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Web Site Design and Construction (WSDC)

Introduction to Web Design/Web Redesign

This e-journey is a free, comprehensive, step by step e-learning guide to website design and construction written by Derek Stockley. Designed for all those involved in web page development, it is particularly useful for those webmasters developing or redesigning sites for individuals, small to medium sized businesses, educational institutions and community organisations.

The development of new web sites as well as the redevelopment of existing sites is covered. A comprehensive range of information is provided. If you are concerned about the impact of your website, see also Website Statistics which explains the importance of website statistics in monitoring web effectiveness.

This online training program assumes a basic knowledge of how the internet operates, however the elearning content is suitable for both the novice and experienced developer.

Web design and construction is a fascinating experience. Thousands of people go through the highs and lows of building and re-building web sites each day.

This e-journey is many things, but specifically:

A learning and educational experience for those of you about to embark on your first web development, or, revisit your existing development. Web site re-development is an ongoing activity.

A personal story about the first and second major re-developments of my Derek Stockley web site. My experiences may provide you with useful insights which guide you through the development process.

The experiences, tips and ideas may help you to improve your web design and functionality. Everyone wants users of their web pages to have good, positive and fast experiences. All web masters want to simplify maintenance and update procedures.

The Overall Web Design and Implementation Process

The design, development and implementation of a web site is similar to other software and hardware developments. In fact, basic project management principles apply.

In summary, this e-learning program covers service providers, developing HTML and other programming skills, good web page design, development issues, search engines, search engine optimisation and extra resources and references. It provides two information streams: design and re-design.

A sample of the issues covered:

For new starters, you need an internet service provider to gain access to the internet and email.

The company that actually "hosts" your site may be different. For example, some people who have found this page, may choose a free hosting service which is different to the service they use to surf the web Alternatively, you may have an existing provider and you want to review the service levels received.

The first major issue for new users is the need to develop skills in HTML and the programming languages used by the internet. For existing users, the questions relate to using the more advanced tools that are available. Should I upgrade and how do I do it?

HTML is a relatively straightforward "markup" language that enables you to format the way your web page appears. It was fantastic when it was first introduced. But there is much more to learn including CSS and XHTML.

The second major issue is the design and "feel' of the web site. Like many modern magazines and "glossy" brochures, I believe many web sites are "over designed". By this, I mean they use too many gimmicks, have too much color and generally overwhelm the viewer. They are difficult to read, have too many distractions, and take ages to download. If you have an existing site, you may be considering streamlining the appearance and presentation of your web pages.

The key elements of good web design:

pages load quickly and provide something to read almost instantly;

pages are well laid out and easy to assess i.e. work out what they are about;

pages are static i.e. they do not jump about as images load;

pages are easy to navigate so that you can find what you want;

and most importantly, the content is useful and worthwhile.

Once you finalise your thoughts on the design, then development proceeds. This involves finalising the design, developing key templates, coding, testing and refining. The overall design is very important.

The ongoing maintenance and operation details then need to be implemented. It is an ongoing process. It is essential that the design facilitates expansion and maintenance.

This e-learning program covers the above issues in greater detail, aided by personal insights and links to a comprehensive range of helpful and informative sites.

Your objective in taking this journey is to achieve elements of good web design in your own web pages, whilst making it easy for you to expand and grow as needs change.

This e-journey has about 10 major pages with many links to external sites that provide general and specialist information. Depending on your needs, it will take a minimum of 30 minutes to examine this e-journey fully. Using the links and putting all the information into practice will involve more time. In the long run, the lessons learnt and the direction given, has the potential to save you from many hours of frustration and annoyance.

What's next?

If you are now ready to start your detailed E-journey on Web Design and Construction, select the next section: Web Design and Construction - Road Map

This provides a detailed index of the various sections. Alternatively, you can select from the coral section on the left. This takes you to the relevant section of this e-journey.

If you need additional help, see web books for additional resources that assist in the web development and redevelopment process.

If you are interested in web design from a search engine perspective, see: Search Engine Optimisation/Search Engine Marketing for more specific information.

If you are looking for new content on this site, see: What's new?, which details recent additions to this site.

This page was reviewed and updated on 13 July 2006.