Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a term describing changing trends in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aim to enhance creativity, information sharing, and collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites (i.e. Facebook), video sharing sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)

CSS is a coding language for the web to define the style or the look and feel, to a certain degree, of a web page. CSS is becoming more popular with web designers to create web pages because it helps pages to download quicker, makes pages more search engine friendly and aids in making web sites more accessible to a wider audience.

XHTML (Extendible Hypertext Markup Language)

XHTML is a coding language that if used properly by your web design agency helps your web site conform to the W3C (The World Wide Web Consortium) standards. This is very important because 1) XHTML promotes best practices 2) Makes your website compatible with most browsers 3) Makes it easier for search engines to find your web pages.

The Fold

The fold in web design is the position on a web page where the majority of browsers viewing the page will begin to scroll. Elements that are positioned "below the fold" are not seen when the page first loads. And some people believe that it's important to design web pages that don't scroll, or that keep only less important information below the fold.

Accessibility

Accessibility in the context of a Web site is the degree to which that Web site is usable by people with disabilities. Web pages often have access issues for the following groups of people: Visually impaired people using screen readers, hearing impaired people using browsers with no sound, physically impaired people and color blind people. It is always a good idea to build your website to be as accessible as possible especially if a diverse audience will need to use your web site.

Usability Testing

Usability testing is simply about finding out if your target audience can use your web site as you intended it to be used. Many companies ignore this vital component of the web design process and end up throwing money in the water. Usability testing need not be expensive, but the deeper the investigation, the more time and resources are needed and also the bigger the benefit.

UCD (User-centered design)

UCD is the design process that places the user at the heart of the design process. Websites must have an aesthetic appeal, but if the site is not built around the needs and wants of your user, then all the time and effort spent on design may have been in vain.

IA (Information Architecture)

IA is a fancy term for the practice of sorting information into a logical structure for it so that when people use your site they can find the information they need or complete a task, like booking a plane ticket, with ease.

UX (User experience)

As the phrase implies, UX is mainly concerned about the user's experience. Is your web site easy to use? Was the overall experience positive? Did the experience strengthen or weaken the brand?

Personas

Personas describe a website's target users, giving a clear picture of how they are likely to use your web site. They are captured in 1-2 page descriptions that include behaviour patterns, goals, skills, attitudes and environment, with a few fictional personal details to bring the persona to life. For each product, more than one persona is usually created, but one persona should always be the primary focus for the design.

Site maps

A site map is a visual representation of a website's structure. Also known as a structural model, taxonomy, hierarchy, navigation model, information architecture or site structure. Web designers and information architects create site maps to help sort and structure the flow of information for web sites.

Competitive analysis

A web design competitive analysis shows the differences between the site you are working on and other websites you are competing with in the marketplace. It is also an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors and how their web sites provide value compared to your intended web site.

Ethnographic research

Ethnography is the study of human behaviour and culture. Ethnographers can apply various tactics to study and record human interaction in their daily environment, to extract valuable research data that may not be found using traditional marketing research methods.

CMS (Content Management System)

At a basic level, a CMS allows companies to manage, maintain and update their website in-house without having to contract a web design firm to do it. CMS's can either be purchased or custom systems can be developed for your specific needs.