Criteria for Evaluating Websites

Your website project will be graded on the basis of the following criteria:

  1. Content.

    The total amount of text should be about 3 typewritten pages long. The topic of the website is up to you; it should be about something that interests you. There should be at least three graphics. You may also want to use sounds, tables, or frames, but you are not required to do so.
  2. Clarity.
    1. The general topic should be obvious from a glance at the homepage.
    2. It should be easy to move about and find what you are looking for.
    3. Linked pages should be related so that the information found on one creates curiosity about the pages linked to it.
    4. Graphics and music files should not take long to load. You should shoot for 1 minute loading time for each page on a 28.8 baud moden, that means about 30 seconds on the network. Loading times over 2 minutes should be avoided and may be penalized.


  3. Design.

    The graphics should be attractive and the relationship between graphics, text, and tables and frames (if you use them) should be visually pleasing. Any sound should be relevant and also pleasing (within the limits of midi files, if that is what you use). Sound files should probably play through once or twice and not repeat continuously. Complexity and cleverness of design will also be considered.
  4. Creativity.

    Creativity is not something that can easily be defined, but we all can recognize it. In a term paper it usually involves thinking of an old idea in a new (your own) way. In a web page, some marks of creativity include: combining content in new ways, innovation in design, surprises in the lay-out and text. Take a look at all the sites you can--both those dealing with your topic and others--then figure out what they are missing. What do you still want to know, having visited all these sites? What could be done better? Do that.

Remember: Your website is your first world-wide publication!