1. Web Development A Visual-Spatial Approach
Chapter 3
Research and Content Development

2. Learning Objectives Fundamental differences in writing Web content
How users read content and think visually and spatially about content
Guidelines for content analysis and conducting online research
Guidelines for writing Web content
Methods of adapting content for the Web
How to develop a style sheet using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
Important document conversion and file format issues

3. Adapting Content
Adapting content for the Web includes developing a style sheet, thorough editing, and converting documents to appropriate file formats.
A style sheet establishes consistent style guidelines for Web content.
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a scripting language that can be used to develop style sheets, apply visual styles, and create spatial layouts of Web pages.

4. How Users Read Web Content
Pages should be stand-alone
Can be potential visited in any order
End users tend to:
scan
skim
filter
raid
Re-emphasize: Web pages are different from print media!

5. How Users Think Visually and Spatially
Reading a web page
Active Reading and Thinking!
Content
Text
Graphics
Looking for Details?
Looking for Generalities?
Information delivered:
Text Chunks

6. Content Planning and Research

7. Content Development Involves Writing content chunks
Adapting existing content
Converting documents to Web-viewable formats

8. Content Development Users read and think differently in Web sites
Different than books
Different than magazines
Requires different approaches when writing Web content

9. Content Development
Visual, associative, and interactive nature of Web sites
 Users interact differently
Also:
Users have:
Different learning preferences
Different reading habits
This affects their reading and thinking

10. Content Development Users: Think visually and spatially
Especially when reading and interacting with Web content
Affects their reading of Web content

11. Content Development Visual-spatial principles:
Help explain how users perceive and interact with content
Allows them to:
Focus
Fixate
Solve problems
Comprehend Web content

12. Content Analysis For the targeted end user What is the: Type of data
Appropriate format of the pages and data
Subject
Purpose

13. Content Analysis Make brief analysis of each page
What is it really presenting?
What type of data:
Text?
A formatted document?
Tabular information?
Pictures?
A combination?
What is needed to effectively deliver the message?

14. Guidelines for Writing Web content

15. Content Guidelines Writing effective Web content involves
Developing meaningful chunks of information
Implies research into getting proper data for the chunks
What is “true” data
How the users can understand the data
These chunks support the end users:
Learning preferences
Reading habits
Methods of thinking visually and spatially

16. Content Guidelines Conducting Web research involves: Identifying goals
Searching methods
Assessing credibility
Content analysis

17. Content Guidelines
The basic written unit of a Web page is a content chunk
Can be a stand-alone unit of text and/or graphics
Developing effective chunks requires
Succinct, detailed writing
Careful editing

18. Content Guidelines
Hyperlinks serve four very important functions in developing content:
Outline content
Show relationships
Suggest concepts
Indicate function

19. Content Guidelines Overall: Use Shorter Passages
Put related pieces together
Screen more “difficult” to read
Different that traditional print media!

20. Effective Hyperlinks Use to: Example:
follow the content flow of the information
show relationships
suggest concepts
indicate function
Example:
A group of buttons (also hyperlinks)
Imply by their order the content (and flow)
Imply a relationship by the ordering of the buttons

21. Steps

22. CSS Effectively use style sheets Use external style sheets
Enforce order between web pages
Give a consistent look and feel for the Web site
Use external style sheets
Allows easy implementation
Allows easy, consistent way to make changes
Across the sites Web pages

23. Editing and Converting
Editing Web content should be as detailed as editing any printed document
Read through each chunk to ensure each is:
Well written
Edited
Uses appropriate style
Make sure the style is consistent with the target audience
When selecting file formats for documents
Select those that are most commonly used or provide documents in multiple formats to accommodate the widest user base
E.G.: .PDF, .RTF, .HTM
Let the purpose of the document dictate the format used

24. Edit CHEK GUD SPELING AND GRAMeR! Watch out for incorrect words
Make sure spill Czech her haws knot past you’re core wrecked lea spelt, butt in correct whirred!
Watch out for incorrect words
Wrong word
he instead of the
her instead of hear
April showers bring May flowers but both are in the the Spring
Homophones
your instead of you’re or yore
their, they’re or there?

25. Document Conversion Issues and File Formats
Beware of converting a Word document to an html page:
HelloWorldWord.htm
Created from Office Word by Save as… and using .html as file type
23,145 bytes!
HelloWorldSimple.htm
Created by manual typing
106 bytes?
Same is true for creating a table from Excel!

26. Document Conversion Issues and File Formats
Be careful when copying content from another source
Use an option that does not copy formatting
Usually a Paste Special… function

27. Summary

28. Assignment
See Assignments web page for details