Publishing your Website

Hello and Hai,

In this class, I learn about How to publish the website. It is important to publish the website so that all people can visit the site. There are several elements that need to be considered when choosing a free web host which include

1. advertising

2. amount of web space

3. file access

4. file type and size limitations

5. reliability and speed of access

6. supporting PHP, ASP or Perl?

7. Bandwidth

There are several web host provider that provide free web hosting. 

www.tripod.com

www.geocities.com

www.freeservers.com

members.freewebs.com

However, free web hosting have limitations. 

1. User get free site but the hosts will put advertisement in your site. 

2. Limitations in storage and download amount. 

3. Sites that exceed their bandwidth allotments during the month may get shut down until the next month when the bandwidth counter restart. 

Another type of web hosting is commercial web hosting. There are several elements that need to be considered in choosing commercial web hosting. 

1. Reliability

2. Data transfer

3. Disk space

4. Technical support

5. Platform/OS

6. Control panel 

7. Domain name

8. Server

9. Price

That all. Thank You. 

Week 13: Web Testing

Hello and Hai,

In week 13, I am learn about web testing. Web testing is a phase where web developer test his or her own site which can the developer to spot problems and make appropriate changes. A test plan provides a checklist of all the functionality in the program. Checklist can ensure that the testing can be performed in a consistent, detailed and through manner by one or  many testers. There are three types of error which include design flaws, content errors and software or system defects. Explanation of the errors are as following:

1. Design Flaws

User interface problems or suggestions such as proposed new features, relabeling buttons and screen layouts.

2. Content Errors

Inaccuracies data with formatting problems or data of poor quality in some other respect.

3. Software or system Defects

Commonly called 'bugs' and bugs were technical problems encountered when trying to run and operate the site.

Besides that, I am also learn about type of testing and there are five types of testing which include

1. Functionality Testing

Refers to the testing of programmatic features and is most appropriate for sites of higher complexity that contain features such as database access, dynamic page generation, and Java applets namely features that required actual programming.

2. Layout Testing

Refers to the ability of the website page layout to accommodate various user browser and hardware display configurations.

3. Load Testing

Load testing is about testing the server and web connection to know the capability of handling load. This testing is important if developer expecting heavy usage of the website. Load testing simulates the anticipated stress of the actual site usage to see if the system has any weak links.

4. Link Testing

The testing of links from own site to other web pages.

5. Usability Testing

Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how easy the user interfaces are to use.There are five quality components in usability testing which are learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors and satisfaction.

Apart from that I learn about acceptance test. There are two types of acceptance which are Alpha testing and Beta Testing.

1. Alpha Testing

A test among the teams (group developer) or friends to confirm that the website is works. Term alpha test meant the first phase of testing in a software development process. The first phase includes unit testing, component testing, and system testing.

2. Beta Testing

Second phase of software testing in which a sampling of the audience tries the product out. Also known as pre-release testing.

That all. Thank you.

Discussion: Web Site and Design Document

Hello and Hai,

Last week, we had our discussion on website and design document. We had shown our website to Dr Dayana since she was not in class when we presented our website on 21.11.2013. She had added some comment for improvement. Later, we discuss among our group. The discussion when well and we had come with new idea. The idea was we will only provide one problem instead of two. We had created the path of the problem. Below is the "prove" of our discussion. 

Left: Shows the sketch of flow for the student to solve the problem

Right: Shows the problem that created by Kak Diana.

That all. Thank You

50% Presentation

Hello and Hai,

On 21/11/2013, we had our 50% progress presentation on our group website. I am the first group together with kak Diana, Nadwa and one and only male student in our class, Asrul. First of all sorry to teammates, classmates and lecturer for the problem that occur during our group presentation. After the presentation, lecturer had commented for each group.  Our group website is about learning Geometry and only focused on Cuboid. For group 1 comments are as following:

 Idea ok
- Tak nampak identity
- Identity boleh terdiri daripada
1) Warna (2 warna)
2) Approach
- Improve Visual Design
- Is Cartoon acceptable for Form 3 students, visit Disney website
- Problem Based Learning - research how PBL boleh dizahirkan dalam bentuk web (strong untuk Information Design)
- kukuhkan PBL
- ada database solution, response guru, response rakan, tips, dan beberapa langkah lain untuk sampai kepada jawapan
- focus on one problem - kembangkan (soalan meminta pelajar memilih sesuatu?)
- mula dengan masalah - scaffolding
- activity based
- very good approach that needs to enforced
- constructivism, learners construct knowledge - > PBL
- stress on learning path

(Recorded by Kak Diana)

Apart from that, we were asked to give comment or opinion for website of the other group. We were asked to comment whether on interaction design, information design or visual design. I am choosing interaction design. Below is the sketch that I proposed to group 2. 

Group 2 website is about learning Networking. In my opinion, their design is ok. However, I am lost when I see their website for the first time. I cannot locate the button. I only know the button is located at the top when only they pointed the cursor to the button. Apart from that, the arrangement of the picture at Home page look like it presented that the picture is the button. Heee.. I think that all. 

Thank You.

Week 8: Visual Design

Hello and Hai,

In general, visual design is about planning how the web site will look. In this class, I learn several important elements that need to be considered in visual design. The elements include:

1. Colours for the website.

2. Font or styles that will be used for the written part of the web pages.

3. Graphics and multimedia needed.

4. How to combine all the element into attractive layout.

Apart from that, in developing website, user interface is also an important element. Elements of user interface are as following:

1. A background that reflect the theme - colours or images

2. Foreground elements that reflect the theme - context and links (title, headings, sub-headings, body text, illustrations and captions.)

3. Other elements that support the theme - such as text, images, buttons, navigation bars, animation, video.

This lecture also provide some general issues in visual design. The issues are as following:

1. Choose a visual theme - Should be connected to the content

2. Use template concepts - Should be consistent

3. Use table or division (div) or frame for layout or arranging the visual elements.

4. Typography

-Keep it simple by limit the number or fonts per page and per site. Apart from that, use the same fonts consistently throughout the site. 

- Make a good choice for fonts. (Sans serif or serif, used commonly installed fonts so that when loaded into web browser the font can be loaded, considered mood and readability)

* Readability is the ease in which text can be read and understood. (source: wikipedia)

For class activity, we were asked to sketch visual design for our group website. 

Sketch for index page (Home Page)

Sketch for content page. 

Notes for Visual Design (Click for clear view)

Thank you

Week 7: Information Design

Hello and Hai,

In information design, I learn how to manage the information in the website. Information design is about clarifying the communication goals and arranging the ideas into a design that serves those goal.

Information design focus on:

1. Message: What information do you wish to share?

2. Audience: Whom do you wish to share the message with?

3. Purpose: How and why do you want to share the message with the audience?

4. Background: What does your intended audience already know about the subject you are discussing.

5. Structure: How can your message be organized most effectively?

That all for now. Thank you.

Week 6: Interaction Design

Hello and Hai, 

This week we do not have class as our lecturer is not in a good of health. However, she had not leave us just like that. She still manage to give us some task to be done. The task is to create mind map about topic for today which is Interaction Design. 

The critical tasks of interaction design are to create guidance system to orient users, to design the navigation system, to define what happens on each screen, design the controls for interaction and determine how much interaction is to be included in website. 

There are several questions can be used as a guideline to create effective navigation. The questions include:

1. Where am I? - Let the user know their current page.

- Precise location on the web: URLs

- Page and Site Labels

- Page and site style and location

2. Where have I been? - Let the user know where they have been.

- History: Link coloration can help identify links that have already been visited.

- Landmarks

- Cookies

3. Where can I go? - Let users know where they are in relation to the rest of the website.

- Provide links to other pages that the user can visit.

4. How do I get there? - Provide consistent, easy and understandable link

5. How do I get back to where I started? Provide alternatives to the browser's back button to let users return to the starting point.

There are 3 important elements in interaction design which are organization, navigation and interactivity.

1. Organization is about how the graphic, text and other elements will be arrange in the web page. 

- Draw storyboard

- In index page or homepage must included

a) banner

b) title of the website

c) interface of content

d) graphics

e) menu

2. Navigation is about link, button  or icon in the website. Must consider whether the elements used for navigation is easily navigate the user. 

3. Interactivity is about whether the website give opportunity for the users to involved actively. There are several types of interactivity which are

 - place finding

- bread crump

- page number

- different colour for the existing menu.

Below is the mind map that I create for this topic. Please click the picture for a clear view. 

That all for now. Thank you.