Design Issues & Techniques
Below are several technical design issues that as web designers we need to discuss with all our clients so as to get their opinion and input. As the design features affect the site's visual appearance and to some extent it's functions, choices have to be made as to how to proceed. As at every stage these issues are discussed fully as and when they occur and all our clients are kept informed of progress.
These are:
Screen Resolution
This means how big things will appear on your computer screen. You must consider that there are several screen sizes in use and decide what will fit on to a 14" screen and look good, and how it looks on a larger screen. Basically it entails 1) Deciding how much information is to fit onto one page, and again, 2) who your audience is. If you are a business working within IT for instance you may forgo considering your sites appearance on a 14" assuming your customers are all working form larger screen sizes and designing with this in mind.
Frames
Frames, as the name suggests are boxes created by the web designer that the text and images are inserted into. They are often used to facilitate certain types of navigation. But don't always work with search engines. (A search engine is a large Database that lists catogories of websites by analising their "Key words".) Also frames don't allow viewing via web T.V which is becoming more common.
Animated Graphics
These moving images and/or text are a very effective way to add interest and emphasis to your site by drawing attention to an area or highlighting subject matter.
Flash
These are Animated vector graphics and are very fast to download, they are most commonly use to make sites more interactive and fun. The only drawback is you need an up-to-date plugin to get the full glory, however, a function for surfers to download a plugin to their own machine can be incorporated in the site.
Loading Speed
Loading speed should be as fast as possible to cut down on cost and curb impatience. If the site is very busy and has a lot going on it may take longer to download. Very detailed and large graphic files load slower as will a great deal of scrolling text. How the site works, looks and time taken to download should be weighed one against the other.
