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 Each
new medium stands on the shoulders of every medium which has
come before. The Web is no exception. The idea of using tags
to designate formatting and style goes back to typesetting.
Writers used tags in front of and behind text to indicate
special sizes and styles of text on a page to the people who
set the lead type. A bold word, for instance, would
have a B in front and a /B behind. HTML code uses this same
technique to indicate formatting and style to browsers which
run on different platforms.
For more background information see How
the Web Works.
Also, Anatomy of a Web Page
covers basic web page terminology.
Nature of the medium
 Evolutionary
- The Web is changing all the time, but each new
capability is added on top of what is already there.
Pages themselves evolve over time. Rough drafts become
more and more finished. Sites grow larger and more
complex.
Dynamic
- The Web is alive. Information gets updated
continuously. Images move and change. Whole sites pop up
overnight while others disappear or move someplace else.
Constant change and novelty are hallmarks of the Web.
Two-Way
- The reader interacts with and controls the flow of
information and can both send and receive data.
Non-Linear
- Pieces of information are interconnected. There is no
sequence - no beginning, middle, or end. There is no
center. Browsing is easy. Moving from one idea or
location to another is just a click away. Discovery is
often serindipitous. Hunting can be hard. Finding one
piece of specific information or all the relevant data
can be difficult when there is so much information at
hand.
Low
Resolution - Computer displays are fuzzy compared to
film or the printed page because displays show fewer than
100 dots per inch and the ranges of color and contrast
are low.
Open
- No one owns the Web. Anyone can publish and anyone can
read. Open standards are encouraged and propriatory
capabilities are discouraged.
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
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- easy & fast to produce
- easy to edit
- easy to distribute (publish)
- broad access
- low cost to produce & maintain
- content rich
- non-linear
- interactive
- diverse & democratic
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- low resolution
- low bandwidth
- slow
- not consistant
- limited design options
- insecure (easy to copy)
- need special expensive equipment to
view
- not TV
- not CD-ROM
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Conventions
The Web is so new that very few design
conventions have been established.
- Colored underlined text is a link to something
else.
- Recently visited page links are a different
color.
- Page graphics are stored as separate compressed
files (typically GIF or JPEG).
- Most pages carry identification, copyright, and
last update information at the bottom of the
page.
Some design conventions carry over from other print
media. For instance, large print or bold type mean "This
is important. At least read this". Small print or low
contrast indicates "I don't want you to read this" or
"This option is not currently available". All caps means
"I'M SHOUTING NOW".
It's bad form to make people wait or require the use
of special plug-ins or monitor settings.
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