Multimedia Design

Students apply well-established Web conventions in the design and build of their interactive sites. Credit: Azeez Bakare.

Students apply well-established Web conventions in the design and build of their interactive sites. Credit: Azeez Bakare.

Fundamentals of Interactive Design

Consistency is one of the most powerful usability principles: when things always behave the same, users don’t have to worry about what will happen. Instead, they know what will happen based on earlier experience.”— Jakob Nielsen

Muiltimedia Design | Course: Lecture/Studio | Students: 20 | The Ohio State University
Design 573. Spring Quarter 2009, 2010, 2011

The application of the conventions of web design—that is, the common features, functions, and visual structure that Internet users have come to expect—allow the creation of more intuitive, easier to use interfaces, less trouble searching and browsing content, and the design of better interactive tools. For all their stylistic differences, most successful websites follow a fairly standard approach to information architecture, navigation, and page design. This course examines the underlying principles of effective web design from the importance of universal usability to the logical creation of site and page structure, search engine optimization, and adaptive design for desktop computers, cell phones, and tablets.

Students are introduced to basic coding concepts using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through a series of weekly DreamWeaver tutorials. Class projects begin with information architecture exercises, including the creation of comprehensive site maps and wireframes for a proposed site, before moving to the final, detailed visual design using DreamWeaver.

Required Text:
Web Style Guide by Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton
Dreamweaver CS5: The Missing Manual by David Sawyer McFarland (available online through OSU Libraries)