Writing Assignment 12 - FAVU Report
Functionality, Accessibility, Validity, Usability. These are four essential elements of effective writing for electronic media.
A Functional website is one that works. Links take the user somewhere, and images load and display appropriately. The website as a whole looks acceptable in multiple browsers - Internet Explorer (Win and Mac), Netscape/Mozilla, and Safari, at a minimum).
Accessibility refers broadly to matters connected with functionality. We're also interested in Section 508 standards for accessibility. Is the website accessible to the visually impaired? The use of alternate text (ALT) for images is essential here. Most problems in accessibility are readily identifiable using automatic verification; fixes can be time consuming, or may even require design compromises. But one must strive for good design AND accessibility. Nothing says that accessibility demands an ugly color palette!
Validity is an issue that is intimately connected to good coding practice. Is your XHTML code valid markup? Is your CSS valid? Like accessibility, validity is easy to check with an engine. Fixing problems with validity may require a methodical trek through the source code. Depending on the severity of the issues and size of the website, this can take a lot of time. Those using a template and CSS will save loads of labor. Fix the CSS and the template page and most problems will go away.
Usability. Usability can be subjective. Jakob Nielson, MR. USABILITY, seems to think that the most usable sites are the ones with almost no visual design sense. I think that websites can be visually appealing, use graphics/images to communicate meaning, and that they can also be highly usable. But what is usability anyway? Basically, it refers to the ease with which a reader/user can understand and follow the hypertext. Usable websites are easy to navigate. The user readily understands wehre links go, what each page is abut. The text on a usable website is scannable, while simultaneously rewarding careful reading. Scrolling content is generally avoided, and is handled through inner pages.
Due Date: December 4
Your Task
1) Using the FAVU Worksheet, work through the draft project websites for two peers. I'll assign your peers to you.
2) After you have completed the worksheet, write a 250-word FAVU Report that prioritizes issues the peer should address in a revision. You can't make everything a priority! Organize your report into a list, along with specific examples from the site. For example, a broken link from the index page to the visual page is a major functionality concern. You might write, "check for broken links," and include the broken visual page link as an example.
3) Make 2 copies of each FAVU Worksheet and FAVU Report. Give one copy to your peer and hand in the other copy.