Web design 101
For this week’s readings on web design principles, I really liked Cohen and Rosenzweig’s discussion of control of a web page versus a book. Designers clearly grapple with such challenges as how a site looks in different browsers, whether a user has Flash or broadband access, and the limitations of software packages like Greenstone with overall design capabilities. During this semester, I’ve found significant differences with viewing our class web site on my Safari web browser on my Mac at home versus viewing the site on the PCs at AU with Internet Explorer. For example, I cannot insert a hyperlink or make text bold or italicized at home as those options do not appear on the screen with Safari. Instead of displaying this particular tool bar, the section of the screen is blank.
I also appreciated Cohen and Rosenzweig’s paraphrasing of the old adage that one must first learn to crawl and walk before one learns how to run. In some ways, I feel like I’m back in primary school learning about Dreamweaver and basic tools of web design. This has not been easy as a grad student. For instance, how can I convey compelling historic arguments if my technology skills lag far behind my current reading, research, writing, and comprehension skills? However, the readings and class discussion have offered reassurance that I do not need to be a computer science major, professional web designer or even the most technically savvy person to work effectively as a historian in the digital world.
As Josh notes, the historian can serve as a bricoleur, pulling together a digital project using various resources as long as he or she has a sound background in the fundamentals or basic rules of thumb for history web sites. For instance, for my class project, I’m working with AU’s Audio Technology department to use their equipment, software, and expertise for digitizing reel to reels. I’m also working with contacts within the library system who have already used Greenstone to create archival collections web sites and will benefit tremendously from their guidance and experience. While coordinating with these groups, however, I already have an understanding of what elements work and what does not online, and am keeping the needs of the historian foremost in mind regarding site structure, navigation, and design.
Separately, I also found the section on accessibility and Section 508 compliance to be an interesting parallel to class reading in my public history practicum this semester. We often read about federal regulations regarding physical accessibility for museums and historic houses. If a museum cannot adequately adapt its physical environment for the disabled, it must provide a legitimate alternative experience. The Tenement Museum in New York leverages the Web for this purpose as it could not reconstruct its interior to accommodate some physically disabled visitors. As a result, there is a fairly decent audio tour with slide show with 360 degree viewing capabilities on the museum’s web site. I had never thought, however, about maximizing accessibility to information on the Web in a similar fashion to maximizing accessibility to buildings.
March 20th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
First of all I love that Josh used the metaphor of the Bricoleur which is a metaphor we use din Visual/Material culture last semester, secondly I do think its a problem with the growing use of technology…the fight to keep current to find t he ideal way to present information.
Accessibility is also another topic that I find fascinating in the Digital World. Especially since we’ve been working in Public History class to talk about Historic Sites and how they make things more…well…accessible..
Your discussion of section 508, as well as how we’ve been talking about coding for accessibility highlights ways in which it can be done online–though there’s still a ways to go.