Friday, April 10, 2020
Writing College Placement Essay Prompts - Tips For Writing a Good Sample Essay
Writing College Placement Essay Prompts - Tips For Writing a Good Sample EssayA college placement exam is a traditional academic term used by a number of colleges. It is basically a short essay test and it serves as a way to evaluate a student's grasp of academic concepts.The examination will not determine a student's overall degree or even an individual student's ability to write well. However, for many students, this is the first opportunity to show prospective employers that they have learned the discipline of academic writing. Fortunately, these standardized tests are often fair and informative, which can help students prepare for the important writing required for their first jobs.Many colleges and universities assign professors to write sample essays for prospective students. In fact, most likely your professor will have done some writing of his or her own. Sometimes this writing will be inspired by a mentor or instructor. Some writers are simply inspired by the requirements of a given student's class or situation.These professor-written papers are usually graded by the college or university in question, though sometimes the application for the exam is drafted by the college or university itself. Either way, the idea is to create a high quality document that is fair to all involved. The grading and evaluation of student essay samples are subjective and include feedback from the actual students who will actually take the test.When taking a college placement exam, you will find numerous sample essays. One of the most common is the 'Tell Me About Yourself' sample, which consists of roughly 25 words and no more than 300 words. It is a common standard and an excellent place to start if you want to improve on your essays.College placement exam essay prompts include some basic instructions, questions, and scenarios. Some samples may also require moreinformation. Additionally, you can find sample essays that are meant to provide a complete picture of your overall experiences. These are often good guides for future work and are a good way to increase your confidence in your ability to craft a persuasive essay.Once you have found your essay sample, make sure you follow the instructions in order to generate a good essay. If you follow this advice, you should be able to come up with a good essay that will impress your potential employers.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Literary Terms 9 suspense. setting. irony. imagery. symbolism. metaphor. exaggeration. alliteration. onomatopoeia. personification. Flashcard
Literary Terms 9: suspense. setting. irony. imagery. symbolism. metaphor. exaggeration. alliteration. onomatopoeia. personification.
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Cryogenics Definition and Uses
Cryogenics Definition and Uses Cryogenics is defined as the scientific study of materials and their behavior at extremely low temperatures. The word comes from the Greek cryo, which means cold, and genic, which means producing. The term is usually encountered in the context of physics, materials science, andà medicine. A scientists who studies cryogenics is called a cryogenicist. A cryogenic material may be termed a cryogen. Although cold temperatures may be reported using any temperature scale, the Kelvin and Rankine scales are most common because they are absolute scales that have positive numbers. Exactly how cold a substance has to be to be considered cryogenic is a matter of some debate by the scientific community. The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) considers cryogenics to include temperatures belowà âËâ180 à °C (93.15 K; âËâ292.00 à °F), which is a temperature above which common refrigerants (e.g., hydrogen sulfide, freon) are gases and below which permanent gases (e.g., air, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, hydrogen, helium) are liquids. There is also a field of study called high temperature cryogenics, which involves temperatures above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen at ordinary pressure (âËâ195.79 à °C (77.36 K; âËâ320.42 à °F), up to âËâ50 à °C (223.15 K; âËâ58.00 à °F). Measuring the temperature of cryogens requires special sensors. Resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) are used to take temperature measurements as low as 30 K. Below 30 K, silicon diodes are often used. Cryogenic particle detectors are sensors that operate a few degrees above absolute zero and are used to detect photons and elementary particles. Cryogenic liquids are typically stored in devices called Dewar flasks. These are double-walled containers that have a vacuum between the walls for insulation. Dewar flasks intended for use with extremely cold liquids (e.g., liquid helium) have an additional insulating container filled with liquid nitrogen. Dewar flasks are named for their inventor, James Dewar. The flasks allow gas to escape the container to prevent pressure buildup from boiling that could lead to an explosion. Cryogenic Fluids The following fluids are most often used in cryogenics: Fluid Boiling Point (K) Helium-3 3.19 Helium-4 4.214 Hydrogen 20.27 Neon 27.09 Nitrogen 77.36 Air 78.8 Fluorine 85.24 Argon 87.24 Oxygen 90.18 Methane 111.7 Uses of Cryogenics There are several applications of cryogenics. It is used to produce cryogenic fuels for rockets, including liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (LOX). The strong electromagnetic fields needed for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are usually produced by supercooling electromagnets with cryogens. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an application of NMR that uses liquid helium. Infrared cameras frequently require cryogenic cooling. Cryogenic freezing of food is used to transport or store large quantities of food. Liquid nitrogen is used to produce fog for special effects and even specialty cocktails and food. Freezing materials using cryogens can make them brittle enough to be broken into small pieces for recycling. Cryogenic temperatures are used to store tissue and blood specimens and to preserve experimental samples. Cryogenic cooling of superconductors may be used to increase electric power transmission for big cities. Cryogenic processing is used as part of some alloy treatments and to facilitate low temperature chemical reactions (e.g., to make statin drugs). Cryomilling is used to mill materials that may be too soft or elastic to be milled at ordinary temperatures. Cooling of molecules (down to hundreds of nano Kelvins) may be used to form exotic states of matter. The Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) is an instrument designed for use in microgravity to form Bose Einstein condensates (around 1 pico Kelvin temperature) and test laws of quantum mechanics and other physics principles. Cryogenic Disciplines Cryogenics is a broad field that encompasses several disciplines, including: Cryonics - Cryonics is the cryopreservation of animals and humans with the goal of reviving them in the future. Cryosurgery - This is a branch of surgery in which cryogenic temperatures are used to kill unwanted or malignant tissues, such as cancer cells or moles. Cryoelectronics - This is the study of superconductivity, variable-range hopping, and other electronic phenomena at low temperature. The practical application of cryoelectronics is called cryotronics. Cryobiology - This is the study of the effects of low temperatures on organisms, including the preservation of organisms, tissue, and genetic material using cryopreservation. Cryogenics Fun Fact While cryogenics usually involves temperature below the freezing point of liquid nitrogen yet above that of absolute zero, researchers have achieved temperatures below absolute zero (so-called negative Kelvin temperatures). In 2013 Ulrich Schneider at the University of Munich (Germany) cooled gas below absolute zero, which reportedly made it hotter instead of colder! Sources Braun, S., Ronzheimer, J. P., Schreiber, M., Hodgman, S. S., Rom, T., Bloch, I., Schneider, U. (2013) Negative Absolute Temperature for Motional Degrees of Freedom.à Scienceà 339,à 52ââ¬â55.Gantz, Carroll (2015). Refrigeration: A History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Company, Inc. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-7864-7687-9.à Nash, J. M.à (1991) Vortex Expansion Devices for High Temperature Cryogenics. Proc. of the 26th Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, Vol. 4, pp. 521ââ¬â525.
Monday, February 17, 2020
The history of Jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
The history of Jazz - Essay Example Jazz music is deeply rooted in various musical styles of African-American music with European traditional music also contributing to its melodic sound. It was composed of several styles of black folk music such as field hollers, lullabies, rowing chants, spirituals and blues. Jazz began with small bands or solo pianists playing at weddings, picnics, parades and funerals. Blues and ragtime had also formed several years before jazz, and were strongly influencing its styles and forms. New Orleans, Louisiana experienced the earliest form of jazz. Improvisation, along with the existing sounds of other black music such as ragtime and blues, made jazz unique. Charles ââ¬Å"Buddyâ⬠Bolden, also known as ââ¬Å"King Bolden,â⬠was known to have led some of these early jazz groups. Boldenââ¬â¢s band was well known in New Orleans from 1900 to 1907. Many early musicians credited Bolden and his band with having originated the genre known as ââ¬Å"jazzâ⬠; however, the term ââ¬Å"jazzâ⬠didnââ¬â¢t become widely known until after Boldenââ¬â¢s era. One writer labeled Bolden as the father of jazz, and several early Jazz musicians were inspired by his playing including Joe ââ¬Å"Kingâ⬠Oliver, Freddie Keppard, Bunk Johnson. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded the first jazz record in 1917. They were very popular overseas as well as in the United States. The New Orleans Rhythm Kings and the Creole Jazz Band were the next bands to emerge i n the early 1920s. The Creole Jazz Band would yield American cornetist King Oliver.... Scat singing had a great impact on jazz music; It altered the melodies of many jazz sounds, thereby giving them a new sound for their listener. During the 1920s, Jazz began to migrate to Chicago, Illinois. Many musicians from New Orleans, including Armstrong, were influencing the local musicians, thus creating the Chicago style form of jazz. This style was similar to that of New Orleans, however it differentiated in that it emphasized more on soloists and added the saxophone to the instruments of the band. Bix Beiderbecke, clarinetist Benny Goodman, drummer Gene Krupa, banjoist and guitarist Eddie Condon and trombonist Jack Teagarden were instrumentalists working in Chicago who were influenced by the Chicago style jazz. New York City was also another major area for jazz in the 1920s. Harlem became the center for jazz music. Piano music was also making great strides for the development of jazz music as well, and ironically, Harlem became know for the stride piano. James P. Johnson was a master at this, but it was Fats Waller who became stride piano's most popular performer. Another style of piano that developed during this time was boogie-woogie. It was a form of blues played on the piano, and it became very popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Pine Top Smith, Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons were leading boogie-woogie pianists during this time. However, it was Earl "Fatha" Hines who was the most-known pianist of the 1920s. His style influenced most pianists of the next generation such as Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum. Also, the big bands, large groups of jazz musicians that would play together, were also popular throughout the 1930s and 1940s. This period was better known as the swing era. Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson were
Monday, February 3, 2020
Recommendation of taxtion for sole proprietor Canada incorporate Research Paper
Recommendation of taxtion for sole proprietor Canada incorporate - Research Paper Example parameter that requires a broader perspective based analysis here in order to comprehend the structural, organizational and legal framework of reference in the Canadian context. Corporate entities including sole proprietorships in Canada have their own tax obligations. Thus sole proprietorsââ¬â¢ tax liabilities to the government are determined by the same rules of liability determination under the commercial law. For instance under the corporate tax laws in Canada a sole proprietor is liable to pay taxes on his gross income after such deductions as for those of his dependents, Capital Cost Allowance on equipment, professional dues, if itââ¬â¢s a home-based business a certain amount as rent deductible and Canada Pension Plan contribution have been made. At a glance it seems simple that for a sole proprietor in Canada has no reason to grudge but nevertheless it must be noted unlike in the US, in Canada the businessman pays his income tax based on all his global operations. Again from province to province, there are some changes. Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) is the sole authority for the purpose of administering the countryââ¬â¢s corporate income tax rules. Therefore it has the final say in determining the extent of liability for any individual business. CCRA acts in its capacity as the government agency for the administration and supervision of all tax related regulations and thus acquires a very significant dimension in the whole process, including granting exemptions as per individual merits. In the absence of reforms to the existing income tax regulations as per sole proprietor businesses there is much to be desire in respect of the individual businessmanââ¬â¢s ever increasing tax liability under the Canadian income tax law. Thus the sole proprietor businesses in Canada have been subject to a variety of situational analyses and studies during the last few decades. This is basically due to the fact that sole proprietors in Canada have been growing number at
Sunday, January 26, 2020
The Nurse as an Advocate for the Patient
The Nurse as an Advocate for the Patient Nurses are highly skilled and trained professionals who take care of the sick. They educate patients, families, communities and populations on wellness and healthy living as well as health approaches to any chronic or current disease process and treatment. Moreover, nurses are entrusted with the duty of performing treatment and procedures as prescribed by physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Pattillo (2011) notes that a nurse is full of compassion for her fellow human beings; they possess good communication skills and good listening skills. They are required to report the progress of their patients to physicians, keep patient records, chart all patients observations, do the teaching procedures for patients and document communications with their patients. The nature and duties of nurses depict them as health care providers that are closest to patients and their families. They are therefore endowed with the task of advocating for the rights of patients within heal th care institutions. This paper discusses nurses as advocates for the patients, giving reasons why advocacy for patients rights should be incorporated into the nursing practice. Nurses are better placed as advocates of patients because they are constantly interacting with patients, thus making it easy for patients to trust them and confide in them. Pattillo (2011) describes a wide range of activities performed by nurses, which extend to the wider community. Nursing involves collaborative care of communities, individuals of all ages, groups and families; both sick and healthy (Pattillo, 2011). Nurses prevent illnesses, promote health, and care for the disabled, the ill and the dying people placed under their care. Moreover, they are advocates for promotion of safe environment, health education, research participation in shaping health policy as well as systems and patient management (Pattillo, 2011). Marquis Huston (2009) observe that nurses are the first health care professionals to recognize situations which are not in the best interest of patients and to report these situations to persons that could effect change. They identify and take action or report things such as questionable drug order to the physician or report an incompetent health care provider to a nursing supervisor; thus advocating for the rights of the patient (Marquis Huston, 2009). The American Nursing Associations Code requires nurses to be advocates of patients by reporting cases of patient abuse, including known or suspected cases of emotional, physical or sexual abuse because they constitute unprofessional conduct and form basis for disciplinary action against the culprits (Marquis Huston, 2009). In the event that the nurse is not satisfied with how a reported case is handled to protect interest of the patient, the Code provides for nurses to pursue the case further within appropriate reporting channel and outside the agency (Marquis Huston, 2009). According to Marquis Huston (2009), the policy for board of registered nurses warns that reporting duties are responsibilities of individual nurses and supervisors or administrators are not required to impede or inhibit the process or subject the reporting nurse to any sanction for making the report. Nurses are further advised to follow guidelines developed by the board of registered nurses concerning content of patient abuse course in identifying abuse cases that require action to protect the rights of their patients (Marquis Huston, 2009). Nursing advocacy plays a key role in observing safety of patients during their encounters with health care system; especially when the patient is too ill to serve his own advocate or when the patient is undergoing surgery and anesthesia. Marquis Huston (2009) highlight that during situations of surgery, the circulating nurse must serve as the patients advocate, speaking for the patient and protecting patients wishes throughout the process. The nurse is required by the nursing code to support the cause or proposal as a result of patients vulnerability. Nurses serve as patients advocate by advocating improved health care practices that relate to control of infections and patient care environments as well as access to care. Marquis Huston (2009) note that each encounter that the nurse has with his patient presents an opportunity for the nurse to serve as the advocate for the patient. Giving voice to patients in situations where patients decide to give their full trust to health care provider or when the patients are hesitant to speak their mind is an advocacy role of nurses to their patients. Goldberg (2011) reiterates that in such situations, nurses should encourage patients to voice their wishes and provide care that focuses on meeting patients specific wishes. In addition, nurses should ensure that the safest procedures are observed for patients during care provision. As advocates for the patients, nurses are required to limit traffic in operating suite or delay the beginning of a surgery procedure until correct instructions are provided (Goldberg, 2011). This not only eliminates carelessness but also protects the well being of patient throughout the process. Furthermore, Goldberg (2011) embraces the importance of nnurses in the preoperative arena who play a critical role by care environment monitoring, provision of safe care for the patient and promotion of best practices for prevention and control of infection. The nurse as an advocate for the patient must intervene in situations where patients safety is compromised like in cases where a physician does not routinely wash his hands before touching a patient or physicians who regularly violate sterile technique and ignores other practice standards. The code stipulates for nurses to recognize and address practice patterns that put patient at risk in order to protect the rights and well being of the patient. Besides acting as advocates for patients, nurses also act as advocates for family members of the patient. Goldberg (2011) points out that positive results have been achieved through advocacy in situations where patients are very ill and at point of death; where upon request of family members to be with the patients, nurses have respected these wishes and allowed family members to be with the patient. In such situations, death conditions have been reversed with the patients condition improving drastically upon seeing family members. Patients advocacy guarantees safety and protection of patients from preventable harm as patients and their family members depend on nurses to detect and address potential safety issues (Goldberg, 2011). Nurses as advocates for patients face numerous challenges in their daily advocacy duties. Goldberg (2011) observes that some physicians may not respond or listen to nurses in a timely manner as a result of competing priorities for nurse attention and efforts, thus placing tasks before advocacy. Additionally, hierarchical and institutional constraints frequently limit nurses from role as advocates of patients; placing patients safety at risk. People who espouse advocacy for patients are of the opinion that nurses should achieve higher professional autonomy for rights of patients to be fully protected in hospital settings. Goldberg (2011) regrets that while medical ethics rarely addresses the freedom of physicians to establish professional relationships with patients, nursing ethics must deal with continuous challenges to freedom of practice, especially in hospital settings. The intertwining of professional and ethical concerns, with the principles such as rights of patient and autonomy being considered in the same context as professional freedom to practice is quite challenging and places nurses at an awkward position. However, it is clear that the primary obligation of a nurse is to the patients, but not to physicians or hierarchies in health care facilities. This has gained prominence and wide acceptance within the profession. The American Nursing Associations Code requires nurses to be always alert as clients advocates by taking necessary action on any situations of unethical, illegal or incompetent practices originating from health care system, members of health care team or actions that violate patients best interest. This has overtaken sections of previous code that mandated nurses to be obedient to physicians orders and observe high level of confidence in physicians. In addition, putting nurses as advocates for the patients has led to shift of n urses perceptions of their primary allegiance from physicians and hospitals to patients. However, advocacy for patients may be a complex issue, especially when patients are unwilling to express their preferences or are afraid to say what they want because they believe it will alienate their physician. Sometimes disagreements may arise between choices and also the nurse may find other care professionals indifferent or opposed to wish of his patient. These reasons and others make advocating for patients a complex activity. In conclusion, nurses as advocates for patients have been embraced in most health care institutions. Advocacy for patients guarantees safety and protection for patients, especially in situations where patients are too ill or during surgery. Health care professionals should therefore respect the role of nurses as advocates for patients by providing adequate support and cooperation in order to attain this goal.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Usability Evaluation and Recommendations
Usability Evaluation and Recommendations For Sixties Press Poetry Magazine IT3210 ââ¬â Web Systems and Technologies John Winko Capella University Introduction This paper will propose a website redesign for Sixties Press Poetry Magazine located at http://www. sixtiespress. co. uk. The site is owned by Thushari Williams according to Whois and the primary purpose of the site is curating/collecting/publishing various poetsââ¬â¢ work that relates to a 1960ââ¬â¢s era theme. There does not appear to be any corporate backing to the publication or syndication of any sort.After reading through the tirade of obfuscated source code, it is a safe assumption the site was initially done in an older version of Microsoft Word then saved as a webpage. Site improvements will be recommended based off of a blended heuristic matrix found in appendix 1 formed from Search Engine Journal and usereffect. com. Table of Contents Introduction2 Table of Contents3 Identity4 Structure and layout4 Informat ion architecture and site navigation5 Use of visual elements6 Usability7 Accessibility7 Conclusion8 References9 Appendix 1 ââ¬â Heuristic Usability Questionnaire10Appendix 2 ââ¬â Site Navigation and Use Case Scenario14 Identity The website http://www. sixtiespress. co. uk is for a magazine called ââ¬Å"Sixties Press Poetryâ⬠. The site has a logo that is replicated at the top of every page but does not have a clear tag line to indicate the purpose of the site. A user has to glean the fact the site is a collaboration of different authors generating 60ââ¬â¢s themed poetry from menu items and the body content on the main page. There is not a specific ââ¬Å"About Usâ⬠page anywhere on the site and the only contact information is in a small section on the bottom left portion of the homepage.The target audience is anyone seeking poetry with a 60ââ¬â¢s theme and critical of poetry publishing processes in place in todayââ¬â¢s society. Additionally, there are opti ons for purchasing hard-print magazines chosen from a catalog. These facts are not readily ascertained from the overload of content found on the homepage. The site redesign will give a more concise description of the siteââ¬â¢s purpose on the homepage as well as a brief tagline. The amount of content on the homepage will be trimmed down so that the siteââ¬â¢s identity and purpose are more readily apparent.Structure and layout From a layout standpoint, the overall wrapping of the body of each page on the site changes with the homepage having a wrapped width of 836px while the poetry page has a fixed width of 989px. This inconsistency leads to extra whitespace for some pages while less or none for other pages based on the userââ¬â¢s browser resolution and size. The body content is also left aligned so all extra whitespace is shown on the right which detracts from easier focus on the central content of pages. All of the pages show the site logo at the top followed by a navigat ion menu.This is considered good design and will not be changed structurally for the site redesign. The homepage uses a 3 column layout while other pages vary from 1 to 3 columns for their layouts. Columns are not distinctive in their content and are structurally disruptive giving the appearance of ââ¬Å"crammingâ⬠information into a tighter space. There are apparent sections within the homepage body to delineate different parts of the site but no form of clean navigation to identify a relevant section quickly aside from consolidated coloring for each section.Pages are laid out with tables using blank paragraph tags to add space for formatting. This creates a very different viewing experience across different browsers as each medium has a different set of default values for spacing padding etc. The table widths also vary from page to page and section to section creating different alignments from the fixed position formatting used. The site redesign will eliminate the table str ucture for layout and use floated elements (divisions) to accomplish a more fluid layout. Column structure will follow designs set forth in Appendix 2.Information architecture and site navigation The entire site is broken into about 8 pages branching from the homepage with numerous anchor links used to navigate long pages of poetry. The actual content pages are extremely long, to the point the thumb scroll becomes itââ¬â¢s minimize size at 1920Ãâ"1080 screen resolution. Given the breadth of information on pages such as ââ¬Å"Poetry. hmlâ⬠, the architecture could be improved by breaking out pages by author and/or subject. Individual hyperlinks do follow a consistent pattern of being underlined and a hand mouse pointer to indicate that clicking the link is actionable.The actual ordering information for hard print magazines is hidden in a catalog link not listed on the main navigation bar. There are also pages for internal authors that are only accessible from the main page and are not descriptive to being a collection of a specific the respective authors work. The site redesign will encompass using a more description navigation menu to better direct the user if they wish to purchase anything the site has to offer as well as a more intuitive menu and architecture for collective works by author. Use of visual elementsFor a website decided to poetry, the decisions for color and contrast do not follow a typical 60ââ¬â¢s theme let alone theming for easier reading. Typically 60ââ¬â¢s themed colors include Turquoise, Jade, and Mint Green amongst others (McEvoy, n. d. ), starkly contrasted to the dark red on black shown on the homepage. The ââ¬Å"importantâ⬠headings all have a random color with an ââ¬Å"XORââ¬â¢dâ⬠background while the menu has the same variation of random colors with a pitch black background. Each subsection of content within the body of the homepage is a different color with additional areas having an offset color sche me.The under-contrasted pages would make viewing the site very difficult for someone that is color blind The background wallpaper on each page has a subtle 60ââ¬â¢s them but does not contrast well with the multi-color text of poetry passages or content in general. The font size and space are adequate but the font face itself detracts from the aesthetics of the pagesââ¬â¢ content. The majority of the block text uses a ââ¬Å"Black Chanceryâ⬠font face which is not considered web safe and the site would be better suited to use a standard serif font.An exception can be made to allow for an embedded font such as Bellbottom Laser (Lorvad, 1991) to be used for adding flare to title headings. Usability Rather than using the html pseudo element ââ¬Å"©Ã¢â¬ the designer made a picture of their copyright statement and it appears they expanded its size from the original distorting the image quality. The site redesign will use text in place of images used to accomplish to th e same task. The picture of Barry Tebb, one of the authors, requires a java applet to run only to have a non-value added effect of water droplets on a grainy photo.The site redesign will remove the unnecessary applet and use a static image instead. Additionally, the site logo will be linked directly to the homepage making navigation easier. There is a text area on the homepage that contains about 5 paragraphs of text and requires scrolling in a very narrow window. This will be revised into a more useable text block following the same design pattern as the rest of the site. With the exception of archives page, text blocks are limited to less than 80 characters per line making reading easier.Although links are properly anchored and are consistent with being underlined, the redesign will consolidate link colors to preserve thematic relevance. The actual number of links on the homepage will be reduced as its current form has more links than descriptive content detracting from understand ing the purpose of a homepage. Accessibility A W3C validation of the homepage discovered over 130 HTML coding errors and all of the styles were made inline without any use of external CSS. (W3C, 2012) None of the images on the site have alt text to failover if the image failed to load.There is not a concise separation between navigation and content within the code as the home used a table row and other pages used paragraphs as the separating entities. By eliminating the table structure of pages, the site redesign will properly code in HTML5/CSS3 ensuring the viewing experience is consistent across the majority of browsers. The site uses a JavaScript based pop-out menu to assist navigating large pages of poetry but there are numerous compatibility issues that occur. The pop-out menu rests about halfway down the screen and overlaps the body content both when expanded and collapsed.The menu bar beneath the logo is in an intuitive place but ââ¬Å"jumps aroundâ⬠when navigating dif ferent pages since the formatting rules vary between browsers. The site redesign will eliminate the JavaScript based pop-out menu and will instead use a floating sub-menu for individual sections. Conclusion The majority of changes to the site will be thematic in nature, updating the color scheme and positioning. Additional changes will be made to improve the siteââ¬â¢s identity starting with revising the homepage and including an ââ¬Å"About Usâ⬠page to further expand the siteââ¬â¢s purpose.HTML and CSS coding standards and practices will be strictly adhered to ensuring compatibility and proper viewing experience across major browsers. References Cumbrowski, C. (2008, Feb 20). 50 Questions to Evaluate the Quality of Your Website. Retrieved Nov 25, 2012, from Search Engine Journal: http://www. searchenginejournal. com/50-questions-to-evaluate-the-quality-of-your-website/6400/ Lorvad. (1991). BellBottom Laser font. Retrieved Nov 25, 2012, from Fontspace. com: http://www. fontspace. com/lorvad/bellbottom-laser McEvoy, D. (n. d. ). Interior Design Retro Style.Retrieved Nov 25, 2012, from All Things Frugal: http://www. allthingsfrugal. com/retro_interior_design. htm Meyers, D. P. (2012, Feb 10). 25-point Website Usability Checklist. Retrieved Nov 25, 2012, from User Effect: http://www. usereffect. com/topic/25-point-website-usability-checklist W3C. (2012, Nov 25). W3C Markup Validation Service. Retrieved Nov 25, 2012, from World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): http://validator. w3. org/check? uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww. sixtiespress. co. uk%2Findex. htm&charset=%28detect+automatically%29&doctype=Inline&group=0Appendix 1 ââ¬â Heuristic Usability Questionnaire Navigation 1. Are links labeled with anchor text that provides a clear indication of where they lead? Yes. 2. Depth ââ¬â what is the maximum number of clicks it takes to reach a page within the depths of the site? All pages are a single click away from the homepage (2 clicks if including anchoring fro m the menu). Given the amount of content on the site it would be more manageable to have a 3 click architecture to more concisely filter and arrange content (by author/by subject). 3.If a splash screen or navigation feature is provided in a Java/JavaScript/Flash format, is a text-based alternative also available? Yes, a JavaScript pop out menu is feature on long pages of poetry and a text version is available at the top of the page. 4. Do clickable items stylistically indicate that they are clickable? Yes, all items that are underlined are linked to some content and the mouse pointer changes to a hand to indicate that the click will be actionable. 5. How intuitive is it to navigate? Are signs obvious or obscured?In a general sense the navigation is intuitive but far from consistent with the layout changes between different pages. The pop-out menu is intuitive in IE but not in other browsers (actual clickable area is not visible). 6. Main navigation is easily identifiable. Mostly yes , however there is a page that contains revenue generation from ordering magazine that is not shown in the navigation bar or easily identifiable. Additionally there are pages that are specific to internal authors that are only accessible from the main page. 7. Navigation labels are clear & concise.Textually relevant yes but thematically difficult to read. 8. Number of buttons/links is reasonable. No, there are links to too many different areas on the homepage detracting from being concise. The homepage itself has more link than actual content. 9. Company logo is linked to home? page. No. 10. Links are consistent & easy to identify. All links are underlined but thematically change very regularly from size and color. An exception exists for the clickable area for each of the links, clicking to high on the text has no effect. Accessibility 1.Is content structurally separate from navigational elements? The navigation menu on the home page is separated from other content by a tag but on subsequent pages is contained in a tag. There is not a concise separation between navigation and content. 2. Is the website cross-browser compatible? No. The layout is achieved using tables and paragraph blanks and the viewing experience was different between Firefox, Chrome and IE. 3. How compliant is the website with W3C coding standards? Valid HTML/CSS? No, a W3C validation resulted in over 130 errors.The pages only contain inline styles with no external or embedded CSS. 4. Are ââ¬Ëaltââ¬â¢ tags in place on all significant images? No, there are not alt tags used for any images. 5. Are text-based alternatives in place to convey essential information if this is featured within images or multimedia files? No, on top of alt text being absent, the java applet containing a photo on the main page does not fail safely and left as an empty area. 6. Site load? time is reasonable? Yes, there are very few pictures and most pages consist primarily of text in the form of poems/poetry. . Adequate text? to? background contrast? No. The featured articles page has text color very close to the background color while the navigation items are too contrasted in difference. 8. Flash & add? ons are used sparingly. Yes, but the sole java applet add-on used has no specific utility or purpose. The JavaScript pop-out menu does not load correctly across all browsers and is completely cut off from use in Chrome and Firefox. 9. Site has custom not? found/404 page. No. (Requires a server side change so not applicable) Identity 1.Company logo is prominently placed. Yes 2. Clear statement of PURPOSE of the site? Purpose does not become clear within a few seconds without reading much or no text copy at all. Assumptions have to be made from the text in the logo and menu to find out it is a magazine about poetry. 3. Who is the target audience? The site is meant for anyone seeking 60ââ¬â¢s era poetry and those looking to purchase a copy of the print magazine. 4. Tagline makes company ââ¬â¢s purpose clear. No tagline present. It is assumed the site is about poetry after reading through the body content. . Home? page is digestible in 5 seconds. No, there are multiple vectors the eyes are drawn to which makes getting an overall view more difficult. There are laundry lists of authors, selected readings and selected sections for each subpage of the site on the homepage. 6. Clear path to company information. No specific ââ¬Å"About Usâ⬠page listed and had to specifically perform a WHOIS search to determine true site ownership. The homepage does contain a clause that specifies original copyright remains with respective authors and images were courtesy of Leeds Library. . Clear path to contact information? Not really, there are contact details on the bottom left corner of the homepage but not specifically listed as official site contact. Design 1. Is the siteââ¬â¢s design aesthetically appealing? No, the color scheme alone makes the site very unappealing. T he stark contrasts set against the ââ¬Å"swirlingâ⬠background makes focusing difficult and the left aligned nature draws too much attention to the whitespace left on the right side of the screen. 2. Are the colors used harmonious and logically related?No, colors seem extremely random in nature although they are logically related to sections (one color for each section). 3. Are the color choices visually accessible? No, some parts have color themes that are too starkly contrasted while others are not contrasted enough to allow easier reading. It would be very difficult for someone color blind to absorb a lot of the content. 4. Is the design audience appropriate? Yes, the font size is appropriate for older audiences and those wishing to ââ¬Å"retroâ⬠to 60ââ¬â¢s content. 5. Font size/spacing is easy to read?Font size and spacing is adequate. 6. Readability and appropriate type face? No, there are multiple different fonts used and the specific fonts do not add to the re adability or theme of the website. The ââ¬Å"Black Chanceryâ⬠font use predominately for block text is not considering a web safe font. Content 1. Is the website copy succinct but informative? There are continuous sections of poetry that detracts from being ââ¬Å"succinctâ⬠but the content only design can be considered informative. 2. Does the copywriting style suit the websiteââ¬â¢s purpose and ââ¬Ëspeakââ¬â¢ to its target audience?There is an attempt at using vibrant colors resembling 60ââ¬â¢s design but that attempt falls short of effectively speaking this to the audience. 3. Are bodies of text constrained to
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)