Project 2: Templates and Photo Galleries
due: October 20, 2009

It is becoming less and less common for businesses to design things from scratch, whether that be the page design itself or aspects of the page, such as message boards, shopping carts, or photo galleries. There are many good people out there who have already created very good templates--yet it is rare that one can simply use the template as is--it has to be tweaked in order to fit the rhetorical situation.

This project involves creating a website that explores the importance of information architecture, usability, and interface design(see Web Style Guide) through a (hypertext)essay and a visual argument.

In the (hypertext)essay, you will imagine you're explaining to a new web designer (consider even, perhaps, a new DTC student) first, what information architecture, usability, and interface design are, and second, why they matter. The essay needs to be composed in a CSS web template (see details below) and can include anywhere from 3-30 pages--it's up to you. You could have a page for each topic, a page for separate arguments, a page for the 'what' and one for the 'why,' etc.... You can also include images within the essay but it's not required. The goal here is to explain the "what" and the "why"--imagining your audience knows little to nothing about this topic.

In the visual argument (which needs to somehow be linked to/part of the essay), you will argue for the importance of either good information architecture, usability standards, or good interface design (or all 3). You will create this visual argument in a Photo Gallery. Get creative with this! Can you take pics of someone wayfinding through a grocery store? Can you take screen shots of good and bad uses of design?

The requirements:

  • Use of a CSS Template, but that's tweaked in some way not just textually but also design wise (so new colors, sizes, shapes, or images). See http://www.freecsstemplates.org/or find another CSS template site.
  • Implementation of a photo gallery. You must find this on your own, I will provide zero instructions for this as often, in the workplace, you will be asked something like "Kristin, can you put a photo gallery on our website?" and in spite of the fact that perhaps you never have and don't know how to, you're going to have to figure it out. So, go forth and figure it out.
  • At least 3 internal pages. External links are fine if they seem appropriate.
  • A clear understanding of the importance of information architecture, universal usability, and interface design.