EffectiveHigherEducation.org Website Development Project

By Thomas Eklund

EffectiveHigherEducation.org Website Design Project was launched in fall of 2016. Since then, the project has been developed further slowly but steadily, together with development of other projects listed in the About Projects subsection. The initial Website Design Project development stages have been primarily branding and design focused. The new Effective Higher Education Twitter page design provides an example of where we are going with branding and design.

From here, we will proceed with both completion of the new website development projects and the corresponding image development projects.

The Website Design Project description below, as well as Image Development Project and Branding Project subsections contain content that was written in fall of 2016 and was used for the development of the relevant projects.

Contractors are needed for EffectiveHigherEducation.org new website development. Currently this website has a temporary site design out of necessity.

I am looking for people who in their response demonstrate that they understand what I am looking for and can deliver high quality, visually interesting and meaningful, original solutions that have a solid information design and good usability.

Below are descriptions of three closely related web design projects. It is possible, that the same person or team could handle all three projects. However, it is more likely that different people or teams will end up handling these projects. So, for the sake of clarity, I am identifying these three as separate projects.

• I need Cascading Style Sheet and JavaScript solutions together with mockup HTML pages for EffectiveHigherEducation.org website. Content management functionality is not needed. Let's call it Website Design Project. This project is described below.
• Further, for the same website I need images that go together with the site design. Let's call it Image Development Project. This project is described in a separate subsection.
• Similarly, I need a logo / identity development / branding for the same website (either with or without business card, letterhead, envelope and presentation design). Let's call it Branding Project. This project is described in a separate subsection.

Website Design Project

As is described below, EffectiveHigherEducation.org new website overall look should be contemporary and preferably somewhat elegant and slightly artistic looking. The effective higher education development work that will be done will require usage of research in combination with market development mentality and creative thinking. We need to research and validate effective higher education related concepts, so that we can identify what really works. Ideally, the website design will reflect these objectives, in addition to clearly stating what the site is about and having call-to-action functionality.

EffectiveHigherEducation.org website development related projects are a good match for somebody who truly wants to understand what the client needs and to deliver solutions accordingly. If you prefer doing template-based work and delivering standardized solutions that are stamped out on a conveyer belt, these projects are not for you. You will simply end up wasting your time and mine as well. No offense intended – I just want to clarify these important aspects.

EffectiveHigherEducation.org website further development, beyond the projects described here, will take place in stages as separate projects. After the above projects, I will add blogging and social media components to EffectiveHigherEducation.org new website. Most likely I will use WordPress for that purpose. I am also considering BuddyPress usage. It is less likely, that I will use any other social media technology. After reviewing relevant alternatives, WordPress seems to be the best alternative for what is needed for this website.

EffectiveHigherEducation.org final outcome will most likely be a combination of static pages and social media components.

EffectiveHigherEducation.org Website Objectives

EffectiveHigherEducation.org was opened in September of 2016. So, at the time of writing this project description, everything about this website is in the early stages of the startup phase.

EffectiveHigherEducation.org focuses on effective higher education development in open source environment. Through usage of definitions as working hypotheses that are explored and researched further, we identify what makes higher education effective. Primary objective is further development of increasingly usable effective higher education related concepts.

Further, we identify effective higher education demand and supply related aspects and relevant gaps – what is needed for attaining effective higher education and who are supplying cost-effectively relevant educational and skill attaining resources. Similarly, we identify areas where there is a lack of necessary resources. Lack of resources creates entrepreneurial opportunities, considering that sufficient and suitable demand exists.

EffectiveHigherEducation.org is a research and development focused website. Initially there most likely will be very few people who will be interested in joining it. My job is to build a basis for concept development and research and to provide initial proof that the concepts can produce value.

The more valid proof there will be that the concepts work, the more people will be interested in what this website can offer. However, even then, the number of people who will be able and willing to participate in concept development and research in open source environment will most likely be small.

However, the website is being built for this relatively small target market of people who are qualified for and interested in higher education concept development and relevant research in open source environment.

Built-in Contradictions that We Need to Take Into Consideration

There is a certain contradiction built into EffectiveHigherEducation.org website purpose that echoes what is being said in the previous subsection.

Most likely the number of people who are able and willing to participate in higher education concept development and relevant research in open source environment is relatively small.

EffectiveHigherEducation.org website is being built for this relatively small target market.

The number of traditional students, adult learners, companies and organizations whom effective higher education development can benefit – and to whom the relevant products and services can be sold, once their value has been validated – is very large.

EffectiveHigherEducation.org website design should also take these larger target markets into consideration.

Further, while EffectiveHigherEducation.org is being built primarily for the U.S. target markets, the website welcomes qualified participants from all the countries. So, we want to take that aspect into consideration as well.

Looking Effective Higher Education from a Learner's Perspective

Effective higher education combines theory and practice, knowledge and life experience related skills, to enrich the educational experiences and to provide more value to people who attain education.

Allegorically we could say that effective higher education is like a vehicle that you build as a student or adult learner, so that you can navigate through life better, more successfully and happily.

You can have just one vehicle, such as higher education that you attain in college or university, or you can use or build yourself a fleet of vehicles by continuing your education beyond college.

It's your choice and that's important to know and understand. Your mental and material resources should not define you. You and your choices define you. Equally importantly, it's important to know and understand that wherever you are now in your life can be a starting point for the next steps and chapters in your life. You can develop your life within your individual abilities, experience and expertise levels. For the most part, you can also develop further your abilities, experience and expertise levels.

The above description is purposefully slightly poetic – this description may be help to create relevant design and images. This is one option for image development.

Further, effective higher education attaining – and education providing – are about enabling, empowering, development and value. One option is to build the site design and images around these abstract concepts: enabling, empowering, development and value. However, that's not easy to do. There are other options for site and image design that we can consider as well.

New Website Functionality Description and Overall Look

As is stated above, the planned EffectiveHigherEducation.org website will most likely combine static pages with social community building tools and functionality. Here are some design related priorities.

• The overall look should be contemporary and preferably somewhat elegant and slightly artistic looking. The effective higher education development work that will be done will require usage of research in combination with market development mentality and creative thinking. We need to research and validate effective higher education related concepts, so that we can identify what really works. Ideally, the website design will reflect these objectives, in addition to clearly stating what the site is about.
• The Image Development Project contains information on what kind of homepage header solution I am looking for. However, I am open to suggestions.
• Both the homepage and side pages should contain call-to-action elements and functionality. We need to discuss the relevant topics separately.
• For the sake of clarity I will add that EffectiveHigherEducation.org current, temporary solution is not using any call-to-action functionality because the site isn't really ready it. It's up, but it's a temporary solution.
• The pages, including the homepage, must load very quickly. The faster, the better. Thus, we must optimize the outcome for this objective as well.
• The solution used must be completely browser neutral.
• The outcome should be optimized for different devices (mobile, tablet and desktop).
• I like clean-looking layout that helps to emphasize the content. Further, I value good usage of white space. Having images too scrambled together tends to overwhelm the visitor.
• Good navigation structure and functionality are very important. Most likely we will need to use drop-down menus.
• For improved SEO purposes I prefer separate side pages, instead of having one long homepage.
• I do not plan to have any search or filtering functionality for the first version of EffectiveHigherEducation.org new website.

Examples of Websites Whose Look I Like for this Project

Below are some website whose look I like for this project. However, I need to emphasize that I do not want to plagiarize anybody. I do look for principles that work, but intend to use these principles so that we can create an original solution that reflects the essence of effective higher education and EffectiveHigherEducation.org.

• http://www.newyorker.com/
• Intelligent and elegant web design that creatively reflects the website essence. This is the principle that I am hoping to use as well – we shouldn't just throw different website features and parts together and add color to them. Website design should creatively communicate the essence of the site. If the website design is unoriginal and boring, then it communicates that the site is unoriginal and boring – one of many millions of other similar sites. Generic stuff in the ocean of mediocrity. That may not be true – in reality the site content may be interesting, but the design that does not creatively communicate the positive aspects about the site does disservice to the website owners. Similarly, if the website has poor usability, it reflects poorly on the website owners.
• The above site also represents a good balance between using images with links and links with short descriptive text without images. Very good usage of different types of images (different types of drawn images and photos). In the case of The New Yorker, their images reflect the nature of their content. So, I am emphasizing the principle that I would like to use, which is that combinations of different types of images can reflect the nature of a website content better than only photos that are made the same way.
• Good usage of white space including usage of drawn images that have white background. Also, very good usage of differing numbers of columns, which for the most part vary from 1 to 4 columns per row. This adds variety to the page. During my recent (and relatively brief) web design research I noticed that usage of different numbers of columns help to create a "sculptured" look, which is more interesting and appealing than a box-like totally rectangular look is. So, this is another principle that I would like to use.
• On the negative side, the website uses ads from different sources and a solution where they are not able to control what ads are displayed. Depending on when you open the homepage, the overall look may differ a lot simply because the ads differ. I looked at this site several times and in some instances I saw ads on the homepage that did not blend in. That lowers the overall quality of the impression that the homepage makes. For many websites this would not be a problem. For high end content like The New Yorker, this aspect is poorly implemented.
• http://dujour.com/
• Simple, elegant design. Similarly to The New Yorker, good balance between using images with links and links with short descriptive text without images. Good usage of white space. Also, very good usage of differing numbers of columns (mostly either 2 or 3 columns per row) which adds variety to the page.
• http://www.theverge.com/
• I like usage of color filled panes (rectangles). There are also good combinations of images with text on them and without text. The site creates a balanced feeling that does not overwhelm despite of containing ample of objects. However, to contrast with the first two sites listed above, here we have for the most part 3 columns per row and less creative usage of white space, which makes the overall look of the page more box-like.
• http://www.vanityfair.fr/
• Elegant design that packs lots of information without overwhelming and uses lots of images without losing elegance. Good usage of differing number of columns and white space.
• http://www.mrpaulhudson.com/about
• http://www.mrpaulhudson.com/posts/
• Relatively simple design that combines both artistic creativity, subtle elegance and functional usability. Not as interesting as the sites listed above, but also a much simpler solution.
• https://www.dropbox.com/
• Simple and somewhat whimsical design that arouses curiosity. Good usage of white space. Very good call-to-action design, which is very important.
• http://www.minuty.com/en/
• Elegant design for a small site, original and interesting navigation menus. Good usage of white space. However, parts of the site seem to be unfinished and other parts load very slowly.

So, What Do You Think of This Project – Can You Deliver the Needed Results?

If you think that you can create Cascading Style Sheet and JavaScript solutions together with mockup HTML pages that are suitable for EffectiveHigherEducation.org new website, please let me know about it and we can discuss the relevant details.

Please let me know what your thoughts are regarding the following:

• Are you interested in this project and if so, when can you start working on it and when do you expect to have the first results?
• Above I am identifying three projects. Which of them are you interested in?
• What do you anticipate the total cost of your services to be regarding each of the projects that you are interested in?
• Do you have any experiences where your client was not able to use your work? How did you handle such instances? The reason, why I ask about it, is that I plan to use the work that I really like. If I cannot use the work done, I am still ready to compensate the agreed on cost, but I expect that cost to be lower than the cost of actually usable end results. In that case the amount I pay is simply a loss for me and I have to try my luck with the next developer.
• Does this sound reasonable to you and if so, do you have a specific suggestions for how we could proceed in this area?

Top