Preliminary Website Design

This is what I was working on for most of the week. The images would be a scroll through, and for each one, there is a side bar explaining what's going on in the image. On the bottom there are two options for language since MMP is very involved with the Spanish-speaking community of Philadelphia, as well as English speaking groups.

I don't know about the color scheme yet...I started to integrate blue into it, but I don't feel very satisfied with it. It could just be the sample images I used though.

There is also an MMP link at the bottom, which I sort of feel is out of place, but I'm not sure where to put it. I also want to incorporate something between the links and the images, as well as above the main section of the site.

Overall, I'm somewhat satisfied with the basic design, but it's not at the level I'd like it to achieve.

I also wrote some notes and goals that I'd like to achieve for the site, as well as some tips, and reviewed notes from an MMDI class I had taken last year:

Web page design:

1) Be sure to use visual hierarchy.

2) No background information or content– keeps the user from being distracted.

3) More information in less content. Every word must count to keep the user engaged because we are much more visual as a society.

4) Include a search bar if possible.

5) Always include a menu for navigation

6) AVOID SCROLLING. It’s something that makes a site hard to use, and can confuse people.

7) Make overall site navigation seem familiar. The user will feel lost otherwise.

8) Add individual elements to make the site seem more of your own.

9) Use a color scheme that matches and is not hard on the eyes.

10) Use websafe colors.

11) Don't be afraid to use borders to separate sections better.

12) Use fonts that are basic.

13) Be careful about how much information is on a page.

14) Map out everything clearly.

15) Always do a user test.