The following list is intended as an aide for anyone who is developing web pages for the UMD web server. It lists the most common issues involved in putting together a web site (personal or official) for the University of Minnesota:
The following elements are required on all University of Minnesota Duluth web pages:
Developers can add these elements manually, or use the UMD templates to include the elements on your web page.
For details see:
All University pages must comply with the University's Accessibility of Information Technology policy.
Mention the word "accessibility" and many Web designers think it means diluting a page in order to serve disabled users.
This is just not true.
A well designed page can be every bit as attractive and flashy as any other page on the Web while remaining accessible. In addition, the improvements made because of accessibility issues will benefit all users.
Simple additions of "alt" attributes in images and table headers for headings in a table increase the usefulness of a Web page.
Accessibility and usability go together as part of the total Web design.
For details see:
Sunrays, Macs, Windows, iPaqs - UMD, like the rest of the world, supports a mixture of computers, operating systems, and browsers (Netscape, IE, Mozilla, Opera). Additionally, we have people connecting from on-campus 10 or 100Mb connections or through cable modems and DSL, but also through our modem pool. Do try to create Web pages that work on many computers and browsers. There is a limit to how many may be addressed successfully, but creating a Web page that requires the latest super computer and greatest bandwidth will limit the number of users visiting your site.
For details see:
Usability is harder to define, but just as important as other factors when designing a web site. Some things to consider:
True, content creators can force fonts, font sizes, table sizes, image sizes, etc., but this may result in frustration for the user ultimately causing the user to go away. Nothing is worse than having to scroll all the way to the right just to see some information put in a fixed width table.
Use tools like Cascading Style Sheets and use them in such a way that users may still override your settings. In this way a user may still access what your site has to offer, but in a manner suitable for him or her.
Background images improperly used can also make it difficult to read text. Be careful of the combination you choose.
Web Typography takes us into the world of fonts and font sizes. For many users a sans-serif font is easier to read on an electronic screen. With proper use of Cascading Style Sheets, you can specify a font, but still allow the user to change to his or her desired font. Follow this link for more information on Cascading Style Sheets.
For details see:
Validating your HTML and CSS coding is the best way to ensure that your web pages work well for all users. There are a number of free validation sites you can use.
For details see:
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