If you'd like to be able to modify, maintain or develop your own web site, we can show you the techniques you need to get to grips with. We'll tailor the training according to your needs and whatever knowledge and abilities you already possess. We'll include as necessary:
HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, the language used to build web pages. We teach how to code HTML properly, in accordance with the specifications for the language published by the W3C.
CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, the mechanism recommended by the W3C for controlling the presentational aspects of web pages: the colours, backgrounds, typefaces, and the layout or positioning of elements on the page.
The use of graphics, choosing appropriate formats, optimising graphics for appearance and download speed, and whether and when it is more appropriate to use text than graphics.
Information architecture, or defining a logical structure for your site's content.
Navigation conventions, building clear navigation systems, and maintaining a consistent model throughout your site.
The benefits of simplicity and a clutter-free interface.
What not to do: creativity can't really be taught, but by showing you examples of ugly or unusable design, we can teach you to avoid some of the worst mistakes.
Understanding how different browsers might display your finished page differently, and what to do about it.
How to test your pages, how to make sure that your code is correct, and how to maximise compatibility for the range of browsers in use.
Managing files, creating useful directory structures, and uploading files to a web server.
We concentrate on teaching the concepts behind web page construction, and the underlying language: we think that in order to do any job well, you have to understand it! Certainly, you can build web pages using so-called WYSIWYG ("what you see is what you get") layout programs, but these frequently produce incorrect code that may not "work" in some browsers — and if you don't understand the code, you won't know how to fix it. HTML is probably less difficult to learn than you might think (in fact, we don't think it takes any longer to learn than how to use a WYSIWYG page editor), and you don't need any fancy tools to code pages. Everything you need you will already have on your computer, and many other helpful utilities are available for free on the internet.
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