STYLE+GUIDE

The basic structure of Net-ICT pages is a simple three pane design. The upper pane contains a branding graphic so that teachers can clearly identify when they are within the Net-ICT domain. There is an easy to use left navigation pane providing teachers with simple and swift access to each of the major components on Net-ICT. All line spacing, character spacing, indentations and other formatting will be consistent across the site. The larger main pane will be used for information content, including links to external resources.

Simplicity of design is enhanced by limiting the number of design elements. Too many elements or too much variety often confuses users. This can be particularly true with the use of text on web pages.

The overuse of colour can confuse users. Only two shades of similar colour will be used as backgrounds on the Net-ICT web pages: Darker shade for the static frames and a lighter shade for the content pane.

The overuse of sound and movement on web pages can also be problematic. It is anticipated that sound will be used in context on pages.

The layout, format and style of all pages on the site will be the same, apart from the use of different media types.

Navigation is kept extremely simple by the use of the left navigation pane. This allows users to simply and swiftly navigate to any portion of the site and either return home or to their previous point of reference with a single click of the mouse.

When users exit the site to follow an external link they can simply use the browser back button or their favourites link to return to the site.

As Net-ICT is predominately a web site the presentation flow is hypermedia in nature. Teachers start at the home page. From there, they can select any of the left pane navigation options. Within a category area such as ‘ICT Skills’ presentation flow would tend to be sequential. However, it is anticipated that content pages may also contain links to external pages.

McCormack (1998:75) provides guidance on a number of structure considerations. These include:

· Group related units · Provide alternative access methods · Include no more than five elements per page · Balance breadth and depth