Here is a brief reflection on creating the 'perfect' website.

“ On the Cutting Edge” Webquest Reflection

I enjoyed this webquest. After seeing everyone’s presentations today, I learned that there are varying opinions as to what makes a ‘perfect’ website. Our team worked well together, and we had some interesting discussions during the course of this project.

Although there are a variety of opinions as to what constitutes a perfect website, I think that all good websites contain some common elements. These are:

• Easy Navigation with buttons aligned along the top or left (or both), and text navigation on bottom. To me, this is one of the foundations of a good website. I’ve used this rule with students when evaluating websites, and continue to see this technique on websites that I visit often.
  

• Content that is appropriate for the audience.
  There are a variety of opinions as to the use of certain design elements, like animations, sound, counters, etc. After listening to the discussions in class, I believe that as long as the content is appropriate for the intended audience, the design techniques can vary. Animations on a site for children would be perfectly acceptable, but animations on a website for physics professors would not.

• Consistency is important.
  I believe that consistency is the hallmark of a good website. Pages should look the same as far as overall impression, and this will help users navigate through the website easily. Colors can be different on each page, but the layout should remain the same so users can easily navigate through the site.

• Usability helps create a positive overall website experience.
  The term is used to describe the quality of a user's experience when interacting with a system - in this case, a website. This includes most of the items above: navigation, layout, design, consistency, etc. Ultimately, each individual guest to a site must determine on their own whether or not that site is usable and useful.

The “Cutting Edge” webquest we did helped us identify the common elements that users find important when evaluating websites. During the process of this webquest we used higher level thinking skills, role playing, and creating a product that showed evidence of learning. These skills should be included in any good webquest, and I will use these techniques when designing my own webquest.