Always remember that just being is fun!

Monday, November 29, 2004

Web site uses

I think that the most accessible things on this site need to be the buttons that lead to information on auditions and classes. These are how the company continues to exist and therefore it is important that people be able to get to this information easily. (and also know where the information can be found). Checking that users can easily locate this information will be a large part of the user-testing for the site, as well as making sure that our other buttons are more or less clear as to which direction that they lead.

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Qualities of Web text

I don't know that other forms of media are changing to be more like Web writing as much as they are changing in order to keep the interest of a faster-paced society. I've noticed that newspaper articles inparticular remain the same length, including all of the important information, but they are sure to highlight the main points in the very first part of the article. It seems as though writers of these mediums are well aware that their readers' attention span is more likely than not short, and thus get all of the important facts out immediately. However, unlike Web writing, which would condense information and merely leave it at that, it seems as though news writers still go into detail later on in the article.

A key difference in the writing of magazine articles after the advent of the Web is the inclusion of Internet terminology without explaination. In magazines such as People, which average Americans read on a daily basis, there are multiple references to AIM, blogging, online polls, etc. These are things that, prior to the popularity of online writing, would have been explained in depth if used in an average writing medium. Likewise, magazines for teens (such as 17 and YM) use AIM abbreviations much more often without explanation. In many of the editorials, as well as even some of the less sophisticated articles, it isn't rare to see an "lol" or "j/k" written with the assumption that all readers understand what is inferred.

I feel that these things are the key changed in the writing of other mediums since the advent of the Web. I don't know that newspaper and magazine writing will ever change to be more like Web writing so long as they remain in print format, because as long as they do they remain a separate genre of writing. It's almost like different forms of music ... with the advent of rock and roll, jazz and country didn't die out or totally become rock, they just changed a little bit for a time. I think that any evolving media will have similar changes.

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Site Navigation

I think that the most important thing for effective navigation on a Web site is to make the navigation bars and tabs easy to locate, understand and use.

The font needs to be large enough and clear enough that readers can see and understand it at a glance. Also, the navigation bars need to be in a location that is accessible no matter what part of the page the reader is at. For example, if a reader has scrolled far down to the bottom of the page, he or she should be able to locate navigation tabs at the bottom of the page instead of having to scroll all the way back to the top.

Also, the navigation bars shouldn't contain an overwhelming amount of information. The site should be broken down into a few simple, easily recognizable categories so that the reader is not overwhelmed by choices and also so that the reader is able to easily find the page he or she would like to navigate to.

I think that all of these techniques are easy enough to remember to use for our group's Web site. Hopefully, they will make the site easier to navigate and more user-friendly.

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Persona

I believe that the persona of most viewers of this site would be mothers (and/or fathers) of students of the Niagara Falls elementary and middle school systems. These people work during the days while their kids are at school, and possibly into the night and are therefore looking for a program to keep their kids busy into the evenings. This program promotes creativity that children thrive upon and thus is an exciting extracurricular opportunity for their children. Better yet, it's free, so they don't need to worry about cost at all.

Another persona that would view this site could be someone interested in the arts in the Niagara Falls area. This is the type of person that could happen upon this site as a result of a search of performing arts in Niagara Falls or the like. This persona would be interested in the dates of the shows that the program performs, as well as ticket pricing information, location of the shows, and possibly the names and histories of people who work with the company.

I think the final persona that might view this site would be high school and college students with an interest in theatre looking for audition opportunities. They would look to this site to find audition information such as locations, times, dates, and what they need to have prepared. They would also look to see what types of productions have been put on in the past, and what people they would be working with if they were to do a production with the company.

Web Site Ideas

I think that a site for the Niagara Fine Arts Program Inc. would be useful. The organization caters to a lot of the youth in the Niagara Falls area, and a Web site would make their work more known, so perhaps more students could get involved.

The site would need to advertise for the organization's upcoming shows and productions, as well as provide information on the history of the organization, the schedule of upcoming events, and ways to contact those in charge. It might also include audition dates for those who were interested in becoming part of a production.