I devoted this week to reading. I have never created a website before, so there was a lot of fundamentals I needed to learn--and quick. Here are a few of them.
Sitemap: A sitemap is created early in the planning process. It is a map of every page, category, and subcategory in the website. They are used to inform search engines about the pages on the site available for crawling. Though I am not hoping this project will be "found" by search engines, a sitemap is a good tool to use to plan and build the inter-connectivity within the site.
Source: http://www.sitemaps.org/
Wireframes: A wireframe is a guide to the site structure and are the foundation on which to build. They are created after sitemaps and can be made with Microsoft Visio, or with any number of free wireframe creation tools. Wireframes are black and white layouts of boxes and labels that specify size and placement of page elements, site features, logos, and navigation; however, they are devoid of color, fonts, graphics or other design elements.
Source: http://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/7-reasons-to-wireframe
And most importantly...
Project Management and Project Planning: This took up a huge part of my week. I have no prior experience with project planning. I've had the luxury of structure provided to me in all my previous classes, including my internship. This is the first project that I am working independently and without the framework of a set timeline or syllabus. My only deadline is "finish before graduation--or I won't graduate!" I know I'll have other deadlines and milestones as the project gets further underway, but reading about project planning has provided me with valuable tools and concepts to structure this project, get my ducks in a row, consider all factors, and establish a timeline for the semester.
Source: A Practical Guide to Managing Web Projects by Breandan Knowlton
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