Web Site Design Marti Hearst (UCB SIMS) SIMS 213, UI Design & Development April 6, 1999
Dec 20, 2015
Today
Last two project overviews More on web design
– the graphic design component– one strategy: using grid structure to
organize visual design hierarchically
Adapted from slide by Mark Newman
Web Design Specialities
Information design– structure, categories
of information Navigation design
– interaction with information structure
Graphic design– visual presentation of
information and navigation (color, typography, etc.)
Adapted from slide by Mark Newman
Web Design Specialties
Information Architecture– includes management
and more responsibility for content
User Interface Design– includes testing and
evaluation
Graphic Design– layout, look-and-feel,
consistent view
Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
Graphical Design
Must account for:– a comprehensible mental model– appropriate organization of
information, functions, tasks, and role– quality and aesthetics of appearance
»the “look”
– effective interaction sequencing»the “feel” of the navigation
Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
Components of Visual Design
Layout Typography Imagery Animation Color Texture
Visual Identity
Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
Goals of Good Graphic Design
Communicate a visual identity– deal with the tension between a uniform
look and visual interest Communicate visual relationships Communicate a visual precedence
ordering– Reflects levels of importance– Reflects user needs and task frequencies– Facilitates rapid scanning
Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
Establishing Visual Relations
Assume we have identified information groups
Assume we have created hierarchical structure for these
Use graphic design elements to communicate this structure.
Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
Using grouping to show relationships between visual elements
(Gestalt principles)
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Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
Visual Hierarchies
Provide initial focus Direct attention to important,
secondary, or peripheral items, as appropriate
Ordering follows user’s conceptual model of the task flow
Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
Use Visual Hierarchies
Use visual hierarchy and precedence to order page elements in a top-down task flow– Fill in information– Make a selection– Submit or reset– Plus global navigation controls
Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
Clear Logical Relationships Indicated by Hierarchical Layout
Submit Reset
Home Help Info
Submit ResetHome
Help InfoWhatsNew
Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
One Strategy:Make use of Grid Layout
Grid layout– Horizontal and vertical lines to position window
components Align and group related items
– allows for many variations on hierarchical organization
– contrast brings out dominant elements Consistency in
– location– format– repetition– organization
Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
Practice Graphical Redesign
A Slide Show applicationWhat should be changed, and why?
(Not a web interface)
Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
Using a Grid Layout
Step 1: Maintain visual consistency with standard GUI style– standard locations for title, navigation
controls, etc Step 2: Decide on
– navigational layout– white space– typography/legibility
Adapted from slide by Saul Greenberg
Using a Grid Layout
Step 3: Determine relationships– map information structure and
navigational structure onto the grid Step 4: Economize
– collapse two windows/panels into one Step 5: Evaluate by incorporating
actual content Step 6: Economize further
– remove gratuitous icons, etc
Use Visual Overviews to Provide Context
Table of contents “Site maps” Map of physical entity
– shopping mall, campus Conventional organization
– newspaper sections and columns
In a sense, these show the navigational structure,as opposed to the information structure or the task
structure that we have been looking at so far.