Can anyone can give advice and suggestions about my independant study project?

[Starfish]

This is a "need help" thread, but it may benifit some, so I thought I'd go for it.


I have an independant study project that is due next spring, and I have decided to do an online Herbarium. What that is, is a functional reference website geared around perennial and annual plants that are covered within the herbacious plant materials course, at my school. It will become a reference source for the future classes of students.

I have dedicated a great deal of time in databasing photos of the plants to be featured, and am now begining construction of the site.

I know that some of you here are fully qualified to give a professional opininon of the layout, design, ease of use, and all of the essentials, and give me feed back. I would really appreciate the help, and I urge anyone who is into gardening, or has a relative of friend in the states that needs a good reference site for plants, to save the adress in the favorites.

It will be complete by December.

I will also be making an online Arboreteum for anyone who cares, and it will be linked to this page, once done.



Link disabled for the time being.


Some of the links work and others don't.

Thank you all in advance for any feedback.

 

[lickerish]

Looks good babydoll.

We grew most of what was on your lists. If I had a way to post stuff from my moms work, I would. I'll see if I can scan any of it.

 

[SteamyChik]

Hi lickerish - I loved the pictures on your web site. I can't grow anything that requires water - but I can build web sites So, here are some of my suggestions - like any criticism, take what you like and toss the rest! Good luck on your project.


Immediate impressions –

General:
Do not underline text that is not a link – it is confusing
Use the same background throughout the site and keep it light, solid and simple
Make yourself a logo (a plant leaf) and use it at the top of every page for a link HOME

Home page:
The background is too dark and distracting
The dark purple letters on the background disappear
You might put a definition of perennial and annual under the titles
I’m clueless about those fancy names – put common names next to them
Do not underline the text if it doesn’t link
Spell check the site – at the bottom copyright – website is spelled websight

Linked pages:
Use the same background throughout the site for continuity
On that same note, pick a solid light colored background instead of darker and/or textured – the main goal is to be able to read the information – not impress people with the background graphic
Green text on burlap is hard to read
Always provide site navigation on each page: at the least, a “Home” or “Back”


My favorite places to go for web design stuff:
HTML Goodies (html and basic web)
Dynamic Drive (DHTML - kewl stuff)
Java (neat easy java tricks)
Adobe Graphics Resizer (this neat puppy will reduce the load time of your pictures - a MUST)

 

[Starfish]

Oh Wow! Those are great suggestions.

I thought that the purple was lost too, but doing a graphics layout is important, to keep it in some sync to my personal website, which is only a one way link, so the students will never get to my personal hompage, but only the pages I want them to access. All those who go through my personal hompage, will see an herbarium that stays on style with the rest of my website.



Just so everyone knows, the way that it is set up, with the botanical names, can't be changed without defeating the purpose of these webpages, to the students that this guide is being made for. In this program and in the Horticultural world, common names are secondary and even so far as to say.. irrelivant, especially in the growing and trade industry. The program and this particular project is geared toward the industry, and not that of the average hobbiest.

The students are required to memorize the botanical names, and be able to know all of the characteristics that the plant has..... Morphological and cultural, meaning that they are supposed to use this site as a study tool. By my hiding the common name, I am enabling students to test their recall of what plant it is, by making a sort of online set of flash cards to study from.

I am defineately going to make the underlined names into links now, instead of just the button, to avoid removing the underlines. I like the cleaness of dividing each name to avoid wandering eye syndrome. It will be easier for the users. I will also indicate that the common name can be seen by holding the cursor over the link, above the lists for people to see.

Is that good enough, if I change the background, make the words legible by changing the lettering color, and make an icon?


I will do that stuff and let you know when I am done.

Thank you so much for all of the advice.



Licky, I would be so thrilled to just see what a beautiful place your Mom has. I know that you are busy, so don't feel pressured, even though the suspense is too much. I love seeing pics of gardens. It is so cool to get design ideas and overall, I just love flowers!

 

[lickerish]

Hi lickerish - I loved the pictures on your web site.

Steamychik.. it's Starfishie's site.. not mine

 

[Guru]

 

[Guest]

It looks like shit, it reads like shit, it navigates like shit and it's loaded with spelling errors, sentence fragments, and misused homonyms. How on earth you got into college is a mystery to me.

The buttons have to go. Actually the whole thing has to go, it looks like it was designed by a 10 year old.

 

[Starfish]

I will be working on these few things over the next two days...

Adding the definitions of the heading terminology.
Making the names into links, also.
Making and adding an icon, that will be used for a 'Return Home' link.

Aside from the inane and usless people, what do you web experts think about the background/text color change?

I have switched the backgrounds on most of the linked pages to this background too. I need to know if leaving the green text on those pages will read/look good, or if I need to make the text the 'indigo' text. It would be a lot of work, but worth it, if it makes the site better.

Thank you ALL for your constructive imput.

 

[Guru]

 

[riff]

a book that might help

Forget the name of the author, but it is titled "Information Architecture." The book is not an html guide, but rather a study of approaches to organizing information on the www. Much of it is common sense, but then again, you may find an approach you haven't thought of that gets your juices flowing.

Suggestion- visit other informational websites that you find functional, efficient, and easy to navigate. Model your site after one of those.