Tag: Accessibility

Categories
Academic Digital

Technology impacts academic libraries

http://www.seedresources.com/view/images/love-2
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1030743
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1030743

We’re in exciting times… technology is changing access to materials:

For the first time, a national digital library has become a realistic possibility, both technologically and economically. Such a shared service, delivering a national core collection of monographs and journals, would allow the UK to maintain its lead in delivering the best content electronically to all students, researchers and academics at higher education institutions. It would also overcome a significant barrier to new entrants to the higher education market: further education colleges would be able to buy into it, rather than having to build up their own individual libraries. The student experience would be improved by resources accessed through a national catalogue.

Categories
Digital

MyDesigna (2001-2009)

My DesignaAs I have built up my web design skills, I thought it was worth building up a portfolio of work, attracting attention from those who will be interested in my skills, particularly my content writing and information architecture skills, once the the PhD was completed.I wanted something contemporary and clean looking, whilst providing useful information.

  • The portfolio section of the site is the key section of the site, explaining the rationale for each of the sites.
  • Quite a lot of resources content on the site overlaps with the /designproject site.
  • I am more interested in the research side (finding and structuring information), and writing content, than programming the site.
  • In future I will actively search for free software, image and other sites to recommend.
  • Hosted by 1and1.co.uk. The URL www.digital-fingerprint.co.uk also redirects to this site.

Visit: http://www.mydesigna.co.uk

Categories
Digital

Web Usability (2001-2002)

webusability1-300x199These pages are the result of a 5 month project investigating what makes a web page usable, and thus effective.

  • Members of staff in all departments of the University of Winchester (formerly King Alfred’s College/University College Winchester) were questioned as to the use that they would possibly make of webpage design (within teaching, research, and assessment).
  • Usability and information structure were deemed more important than aesthetics, although this was still a consideration.
  • Designed primarily for use by students, the site offers options for web design, rather than hard and fast rules, the site was also designed to meet the needs of academic staff who were seeking to teach theories of web design.
  • The site was designed to be largely static, as it is more issue-led, rather than a ‘how-to’ of the latest web building software. Although the site is now rather out of date, a lot of the issues to be thought-through remain relevant.

Client Comment

“Dr Bex Lewis was the designer and implementer of a pioneering website at the university which aimed to support lecturers in teaching about web design. This was at a time when web sites were put together hurriedly with many basic mistakes. That website is still available and and stands up remarkbly well, giving sound advice. Would that more web designers would take the time to look at it”

David Rush, 2009

Business IT

University of Winchester

Visit: http://www.winchester.ac.uk/designproject/