Going into this class I had a limited knowledge of HTML. I was intimidated at first as I had an overwhelmingly difficult experience using it in a Computer Basics class in high school. This time around it was a lot easier. I took this class by choice because I was interested in learning more about website building. I feel like I learned a lot and I love the way that my website came out.
Throughout the semester we learned about how technology has changed drastically over time, since the days of Web 1.0 to now. We emphasized the importance of user-centered design especially when it comes to libraries. Ding et al (2017) made the analogy that creating new technologies without taking into consideration the abilities of the user is like "preparing a meal by equipping the kitchen with utensils and then ignoring the quality of ingredients" (p. 29). As technology evolves, information architects need to make sure that users are prepared for and able to handle these advancements. When it comes to designing a website, we learned about coding with HTML using tutorials from W3Schools (2019), and that using internal and external CSS makes it a lot easier. By putting code in the CSS stylesheets, you can edit elements of your website without having to go through each HTML page which can be time-consuming and tedious. Websites can also be made more user-friendly by choosing the most appropriate organizational schema (Zarro, 2017). For example, websites using logical alphabetical organization allow the user to easily locate and select what they are looking for.
While learning about the way we seek out information, or our different information behaviors. I determined I could relate to two categories; Hick's Law because the time it takes me to make a decision "increases as more alternatives are available" and in some instances Zipf's Law because occasionally I will "choose easily available information sources of relatively low quality" (Ding et al, 2017, p. 77). In terms of seeking information, we discussed our preferences in regards to navigation bars and determined that it really depends on the website; sometimes horizontal naviation bars are more useful and sometimes vertical navigation bars serve a better purpose.
We also learned about how to code our own websites using HTML, CSS, and javascript. While HTML and CSS are used for the content and layout of the website, as previously mentioned, Javascript allows the user to interact with the site. Whether it’s clicking a button that can change the HTML text, or being able to interact with a fun animation, the goal of JavaScript is to make for the best user experience. I thought it was cool how we learned how to do this. I had obviously been on websites frequently that have this interactive feature on it, but had never really thought about what makes it be interactive. It was interesting to see all the coding that goes into the creation of the website.
One of my favorite parts of this course was getting to design our own app on AppLab (2019). This was a very interactive tutorial website that had step by step intructions on how to make whatever kind of app you wanted. You could either code using HTML or use a drag and drop feature built into the website, both of which I utilized. This was a good way to put our new skills into action and I could see myself using it in the future.
As I've stated, my ultimate goal is to become a Children's Librarian, but I do feel that I could use my new skills in the future. For example, I now have a better understanding of how to code a website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; definitely a lot more than I had coming into this class. If I ever am responsible for creating a website, I feel like I would not be completely in the dark anymore. Along these same lines, I now have a better understanding of meeting user needs and the importance of designing a website with the user in mind. Comparing different websites over the years, both good and bad, further stressed the importance of being careful with the design.
I would like to maintain and improve my HTML, CSS and JavaScript skills to use in the future. I definitely think I could use the AppLab website in the future working with children. This would be a great feature to use in a Coding Club of some sort for children. I really enjoyed this class and now have a better understanding of how we seek and acquire information and display this information for others to utilize.
Code.org. (2019). Retrieved from https://studio.code.org/projects/applab/Zs1iFXQeLyv_zK5NFprg0ME7iPNlyGKwecWrZubjbhk/edit.
Ding, W., Lin, X., & Zarro, M. (2017). Information architecture: The design and integration of
information spaces (2nd ed.). Morgan & Claypool.
W3Schools.com. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.w3schools.com/.