REFLECTION PAGE - Lesson 5

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The polar bear text walks us through a detailed plan of action for planning out stratgies for research needed for designing a website. Morville and Rosenfeld account for the major key players that are recommended to take place in order to be successful at designing and creating a website. One of the key starters is of course, Research. Without performing this basic first step, all bets are off and there is no way to tell if what you create for the environment is actually what is needed, desired, meets the customers standards, whether it is the client business or customer user.

The second major key player that follows Research is Strategy. Strategy can take many forms and involve: contextual understanding=top-down perspective, highest two or three levels of site's org and navigational structures//bottom-down perspective document types and a rough metadata schema. Some IA questions and high points should include: goals, the business plan, politics, schedule, budget, audience, why will users want this, types of task needed, how/who will manage this, technical infrastructure, and whats has worked in the past.

The Design can be detailed blueprints, wireframes, metadata schema=graphic designers, programmers, content authors, production team which all come together using heuristic evaluation should discover and be designed to provide mulitiple ways to access the same information,
have indexes and sitemaps that employ and supplement the taxonomy of the site,
a simple and user friendly navigation system that provides users a sense of context,
a consistent use of language that is appropriate for the audience it serves as well as, a search and browse whichj should be integrated and reinforce each other within the site.
Some guidelines to follow:
1. should provide mulitiple ways to access the same information
2. indexes/sitemaps should be employed to supplement the taxonomy
3. navigation system should provide users sense of context
4. should consistently use language appropriate for audience
5. searching and browsing should be integrated and reinforce each other

Implementation should always be done. The designs are put to the test as the site is built, tested and launched. Prototypes can be used as well as Focus Groups.

Administration is the last in the major key players when forming a strategy for IA's to build a site. Generally is involves a continuous evaluation of the site in order to make improvements to the IA/design including tagging, weeding, feedback, as well as are there any opportunities for improvement.

Word Press Expert
WordPress Expert: this site has a simple desing with nice color tones and enough white space balancing the information presented to the user. This site provides great information to improve your blogs.

NYPL Conservation Lab in Action The New Public Library has presented this great video piece on conservation. The site for the library is laid out well with plenty of white space within the real estate with easy to use menus to direct your to sections you may need within the library.

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