My homepage served primarily as a location to put links for current projects. It made it easier to find projects. I went with a simple design because I wanted to spend more time on the projects themselves.
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My bookmarks page was a nice way to start the course. I used it as an opportunity to play around with CSS some and get a better feel for it (it's still relatively new to me). I included basic links to popular sites, and I made a banner for the background with images to match the links.
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My resume was a simple design, but I had fun with it. I experimented some with a some JavaScript I found (and that I'm using again here. I also showed the HTML behind my page as my header since part of the assignment was to include meta tags.
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Working with Galen and Meredith, we used little color and lots of space on each page to mirror the general way haiku are presented. We did not want to distract from the general purpose of the page with too many images and colors. We decided on a consistent theme for each page using the same layout. Read more on my response page.
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My goal with this page was to demonstrate CSS and web standards to show their importance. I used CSS to layout the page, and I included links to validate the code. I also featured many resources to learn more information.
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Working with Lindsay and Meridith, we came up with a site for Prairie Avenue that would be easy to navigate and easy to update. We also focused on adhereing to web standards in order to optimize the site for search engines and screen readers.
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My goal with my personal project was to create a content management site for InterVarsity. It allows their members to login and update the site from any browser connected to the internet. They liked the design, and I am currently waiting on content from them to get them started. They will hopefully be able to take over the site next semester.
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I had a decent background in web design before taking this class, but I feel like I picked up a few things about Dreamweaver that will make life easier. I also understand the design portion of the program a little better, which will allow me to help people that don’t like to work straight from code. I learned about user expectations: how elements of a site should and shouldn’t act.

My designs this semester have been relatively simple. This has been because I’m still learning how to structure pages using CSS. I didn’t want to kill myself trying to do an extremely complicated design for each project. Also, the time span of the projects wasn’t always ideal for intricate sites with many features. I learned some about aesthetics of web design and usability in design, but I think it would be good to learn more about appearance of web designs. What path does the eye follow? Where is the best place for navigation, callouts, etc.?

I’ve learned that in order to create a successful web design, you need to be in constant communication with the client. On the Prairie Avenue website, my group did not contact the church often to find out exactly what they wanted. We created the site based on their initial needs that they presented to us, but we did not follow up and seek feedback from them. Consequently, they were not impressed with the site we presented to them.

I think I could have done a better job developing this area during this course. Too many times I found myself rushed to just get my part done, and didn’t find enough time to help other people learn more about web design and implementation. I did offer some advice and answer the occasional questions, but I could have been better in this category. I hope that my presentation on CSS and web standards sparked some interest to get people researching those topics on their own. There are a lot of tutoring resources available for free at any time on the web, and I sometimes forget to utilize those when I’m stuck on a problem.