Table of Contents:
Introduction
Principles
Preliminary Analysis
Mechanics
General HTML Concerns
Specific HTML Concerns
Graphics
Required Elements
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Guiding Principles
In creating these guidelines, our decisions have been
based on a set of values and principles that will (we hope) cause
the overall set of choices to be both coherent and consistent.
Clearly enumerating such principles is crucial to
ensure that web content providers are able to
understand the rationale for these style guidelines,
rather than seeing them as an arbitrary and
unrelated collection of rules with no purpose but to
make their lives needlessly difficult.
The principles enumerated below express our concept of the values
that are most important in creating good web pages. The subsequent
guidelines represent the method by which we hope to achieve the
values the principles embody.
Content:
The primary purpose of any web page is to convey information to
an audience. A user judges the value of a web page based upon
the appropriateness and usefulness of the content it provides.
Content should drive the design of the web page. The two primary
questions to ask when planning a web site are:
- What do the users want (or need) to know?
- What do we have to say?
If there is no overlap between these two things, you have no reason
to put up a web page.
Image: Web pages present a picture of who we are
and what we do; visitors will gain an impression of us based upon
what they see. Web pages should reflect well upon the university,
and should project an image consistent with the university's values
and goals. The design of a page should be evaluated in terms of
what it says about the information provider who created it, and
what it says about the university as a whole.
Access: Visitors will react to the level of
access they encounter as a sign of whether or not they are
welcome; slow or limited access will make them feel as if they
are being treated as second-class citizens. Web pages should be
available and viewable by all visitors, regardless of the type
of browser being used, or the type of connection.
Maintainability: Web pages present information
which is always in a constant state of flux. Information
providers must accept a commitment to keep their information
current and correct, so that it can be relied upon. Web pages
must be designed to be easy to maintain.
Utility: Web pages must offer value to the
visitor. Pages should be designed with consideration for what
information the reader will most likely want to obtain and how
it can best be presented to maximize its usefulness. This means
that pages should emphasize substance and clarity over flashy
but superficial features. It also means that a visitor should
not have to "jump through hoops" to find or get to
desired information.
Originality: The whole point of being able to
link documents together across the entire web is that it is
neither necessary nor sensible for everyone to maintain their
own copy of information. Wherever possible, we should provide
information that is unique and original; we can always link to
information that is available elsewhere. Furthermore, we must
respect authors' rights to intellectual property, and not
misappropriate their work or represent it as if it were our own.
Uniformity: It is important to make an effort
to keep visitors oriented, so that they feel that know where
they are and what they can do. The upper levels of the Lehigh
site should therefore strive to maintain a consistent
"look" that gives the visitor a sense of place. We
also need to develop a consistency in the way we implement
common functions: similar actions should have similar results,
similar tasks should be performed in a similar fashion, and
the visitor should feel that the behavior of the interface is
expected and predictable.
Creative Freedom: While we wish to devise
guidelines that will promote the develpment of high quality web
pages, we do not wish to stifle individual creativity. Even for
official pages we want to retain as many opportunities for
imaginative expression in content and graphical form as possible,
as long as the result remains consistent with our other goals.
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