Chapters 1-3

Learning Web Design: Chapters 1-3.

Summary:

There’s a lot of information in these first three chapters about web design, the internet, and the varied devices that web pages appear on! The part I found the most interesting was that web design is not just about how web pages look on the surface, but how the internals of web pages work, how users experience those pages, and how many things come together in the “design” of web pages. Examples of elements of web pages are HTML, JavaScript, CSS code and the servers that serve up the web pages.

The web and web design has had a varied history of standards and has evolved over the years. I find it interesting that the smart phone revolution is a game changer in how web pages are designed and viewed.

Q1: As more and more folks are using low-resolution devices, should we design for the phone, and hope it looks okay for the computer screen, or have separate versions for each device?

A1: Progressive enhancement attempts to solve this browser issue by designing for basic content delivery that is compatible to all browsers, and then adding features layer by layer to accommodate the more advanced browsers and higher resolutions. I look forward to learning more about progressive enhancement and how to incorporate the varied tools like CSS, HTML, and JavaScript, and their respective standards, into web design.

Q2: What’s wrong with designing web pages for the computer screen only? Smart phone browsers have that can scale the size of text and graphics?

A2: The scaling of browser windows on smart phones is very clunky and awkward, and degrades the user experience. It is better to design content for phone browsers and scale up the features for higher resolution browsers.