F27IR - Internet Technologies 1

Aims

• To introduce fundamental concepts of Internet architecture and technologies as well as current web architectures. • To impart knowledge and understanding of Information Architecture (IA) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). • To develop a critical appreciation of the importance and benefits of User eXperience in web design. • To gain competence in script programming (e.g. JavaScript) and in using a range of web design technologies (e.g. HTML, XML, JSON, CSS). • To teach best practices, principles and standards in web design. • To enable students to design a real-world website and/or mobile app, embedded in and contextualised for the host company.

Syllabus

1. Internet and Network architectures (1.1 TCP/IP protocol suite, 1.2 Application Layer protocols, 1.3 HTTP protocols and methods, 1.4 Internet network protocols, 1.5 Cloud Computing basic concepts)

2. Information Architecture (IA) (2.1 Web design fundamentals, 2.2 IA basic concepts, 2.3 IA Implementation in web design, 2.4 Web design process)

3. UI Design principles (3.1 UI and human-computer interaction, 3.2 Six UI design principles, 3.3 Colour Theory in web design, 3.4 UI design evaluation)

4. User eXperience (UX) (4.1 UX evolution and importance, 4.2 Designing for happiness, 4.3 The six factors of UX, 4.4 Understanding the hierarchy of user needs, 4.5 UX Evaluation)

5. Data representation and structure (5.1 Webpage structure and format HTML, 5.2 Writing well-formed and valid HTML code, 5.3 Webpage programable representation DOM, 5.4 Data storage and exchange formats e.g. XML, JSON)

6. Webpage styling (6.1 CSS fundamentals, 6.2 CSS selectors, 6.3 Applying style sheets, 6.4 Multiple designs with CSS themes, 6.5 HTML elements positioning)

7. JavaScript language (7.1 JavaScript language fundamentals, 7.2 Expressions and variable types, 7.3 Blocks and conditional programming, 7.4 Loops and iterative statements, 7.5 JavaScript native built-in functions methods)

8. JavaScript objects (8.1 User functions, 8.2 Objects, methods and properties, 8.3 Constructor and 'this', 8.4 Arrays)

9. DOM programming (9.1 Loading and execution of JavaScript code, 9.2 Selecting DOM objects with JavaScript, 9.3 Creating and removing DOM objects)

10. Handling events (10.1 Web design with JavaScript, 10.2 Capturing and listening for events, 10.3 Types of event propagation)

11. Mobile-First Design (11.1 Mobile-first design recommendations, 11.2 Media queries and viewports, 11.3 Mgmt. of content size and resolution)

12. Industrial project (12.1 Project description, 12.2 IA and UX analysis, 12.3 UI design implementation, 12.4 Mobile-first design implementation, 12.5 Project evaluation, 12.6 Web design demonstration)