Web Design Competition 2009

High School Category 2 will improve a given website according to a set of specifications. The specifications will be announced at the day of the contest.

The following is the assessment criteria for High School Section Category 1.

A.  Web site usability (40%)

1. Speak the user’s language: Use phrases, icons and concepts familiar to the users, present information in a natural and  logical order.
2. Consistency: Indicate similar concepts through identical terminology and graphics. Adhere to uniform conventions for layout, formatting, typefaces, labeling, and so on.
3. Minimize the user’s memory load: Take advantage of recognition rather than recall.  Do not force user to remember key information across web pages.
4. Flexibility and Efficacy of use: Accommodate a range of user sophistication and user goals. For example, allow novice users to reach desired goals through a series of progressive steps, but allow expert users or frequent users to directly reach their destination.
5. Chunking: Write and organize information in chunks that are short and contain exactly one topic. Ideally, a topic should fit on one Web page. Do not force users to access multiple web pages to complete a single thought.
6. Progressive level of detail: Organize information hierarchically, with more general information appearing before more specific detail. Allow users to delve as deep as needed, but to stop whenever sufficient information has been received. For example, use HTML list to organize web site contents in a hierarchical way.
7. Navigation feedback: Allow the user to determine his or her current position. Make it easy to return to an initial state. For example put navigational links in each web page.

B.  Aesthetic and minimalist design (30%)

1. Create visually pleasing displays that engages users’ attention. Eliminate information that is irrelevant or distracting. Web pages should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.

C.  Technical competency level (30%)

1. The extent that advanced techniques such as JavaScript, PHP, database, etc. are used.
2. Effective use of multimedia format of presenting information, such as video, flash, etc.