Blog Post #1: Recap of First Three Chapters (Robbins)

Summary

Chapter 1 presented an overview of what it takes to be involved in web design while also encouraging readers to not be overwhelmed with all of the aspects that go into web design. Someone can learn web design and pursue a career in the field without mastering every aspect of design, programming, multimedia, etc. The writer stresses the importance of having a basic understanding of HTML and CSS, with those tools having a major impact on many facets to the web development process.

Chapter 2 covered details on how information appears on the Internet and all of the related parts that are needed to make the process complete. I thought it was particularly useful to read about what happens when a URL is placed in a browser. I also enjoyed seeing the side-by-side comparison of the actual web page next to the HTML and CSS code.

Chapter 3 featured a discussion of major concepts, including site performance, accessibility and responsive design. In viewing a Waterfall chart of BroncoAthletics.com, I found it to be a tool that is likely under-utilized by many organizations and the web managers that they employ.

Questions

Q: What makes a great web site?

A: One that is easy to navigate. One that has fast performance and follows web standards with clean code. One that can be accessed on many devices and also by people with disabilities.

Q: What kind of skills does it take to build a great web site?

A: For someone to build a great web site, they'll have to adapt to a constantly changing landscape of devices and user tendencies. As Robbins states, a foundation of HTML, CSS and design is also important.