Are you thinking about taking a course is in web authoring in design? Or are you just looking for some info on building a web page? Either way, you've come to the right place!
What's your purpose?
Why do you want a website in the first place? This question matters. In The Elements of User Experience, Jesse James Garrett identifies two ends of a continuum: Every web page is somewhere between functionality or information medium. Which one will your webpage be, primarily?
- If your website is for functionality, then you are most concerned with tasks. Your webpage will work as a tool for your visitors.
- If your website is for information, then you want your visitors to be able to find and use the content they are looking for. This website is primarily an information medium.
Again, there is a continuum between product as functionality and product as information. Few websites are strictly one or the other. But determining your primary purpose will help your frame the rest of your decisions. The figure below shows how this determination will frame your work on multiple levels.
As you can see above, the purpose of your website will frame other requirements:
- Do you need to develop functional specifications or content requirements?
- Should you structure your website around interaction design or information architecture?
- Will your users need a site that responds to their behavior (interaction design) or helps them understand the content (information architecture)?
As you can see, rhetorical principles like purpose and audience play an important role in website design. Please see The Elements of User Experience and the additional resources on the right info bar for more on website design strategies.
