Web Design and Usability
Prerequisites: COMM 200, Prerequisites for Visual Communication majors and minors is FNAR 383, Prerequisites waived for Professional Communication and Environmental Communication minors.
This course will explore the design and usability of websites from several perspectives: how they look (aesthetics), how they work (navigability and usability), and how they are made (tools and software). Lectures, demonstrations, and in-class lab time will introduce students to the creative tools and software that power contemporary web design and usability. Emphasis will be on using a variety of tools and resources to meet one's own goals, rather than achieving the level of expert in any one piece of software.
Outcomes: Explain the unique qualities of the web as a storytelling medium and how portfolio sites can communicate creative identity; Apply content-first and information architecture principles to organize and present work clearly for target audiences; Evaluate design choices--typography, color, imagery, and layout--for clarity, readability, and alignment with personal brand; Conduct and interpret user testing to refine and improve the digital experience; Design and present a personal portfolio website that showcases creative work and positions them for professional opportunities.
This course will explore the design and usability of websites from several perspectives: how they look (aesthetics), how they work (navigability and usability), and how they are made (tools and software). Lectures, demonstrations, and in-class lab time will introduce students to the creative tools and software that power contemporary web design and usability. Emphasis will be on using a variety of tools and resources to meet one's own goals, rather than achieving the level of expert in any one piece of software.
Outcomes: Explain the unique qualities of the web as a storytelling medium and how portfolio sites can communicate creative identity; Apply content-first and information architecture principles to organize and present work clearly for target audiences; Evaluate design choices--typography, color, imagery, and layout--for clarity, readability, and alignment with personal brand; Conduct and interpret user testing to refine and improve the digital experience; Design and present a personal portfolio website that showcases creative work and positions them for professional opportunities.