Team:UCL/FAQ/WikiDesign

I'm not a web design expert myself (I started learning web design whilst using Tumblr, back in 2009; I would experiment with the different themes and whatnot), so I'll explain it all in simple terms that I would have been able to understand back when I was learning. Lets begin! Firstly, the bread and butter: HTML and CSS. These two languages work together to create the basic design of a website. I won't be going on to explain exactly what HTML and CSS are, and what's different about them (at least not in detail), but I will make it simple for you: HTML is the backbone of your website, and CSS is the design and styling. For example, say you wanted to make a paragraph with bold text and a border around it. Using HTML you would be able to specify a paragraph and CSS would then be used to give it that bold text and border. That's basically the gist of it. Of course, I'm really really simplifying this; so if you really want to learn more, I've got a list of links below to help you learn more. INSERT LIST HERE WITH LINKS What's my personal suggestion? I suggest you get on Tumblr and start playing around with the themes and learn the ropes there. In web design as a beginner, you just need to image what you want, Google how to do it, and follow the instructions. The community of web developers is perhaps one of the most helpful online communities out there, and just remember, as a beginner - anything you're trying to do, it's been done before, and someone in your shoes has learned how to and done it before. It's just a matter of trial and error. Now, if you're familiar with HTML and CSS; let's delve a bit deeper into web design concepts. Javascript was something I stayed away from for a long time (until it came to editing this wiki), simply because it wasn't HTML or CSS, and I believed that since I couldn't understand it, I couldn't possibly use it. Well, I was wrong! Being able to simple incorporate javascript into your website makes it so much better. Over the course of the summer, I have learned to use and manipulate (to a very small degree) jQuery plugins. jQuery plugins offer a huge bunch of formatting and styling opportunities - from dropdown menus, to tabs, to image galleries etc. Below is a list of jQuery repositories I find very useful and interesting when browsing for different plugins to incorporate into your website INSERT LIST HERE WITH LINKS There are other web design languages and other aspects to Javascript as well, but my lack of experience with those means I won't be able to explain any further. When it comes to the basics of web design, the best thing to do is experiment. Download a text editor for coding, and experiment different things you come across. There are many different (and free!) styles, plugins etc. out there; and whilst some may be a little difficult to work with, many are simple and elegant on a variety of web pages.

So you're looking to build your wiki! Think about your layout, and how you want to present your work. I suggest looking at the wikis of past iGEM teams (especially those who won awards for their wiki). There are two things to think about when building your wiki: content and design. Firstly, lets talk content. You may be thinking that this is the easy part, but it really isn't. Getting all your content up before the wiki freeze is quite the unexpected challenge. You want to be able to, in detail, explain your entire project on your wiki; and if you don't get your content together before the last few weeks, you'll probably find yourself scrambling to get something onto your wiki as the deadline approaches - not a position you want to be in! Now, lets talk design. It's the most creative and fun part, but you'll have to work as a team to decide what sort of design you want. I suggest researching on good layouts and designs to base your wiki on; and remember, simple and functional beats problematic and complex. If you want to find out more about web design concepts, try googling or have a look at your favourite websites and the approaches they have taken. In terms of getting your wiki together, it's best to start early. Below I have outlined a quick process you should follow to ensure your wiki is ready in time: 1. Build a site map, note down which pages you'll need. -Look at the requirements -Look at what you're doing -Look at what past teams have done -Do you want to do anything new? 2. Get a graphics team together and start brainstorming -A good set of matching graphics can help set a theme to your wiki -Swag 3. Make a team portal page, link it to all the pages on the site map, this can work as a draft page for members to start uploading content. 4. Get your content together, keep revising it until you're 100% happy 5. Once you've got the basics together, start working on the design as a team, once your happy, freeze it and carry on with content. 6. Get it all done by the wiki deadline, and pray that your computer doesn't crash.

I thought it best to approach this by breaking it down into sections based on what you see in front of you. First, the header. Lewis Iain was the source of inspiration for this, I think it caught his eye whilst he was browsing for different website design templates. He looked through a bunch of code and managed to pull it out of the bag. Our team then decided on our colour scheme and it was all set. We decided to go with a simplistic approach,