The Design Justification
Donald Norman in his book emotional design : Why We Love ( or Hate ) everyday things explains that design of most objects are perceived on three different levels; visceral (appearance), behavioral (how the item performs) and reflective (what the product evokes in the user), asserting that a successful design has to excel at all these levels. Thus, I have attempted to interweave all of these components into my web‐portfolio design.
The Visceral Level èAesthetics play an important role in first impressions of a website. Thus, the decisions made regarding this level focused on designing my portfolio in simple yet attractive style. I attempted to select eye pleasing colors and layout that is visually appealing and give a professional appearance .I chose a user-friendly layout that creates a contrast to the font colors and graphics.
The Behavioral Levelè“Four components of good behavioral design: function, understandability, usability and physical feel “ (Norman, p.70). To insure that my website will appeal at a behavioral level, I used some of the design principles that are provided on the Research-Based Web Design & usability Guidelines. Starting with Homepages, according to R‐BWD&UG “A Homepage should clearly communicate the site’s purpose, and show all major options available on the website” (p. 34) and should also has the necessary characteristics to be easily perceived as a homepage. So, in the homepage I have included my mission statement which contain information that introduces users to what the whole website is all about. Also, the navigation bar that is located at the top of the page shows all of the major pages on my website. In term of the navigation, I ensured that the my website is arranged in the most logical way possible so users can reach major site sections easily.“ A Web site’s navigation scheme and features should allow users to find and access information effectively and efficiently. (R‐BWD&UG, p. 58). The navigation menu is consistently located along the top of each page so users can reach the homepage or other section from any page within the website. Besides, numbers of navigation pathways are available to the user in each page like the Back button that is available in a consistent and easy to find place on each page. Information and contents are displayed and organized in usable format, each page has a unique and descriptive page title and each internal link is clearly identified.
Last but not least, the Reflective Level è “Reflective level often determine a person’s overall impression of a product. Here, you think back about the product reflecting its total appeal and the experience of using it “ (Norman, p. 88). The decisions made regarding my website design focused on simplicity, consistency and learnability to provide good user’s experience. This website is a true reflection of my thoughts, my personality and skills that I’m capable of. I’m not sure if my website will evoke any special emotions in users' memory but what I’m pretty sure about is that this website will always be memorable to me as my first web portfolio where I've recorded my experiences during my learning journey at the educational technology program.
References
Norman, D. (2005). Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. Perseus Books Group.
Online book – Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines. URL http://www.usability.gov/guidelines/
Phillips, C. & Chaparro , B. ( 2009) .Visual Appeal vs. Usability: Which One Influences User Perceptions of a website More? . Retrieved from http://www.surl.org/usabilitynews/112/pdf/Usability%20News%20112%20-%20Phillips.pdf
The Visceral Level èAesthetics play an important role in first impressions of a website. Thus, the decisions made regarding this level focused on designing my portfolio in simple yet attractive style. I attempted to select eye pleasing colors and layout that is visually appealing and give a professional appearance .I chose a user-friendly layout that creates a contrast to the font colors and graphics.
The Behavioral Levelè“Four components of good behavioral design: function, understandability, usability and physical feel “ (Norman, p.70). To insure that my website will appeal at a behavioral level, I used some of the design principles that are provided on the Research-Based Web Design & usability Guidelines. Starting with Homepages, according to R‐BWD&UG “A Homepage should clearly communicate the site’s purpose, and show all major options available on the website” (p. 34) and should also has the necessary characteristics to be easily perceived as a homepage. So, in the homepage I have included my mission statement which contain information that introduces users to what the whole website is all about. Also, the navigation bar that is located at the top of the page shows all of the major pages on my website. In term of the navigation, I ensured that the my website is arranged in the most logical way possible so users can reach major site sections easily.“ A Web site’s navigation scheme and features should allow users to find and access information effectively and efficiently. (R‐BWD&UG, p. 58). The navigation menu is consistently located along the top of each page so users can reach the homepage or other section from any page within the website. Besides, numbers of navigation pathways are available to the user in each page like the Back button that is available in a consistent and easy to find place on each page. Information and contents are displayed and organized in usable format, each page has a unique and descriptive page title and each internal link is clearly identified.
Last but not least, the Reflective Level è “Reflective level often determine a person’s overall impression of a product. Here, you think back about the product reflecting its total appeal and the experience of using it “ (Norman, p. 88). The decisions made regarding my website design focused on simplicity, consistency and learnability to provide good user’s experience. This website is a true reflection of my thoughts, my personality and skills that I’m capable of. I’m not sure if my website will evoke any special emotions in users' memory but what I’m pretty sure about is that this website will always be memorable to me as my first web portfolio where I've recorded my experiences during my learning journey at the educational technology program.
References
Norman, D. (2005). Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. Perseus Books Group.
Online book – Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines. URL http://www.usability.gov/guidelines/
Phillips, C. & Chaparro , B. ( 2009) .Visual Appeal vs. Usability: Which One Influences User Perceptions of a website More? . Retrieved from http://www.surl.org/usabilitynews/112/pdf/Usability%20News%20112%20-%20Phillips.pdf
