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Web Development and User Experience

Overview

  • Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
  • Assessment: a 1000-word critical essay (35%), six coding homework submissions (5%) and a website project (60%)

Module description

This module develops your technical abilities in web development. You will focus on a user-centred approach to designing websites and implementation via accessible, standards-based code to develop a site.

You will learn about web authoring tools, HTML, XHTML, HTML5 and JavaScript, principles of web design, reverse engineering, stylesheets and creating technically efficient web designs. You will also cover different user-centred approaches to planning and designing websites. These include information architecture, optimal navigation techniques, evaluation techniques, design thinking, user evaluations, usability heuristics, and key accessibility concepts that improve user experience.

The assignments will involve critical discussion of design thinking processes and accessibility goals, as well as the production of a website that demonstrates your use of HTML, CSS and Javascript and a detailed functional specification document for your project, describing the proposed information architecture, the design and development of your sample page and understanding of web standards.

Indicative module syllabus

  • HTML, XHTML, HTML5 and JavaScript
  • Reverse engineering existing websites
  • Navigational tools
  • Importance of a consistent user interface
  • Using cascading stylesheets to separate content from formatting
  • Validating HTML, CSS and JavaScript
  • Creating accessible websites
  • CSS positioning
  • Link checking
  • User experience
  • Organising information for the web
  • Understanding client objectives, stakeholders and competitors 
  • Developing prototypes and navigation systems 
  • Concept design 
  • Layout and typography and their impact on usability 
  • Heuristic evaluation and usability testing
  • Interaction design 
  • Project management and planning

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • articulate the language and context of digital media and its application across society and business 
  • understand different approaches to digital development and their viability and sustainability in appropriate contexts 
  • recognise the range of images in digital media and their importance in communicating to specific audiences 
  • use information categorisation in different contexts and for different audiences 
  • understand the relevance of international standards relating to digital media development
  • apply technical skills in web development via accessible standard-based code 
  • implement an iterative design approach that considers user needs
  • understand and take into account diverse user accessibility needs 
  • produce associated documentation from design work
  • demonstrate skills in managing sites and project management.