THE PRACTICE OF SIMPLICITY
From the very beginning, this website was constructed with usability and simplicity in mind. We avoided complex navigation systems, and decided on a basic navigation bar on the left for the main sections. From the basic navigation bar, the user will be able to explore the different sections of the site knowing his exact location in the website.
This site provides high-quality content that is relevant to every person in the world. The structure of the website was designed to be scalable so that updates can be delivered in as little time as possible. In other words, expanding the current sections of the site is exceptionally simple. To maintain the greatest user experience possible, the team members are dedicated to keep this essential website one of the leading presences on the Internet.
Furthermore, every aspect of this website was developed entirely independent of other sites, including graphics, coding, design, and text. For the design, the team members decided on a layout that created an appropriate atmosphere to match the theme of the arts and music. The result is a calm and pleasurable atmosphere very similar to a musical concert or a visit to a gallery of art.
USABILITY
Because most schools and home users do not upgrade their browsers on a regular basis, we designed the site to be compatible with the majority of browsers and platforms. We completely avoided using modern coding technologies like dynamic HTML and third-party plug-ins (i.e. Shockwave Flash, Liquid Audio, and Real Video) because we know that there are people on the Internet who do not know how to correctly install those plug-ins. Ultimately, we feel we made the right decisions to effectively communicate the fundamental message without seeming overly flashy with gaudy animation that most browsers cannot display correctly anyway.
This site was designed to load quickly to preserve bandwidth for users whose connections are slower than the norm. Almost all the images consist of four colors or less, keeping the download time to a minimal. Yet, we did not sacrifice the appealing nature of the site. Without making the appearance excessively flamboyant, we designed an appealing layout with an emphasis on communicating our message, and not on showy animations and images. The way it should be. Learning is definitely more important than staring at pretty images.
Because this website was designed with the user in mind, we added many methods for users to interact with the site and experience the thoughts of users from around the world. By providing an interactive experience, we believe that this site provides a unique atmosphere for learning about one of the most important elements of human life. The interactive elements of the site can be found on almost every page, but for simplicity, we grouped together most of the interactive content for the bottom bar seen below.
