Exploring the Basics On Your Own | Macromedia Dreamweaver 8: Training from the Source

Now that you learned how to plan a Website, set up a site in Dreamweaver, and worked with both new and existing pages, you're ready to apply these skills and techniques to your own Website(s).

1.	Use planning phases and questions to complete the research and develop a Creative Brief for your own site. As you work through the process, remember to be detailed. Start the process of developing your site by: Considering the purpose, goals, and market for your site Exploring who the audience is and what their needs are Taking stock of content and assets that are already available Determining what elements will need to be created Developing the site structure Setting up the file structure The Creative Brief is a document in which you organize all the research and work that was done on the site in Phase 1. This can help you coordinate the efforts in later stages while making it easier to stay on track in the development of the site you are creating.
2.	Use the Site Definition dialog box to set up your site in Dreamweaver. Site setup will include the creation of the local root folder in which all your site files will be stored.

3.	Use the starter pages and page designs available from the New Document dialog box to create several placeholder pages within your new site.

You can save these pages inside your local root folder as placeholders for future content.

Tip

You can also access these resources by selecting a category from the Create From Samples section on the Start page.

As you continue to complete the lessons, you'll learn how to work with the various elements that can be seen in these starter pages, including links, images, and CSS.

Recommended Resources

Book:Web ReDesign 2.0: Workflow that Works

by Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler

ISBN 0-7357-1433-9

This book is a great source of information that can aid you in the process of developing a Websitewhether you are creating a new site from scratch or redesigning an existing site. The development process is clearly presented and offers a number of tools and techniques for developing the workflow that will best serve your projectincluding case studies, forms, checklists and worksheets.

Web:www.macromedia.com/resources/techniques

A Web resource created jointly by Macromedia and Kelly Goto, co-author of Web ReDesign: Workflow that Works, this site presents a wide range of articles on each phase of Web development. Additional resources are included in the forums hosted on the site, such as the Production Management Online Forum.

Book:Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (2nd Edition)

by Steve Krug

ISBN 0-3213-4475-8

Usability is a key factor in creating successful Websitesit includes attention to ease of use and clarity. Exploring the common-sense aspect of usability concepts for the Web, this book offers methods for examining your site and determining if all portions of that sitenavigation, layout, content, and moreare usable for the intended audience.