Web Site Design and Development

Below are some criteria to consider when designing and developing your class, grade level, department or school web site.

  • Does the web page have a title?
  • If the web page is a home page, does it have a title, welcome message, graphics and a navigation menu (links to other pages)?
  • Does the web page extend beyond the side edges of the monitor?
  • Is the web page logically organized?
  • Does the web page have a clear purpose that is evident to the visitor? Does the web page fulfill its purpose?
  • Does the web page require extensive downward scrolling (more than two screens) to view the content?
  • Are there useful headings and subheadings on the web page? Do they stand out for easy recognition?
  • Does the web page contain graphics to support the content? Are they appropriately sized so as to facilitate the loading of the page?
  • Are the spelling and grammar on the page correct? Are there typographical errors?
  • Are there links back to the home page?
  • Do all external and internal links work?
  • Is the date the page was last updated present?
  • Does the site contain original information that adds to the existing body of knowledge?
  • Is the information on the site accurate?
adapted from Developing Web Pages for Educators by Kathy Schrock

Here are some links to other resources on the web to assist with the development of your web site.

 
 
 
 
 

Web Page Design Mistakes (adapted from "Five Big Mistakes to Avoid When Creating Web Sites" by Bryan Hoff)

Long pages and long page downloads: Limit the scrolling (see above) and the number of images on a page for fast loading.

Frames: avoid them - they are nothing but trouble.
Too many graphics: Leave some space on the page, avoid loading a page with graphics.
Links: use traditional link colors (blue for a new link, purple for a visited link, red for an active link). If you use other colors, underline the links and have visited links be a different (and darker) color than unvisited links.