Johnny Benson • Fall 2014
Tuesday & Thursday • 7:30-9:20PM
Rm 813 • 3 credit hrs
Office hours by appointment or directly after class
Email <johnny.benson@nyu.edu>
Class Website <https://github.com/DM2193/DM2193>
The assignments in this web studio are arranged sequentially to enable the production of a website of professional-quality design and production. The studio, for those seriously interested in web design, stresses interactivity, usability, quality and appropriateness of look and feel. Students are expected to develop content and complete a professional-quality website.
The following IDM program goals are introduced and reinforced within this course. Students will:
- Achieve a well-rounded proficiency in technical concepts including: core competence in object-oriented computer programming; fluency in industry standard best practices, hardware, software, and professional workflows; and full understanding of the interaction and user design concepts behind the art, science, and engineering in web development.
- Understanding of digital media professions in different areas, including their professional structures, organizational hierarchies, and expected skills for entry.
This course will help students to:
- Understand current web design and development practices.
- Gain understanding of content strategy, web usability, information architecture and design, and user experience (UX) processes.
- Explore issues of interface design including visual design and interaction design.
- Write HTML5/CSS3 to develop responsive websites.
- Get familiar with Javascript & JQuery syntax and structure.
- Be able to organize complex web content into a meaningful, hierarchical, and aesthetically pleasing website.
- Be able to tell stories and utilize new web technologies to create interactive, exploratory work.
- Get comfortable enough with web platforms to be able to further learn front-end programming / Learn how to proactively learn.
- Understand and implement the iterative process.
- Develop a vocabulary to evaluate and critique web design and development.
- Create an internal developer / creative community.
By the end of the course, students will be able to design, build, and develop content for a professional-quality website.
Class will be comprised of lectures, workshops, peer learning, and critiques. There will be weekly homework assignments, show & tells, and presentations that students will present to the class, quizzes, and two web projects.
Critiques (crit) are the best way to articulate your ideas to others and get immediate feedback. During the crit, the class analyzes and suggests ways to increase the impact of each existing idea. Take notes when your work is being critiqued and do not edit the responses, whether you agree with them or not. Review your crit notes and reflect upon what was said. Ask yourself how you could combine, transform, or expand what you are doing to make your project better. However, resist the temptation to incorporate all suggestions and comments. Only utilize the ones that work for you and the project.
All dates and assignments are subject to change at the discretion of the professor, depending on the interests and pace of the class! In addition, a guest speaker will come in and talk about their work to the class; which specific class they appear, depending on their scheduling and availability. Additional readings, homework assignments, or changes will be announced in class and Github respository.
- Consult the class Github for information about past classes.
- Come to class on time and be familiar with the current class topics, and be ready to answer or ask questions and participate in discussions.
- Complete all assignments by due date.
- Acquire and keep up with all of the readings. Read all assigned readings before class.
- Devote at a minimum 12 to 24 hours per week OUTSIDE of class, fulfilling homework assignments, reading, and studying concepts covered in class.
- Attendance is mandatory and will be taken at the beginning of every class. Since there is so much technical, conceptual, and design information to absorb, regular attendance is essential.
- Unexcused absences will affect your grade. One absence is allowed; after that, your final, overall, numerical grade will drop by 5 percent (1/2 a grade point (e.g. A to an A-)) for each additional absence.
- Be on Time. Tardiness will affect your grade. For every 15 minutes of tardiness, your final, numerical grade will drop by 0.42 percent
- Contact the professor IN ADVANCE if you will not be in class (in person or by email is preferred).
- 5% Show & Tells
- 5% Reading Responses
- 5% Midterm Self-Assessment & Rubric
- 5% Final Self-Assessment & Rubric
- 5% for IDM Coursework Documentation
- 5% Portfolio PDF
- 10% Coding Exercises
- 10% Tickets to Leave
- 10% Maintained Course Github
- 40% Final Project - HTML5/CSS3 Responsive Tumblr Theme submitted to the Tumblr Theme Garden
- 40% Participation in the mandatory class critique
- 5% Process
- 5% Craftsmanship
- 10% Information design (sitemap, schematics, clickthrough)
- 40% Interface design which includes
- Interaction and User Experience design (including tech & functionality spec)
- Visual design (including comps, mood boards, and/or style guides)
Each student will be judged on the quality, experimentation, and improvement that their work shows.
Performance, participation, and attendance of the student has been of the highest level, showing sustained excellence in meeting course responsibilities. Work clearly differentiates itself from other work, has memorable impact, pursues concepts and techniques above and beyond what is discussed in class. The student thoroughly understands the web design and development process.
Performance, participation, and attendance of the student has been good, though not of the highest level. Work demonstrates a better than average web design and development process.
Performance and attendance of the student has been adequate, satisfactorily meeting the course requirements. Work is average and competent, showing a basic understanding of the web design and development process.
Performance and attendance of the student has been less than adequate. Work is lacking in many or most areas that show any understanding of visual foundation. Problems may include lack of interest, procrastination, poor planning and poor craft.
Performance and attendance of the student has been such that course requirements have not been met. Work shows no overall understanding of the course material on many levels or either a severe lack of interest.
If you are student with a disability who is requesting accommodations, please contact New York University’s Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212-998-4980 or mosescsd@nyu.edu. You must be registered with CSD to receive accommodations. Information about the Moses Center can be found at www.nyu.edu/csd. The Moses Center is located at 726 Broadway on the 2nd floor.
- Chrome or Firefox
- Github Account: github.com/join
- Tumblr Account: tumblr.com/register
- Developer Tools for Chrome or Firefox
- Firebug for Firefox, http://getfirebug.com
- Chrome Developer Tools, https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools http://discover-devtools.codeschool.com
- HTML Text Editor (Sublime, Coda, Textmate, BBEdit/TextWrangler, etc)
- FTP Application (Cyberduck, Transmit, Fetch, FileZilla, etc)
- Web Server Space
- You can receive web server space from IDM’s Technology Manager, Elton Kwok, MAGNET 883 or if you already have your own that works too.
- IDM’s FTP server info: http://sites.bxmc.poly.edu (Use active mode)
- Your Last Name, Your First Name
- Intro to Web Development | DM 2193
- Course Semester: Fall 2014
- Course Instructor: Johnny Benson
- Project plan with revisions
- Final project documentation
- URL to example site with Theme
- URL to Github with Theme Code
- Screenshots for Desktop
- Screenshots for Mobile/Tablet
- Wireframes or Schematics
- Mural.ly, Mood Boards, and/or Comps Tech & Functionality Specifications Screenshots