HTML+&+CSS+-+Tammy+Tran

[|Rebuild] [|Redesign]

Though the //College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences// web page's layout and design is simple, readable and fairly navigable, it is not as distinguishable and predictable. For one, content that requires action from a user is not as distinguishable. For example, the search input box might get be overlooked because of its size and position. Secondly, the list of navigation links in the left hand column at first glance may be interpreted by some (not as familiar) users as merely a list of text rather than links; similarly to the list of //Hot Topics// links. Furthermore, certain links have a much smaller clicking area (i.e. short links like "Home") that might be a handicap for people who are more visually or coordination impaired. For the most part, the webpage's design is functional for frequent web browser users, but there is room for improvement to account for various handicapped users.

In my redesign of the //College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences// web page, I accounted for the design issues mentioned above. For one, I highlighted the //search// feature using a distinguishable background color around the area since it is such an important and helpful tool on this site. (This way, even if the user initially overlooks the top corner area, the color scheme will help redraw the users attention.) Secondly, I made each link in the left hand column appear more like a clickable button by adding a colored background and a shadow to each clickable area; therefore the user is more likely to assume the link/area is actually clickable and it expands the clicking area regardless of the size of the link. The //hover// color change also helps distinguish between each item. Similarly, I added the //hover// color change effect and expanded the clicking area of each //Hot Topics// link to make each item more distinguishable, understandable, predictable and accessible. These improvements can assist those handicapped users to have a more user-friendly experience.