout. It also is much nicer to use color contrast and other features along with the alignment.

This website is very helpful when it comes to explaining alignment.  Even if you have other good elements going around your picture/website, it might look cluttered and there can be a bad use of alignment.  This website gives you examples of how to use proper alignment in pictures and on a layout by using the lines, shapes, and contrasting colors.  

I found that this site closely related to the ideas and principals from chapter one of Basics of Design. The site specifically talks about the principles of effective web design and website usability. It talks about how the typical web users brain works and the proper design to get the most out of them. This site shows the effectiveness of simplicity in design and how to get the most out of the space which you are working with. Also it mentioned having effective writing through talking business and the use of bold/italics keywords. Lastly the site encouraged designers to not fear having blank/white space on their site and to communicate with language that is clear and consistent with the concept of the site. Friedman, Vitaly. "10 Principles Of Effective Web Design - Smashing Magazine." UX Design: Smashing Magazine. Web. 22 Aug. 2011. .

Gives good description and examples of the concept of Visual Hierarchy in Web Design and discusses its importance. Also has an exercise to do to test visual hierarchy when you come across a website.

Informative post about how the human brain registers hierarchy naturally and techniques that can be used to achieve effective visual hierarchy in web desgin. The site offers examples of each method: size, color, contrast, alignment, repetition, proximity, density and whitespace, and finally style and texture. I particularly like this quote: "Good visual hierarchy isn't about wild and crazy graphics or the newest photoshop filters, it's about organizing information in a way that's usable, accessible, and logical to the everyday site visitor."

Here is an article on visual hierarchy in reference to web design. Along with the list of ways visual hierarchies can be formed visual examples are given as well. This article even goes in the psychology behind visual hierarchy and why its necessary for designers when creating.