The Interactive World Wild Web

By now it's no secret that the internet has become, for all intent and purpose, synonymous with the Web…and “the Web” is really a very diverse set of services and applications that covers an extremely wide range of content that defies classification schemes. Both information and entertainment, source and outlet, mass and interpersonal--the Web is all things to all people. About the only thing that holds it all together is that Web-delivered content is accessed using a browser of some sort (with its appropriate plug-ins and helper applications). Even though Microsoft’s IE continues to maintain its huge lead, the number of competing browsers is staggering. Mozilla, Opera, and Safari, just to name a few, compete with scores more designed for every platform and operating system. Oh, and don’t forget the several dozen alternative browsers for people with disabilities. And browsers aren't just for PCs anymore. You can browse from your cell phone, PDA, or the wireless mobile computing device of your choice.

That said, there is a body of research and a set of standards that are attempting to bring some order to the chaos. The chaos to which I refer comes from poorly designed web pages that fail to consider the wide range of user configurations. Keys terms to understand include: accessibility, usability, standards, navigation, and information architecture. Things that help to bring order include XML, CSS, web standards, heuristic evaluation and usability research. To get a head-start with these concepts and more, you'll want to become familiar with two excellent web sites that together provide a wealth of information. The first is the Web Design References site from the University of Minnesota Duluth. And the second is the Research Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines. If you only bookmark two web sites this semester, these are the ones.