Chapter Outline for
Proposal for MIT Web Design Handbook
Part 1: The Digital Communications Class
This first, introductory part focuses on the kind of class that can best use the handbook. We will provide general information and advice on such a class, specifically our experiences with the MIT class, Communicating in Cyberspace, to give instructors an idea of how to structure and teach similar classes. Chapters will cover class design, curriculum, using student teams for Web site design, important issues related to Web sites and the Internet, and the use of a class Web site.
Chapter 1: Class Design and Curriculum
In the first chapter we will present an overview of the class, including the impetus for creating such a class, considerations in the design, and the curriculum that has evolved. This chapter should provide a starting point for instructors wishing to create or reorganize a Web design/digital communications class. The class is an integrated mix between a seminar-style class with guest lecturers covering law, site design, and hypermedia, among other topics, and a team-based site design workshop. This chapter will include a sample syllabus and will present feedback from students who have taken the MIT class.
Chapter 2: Team-based Site Design
A major part of the class is the hands-on design project. Early on, the class was organized around team-based design since that model is closely followed both in real world Web design and in other kinds of design projects. This chapter will present guidelines for organizing design teams, including specific roles and tasks that team members may fulfill. We will talk about which team structures are best suited to particular kinds of projects. We will present our experience working with more than two dozen design teams in the MIT class.
Chapter 3: Critical Issues for Discussion
The other part of the class is the series of topical lectures. This chapter will focus on the kinds of topics useful for students building Web sites, as well as some examples from our class. Essays on some of these topics will be included in this chapter, along with references.
Chapter 4: Class Web Site
Our class relies heavily on a class Web site. This chapter will present the important functions of a class Web site for a Web design course and how such a site can be closely integrated into the class.
Part 2: Teaching the Web
This part will focus on the actual instruction in Web design. We assume a basic technical background and an understanding of basic HTML (a review of HTML will be provided in an appendix). This part will begin with a general discussion of the Web and digital communication and continues with a comprehensive guide to designing and building Web sites (see also notes on building large sites and finishing sites). Additional chapters will discuss graphics, programming (including forms and CGI scripts), interactive content, and multimedia. The final chapters will discuss managing and redesigning Web sites. Throughout these chapters, schedules and time estimates will be provided.
Chapter 5: The World Wide Web, Digital Communication, and Education
This introductory chapter will discuss the place of the Web in the evolving new media. We will present a brief history of the Web and hypermedia, and talk about how the Web can be used in education.
Chapter 6: Designing Web Sites
This is one of the most important chapters of the book. In this chapter, we will present our views on how to design Web sites. We will cover step-by-step design procedures, general principles of design, ways to design in groups, and some specific design examples. We will discuss planning, storyboarding, layout (including effective use of frames and tables), navigation, audience characteristics, and metaphors, among other topics.
Chapter 7: Building Web Sites
This chapter will focus on the mechanics of building Web sites. We will discuss how to write pages (including authoring programs), HTML style, page organization, and linking. We will present technical information about uploading pages and customizing pages for various servers and browsers (including style sheets). We will also talk about troubleshooting problems with Web sites. This chapter represents the second part of the work students will do in a class, and will include schedules and time tables for completing the steps in building Web sites.
Chapter 8: Web Graphics
This chapter will present both the principles and technical details of good Web graphics. On the non-technical side, we will discuss image choice, size (width and height), arrangement, color schemes, and effective use. We will rely on several examples of good and bad Web graphics to illustrate our points. On the technical side, we will discuss image file size, color dithering, "LOWSRC" images, and text-only affordances. We will also include sections on clickable image maps and animated GIF graphics. All technical descriptions will be detailed and as up-to-date as possible. When necessary, solutions for different browser/server combinations will be discussed.
Chapter 9: Additional Content
This chapter will describe ways of adding non-HTML, non-image content to Web pages, including sound and music files, PDF documents, and movies. It will focus on those types of content that can most likely be used by students; advanced or difficult-to-use capabilities, such as streaming audio and video, are beyond the scope of this chapter.
Chapter 10: Adding Interactivity
This chapter will present several fairly simple ways to add interactivity to Web sites. Part of it will discuss forms and CGI scripts, including a simple guest book and commentary facility. This chapter will also present more recent advances in interactivity, including cookies, JavaScript, ActiveX, and Java. Of the four, cookies (used with forms, CGI scripts, or stand-alone pages) and JavaScript will be presented in detail, as they are the most general and widely-used. An in-depth discussion of Java is beyond the scope of this chapter.
Chapter 11: Web Site Programming
This chapter is intended for the programmers on the design team. We will present ways of programming Web sites covering full-text search, databases (for content and users), automated page creation (templates, on-the-fly), advanced commentary and other CGI-based facilities, and other more technical ways of enhancing the content and interactivity of Web sites. Advanced techniques will be given for using JavaScript and cookies. Guidelines for designing and building very large Web sites will also be presented.
Chapter 12: Managing Web Sites
This chapter will focus on the issues involved in managing Web sites. We will discuss both technical and non-technical issues. On the technical side, we will describe several popular Web servers and how to configure and manage them. We will also discuss automated checking utilities. On the non-technical side, we will describe strategies for keeping sites up-to-date and error-free. The last part of this chapter will be a technical presentation about Web statistics.
Chapter 13: Redesigning Web Sites
This brief chapter will present reasons and strategies for redesigning a Web site. We will include examples of sites that underwent major redesigns.
Part 3: In-depth Case Studies
This final part of the book will present a series of Web sites. For each site, screen shots, code excerpts, and partial site maps will be provided. These sites, drawn from the authors' experience and sites produced for the MIT class, will illustrate points (both good and bad) descibed in the previous chapters and serve as examples of sites students may want to build for their class. This list of case studies is by no means final and will likely change as more sites and better examples are developed.
Chapter 14: The "Communicating in Cyberspace" Class Web Site
This case study is included so instructors will be able to create a Web site for their own class. This site includes some examples of databases (a user registration system) and JavaScript (the interactive lessons facility).
Chapter 15: City of Bits
This site is the first full-text, interactive book on the Web. It will mainly be presented as a study in "early" Web design and technology. Other issues for discussion will be the design of a site with long pages of text and the extension of a book onto the Web.
Chapter 16: The Internet Classics Archive
This site will be dissected in detail to show a variety of features, including script- and template-based automated page creation, full-text search capabilities, user interaction and community, and simple use of cookies.
Chapter 17: Real Science, Kid Music
These sites will be presented as examples of sites created for a specific audience, in this case, young children. Both sites have interesting technical capabilities that will be discussed: Real Science uses JavaScript and CGI scripting to provde an interactive lab report, and Kid Music has an and CGI scripting to provde an interactive lab report, and Kid Music has an interactive music composer and other audio features.
Chapter 18: Virtual Screening Room
This study will provide a very good example of a more advanced use of JavaScript and cookies to present an attractive and customizable site. Design issues discussed include making large amounts of text readable and building an incomplete site.
Chapter 19: Online Women's Center
This site will be presented as an example of good design strategy: the team used a prototype site to gather input for the final product.
Chapter 20: MIT Virtual Tour
This final study will present a very ambitious, highly-technical Java-based virtual tour. Technical issues, including the reasons for using Java and the problem that choice created, as well as non-technical issues, such as gathering and organizing content and deciding on a navigation strategy and metaphor, will be presented.
Appendices
Appendix A: Web Server Setup and Administration
Appendix B: Advanced HTML Techniques
Appendix C: Using JavaScript
Appendix D: Advanced Design Tips