Website Redesign
Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2018 7:46 pm
I developed this website 21 years ago. (yikes!) Back then, there was HTML2 (I think), and no such thing as CSS or javascript, and video beyond an animated GIF was unheard of. I was completely self-taught, and basically built the whole thing using nothing fancier than tables and frames. It's actually pretty amazing that it works as well as it does.
But nowadays we are up to HTML5, CSS3, javascript and video are everywhere, people need responsive designs to fit mobile devices, and frames are becoming so obsolete that soon they won't work at all. So, I've decided to improve my education and teach myself how to create a new design.
There's a lot to master. Right now I'm still playing around with color schemes and layout options. The big challenge will be replicating what frames can do. Because of frames, I can have a few thousand pictures or Lexicon entries showing up on the left side of the site and the links will make things happen in the main part of the page without reloading the whole thing. To me, that is the most efficient means of navigation because the page only opens once and everything is just one click away. Without frames, navigation becomes much more tricky, and I'm not sure of the best alternative. I think I've figured out how to keep parts of the page (like the header or navigation bar) from scrolling, but I also know they take up real estate on the screen and perhaps people would prefer if they scrolled out of the way? I may need to use breadcrumbs or javascript or popups to recreate something like the Photo Gallery, but not all devices can use that, and many people use popup blockers.
So... if anyone feels particularly skilled in any of these areas, I may be turning to you for suggestions. And I may be posting sample pages to get some feedback and to see what works best on different devices and in different situations. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions (I wish it were easier to reach... Or I have trouble finding... Or this never works right for me... Or I hate blue... Or whatever...) I'm open to suggestions!
(Even RDA asked once, "Can you change the picture on the front page?" But he never told me what he wanted it changed TO! I may need to get some feedback from him, too, though giving feedback is not his strongest trait. )
Kate
But nowadays we are up to HTML5, CSS3, javascript and video are everywhere, people need responsive designs to fit mobile devices, and frames are becoming so obsolete that soon they won't work at all. So, I've decided to improve my education and teach myself how to create a new design.
There's a lot to master. Right now I'm still playing around with color schemes and layout options. The big challenge will be replicating what frames can do. Because of frames, I can have a few thousand pictures or Lexicon entries showing up on the left side of the site and the links will make things happen in the main part of the page without reloading the whole thing. To me, that is the most efficient means of navigation because the page only opens once and everything is just one click away. Without frames, navigation becomes much more tricky, and I'm not sure of the best alternative. I think I've figured out how to keep parts of the page (like the header or navigation bar) from scrolling, but I also know they take up real estate on the screen and perhaps people would prefer if they scrolled out of the way? I may need to use breadcrumbs or javascript or popups to recreate something like the Photo Gallery, but not all devices can use that, and many people use popup blockers.
So... if anyone feels particularly skilled in any of these areas, I may be turning to you for suggestions. And I may be posting sample pages to get some feedback and to see what works best on different devices and in different situations. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions (I wish it were easier to reach... Or I have trouble finding... Or this never works right for me... Or I hate blue... Or whatever...) I'm open to suggestions!
(Even RDA asked once, "Can you change the picture on the front page?" But he never told me what he wanted it changed TO! I may need to get some feedback from him, too, though giving feedback is not his strongest trait. )
Kate