Web Design

IT-Web Development Program Outcomes

I originally started taking a few Web Developer classes in the Summer of 2000 after I had completed the Graphic Communications - Electronic Prepress Associate Degree program through Moraine Park Technical College. I decided to put web development on hold. After the industry was pushing for graphic designers to know web as well, I had made the decision to return to web development. I returned in the year 2008 part-time.

Develop web site

Reflection Statement: As I look back at my web development progress, I always go back to the very first site I had developed. It was developed as a class project based on a friend's business. They liked what they seen and actually used it. This was my first taste of web development - using Frontpage. It helped me understand the HTML markup language. I guess it was the foundation of my interest in web development. It is still used today with very minimal changes.
Work Sample URL: http://www.silvercreekstudios.com
Work Sample Documentation:Features I had implemented so long ago are the site visitor counter, the scrolling text, photo galleries, and tables for pricing. You can even still see my pictures (senior portraits - I'm the one with a sunflower and a horse).

Create web graphics

Reflection Statement: This class was just a refresher for me since I have been in the graphics field for over 10 years. I have been to three Photoshop seminars presented by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals and Kelby Training. Even after all that, I still learned a few things from this course. The thing about Photoshop there are about 10 ways to do a task. It just depends on your preference. The biggest things I retained and implemented are the animation, button states and layer comps, and, of course, save for web and devices. When designing for the web, you need to optimize as much as you can.
Work Sample URL: http://www.bedtimebedrooms.com
Work Sample Documentation: For Bedtime Bedrooms, I used Photoshop CS3 to create the animated graphics as well as the site background. The PDFs of the current advertisements are cropped and optimized for the web through Photoshop as well. The animation was done using two high quality images and fonts that matched the characteristics of the image. The frame per second varied from 0.5 second from 5 seconds and it looped only 3 times. I wanted the graphics to display enough times for the visitor to notice, but not so much that it became annoying. It was just enough in case the page wasn't completely loaded and the visitor would miss the first loop.

Develop data-driven websites

Reflection Statement: I had no experience with data-driven websites or dynamic websites prior to this coursework. Since then I have implemented a Joomla powered content management system for a sample online portfolio. I have also setup and currently use Wordpress for not only my own site but also for Laura's Smile Foundation as part of my internship work. I want to further my experience with Joomla.
Work Sample URLs: http://www.laurassmilefoundation.com/blog/
http://blog.mschubertdesign.com/
Work Sample Documentation: I deployed a Wordpress content management system for Laura's Smile Foundation for their blog. I am the administrator with another individual set up as an author. I implemented a template that reflects their web site as closely as I could find, and I customized what I could to match the main site more closely, such as graphics and colors. I also updated the code to work better for the foundation's needs.

Program web languages

Reflection Statement: I wanted to implement a site like we did for the Web Design, Implementation and Maintenance class project - one with a general information side and a client-only side. After being introduced to PHP and MySQL, I thought that would be the direction I would go. I added a login page and some PHP code to the client-only pages to help add security to the pages. The clients could only view the progress of their projects via the login. It helps keep the clients' work in-progress available for them to monitor while keeping it protected.
Work Sample URLs: http://mschubertdesign.com/login.php
Work Sample Documentation: The PHP validates the login information with that on a MySQL database of clients. If it matches, the client is directed to their project. On the client-only pages, the PHP prohibits visitors from accessing the page by entering the URL. If the visitor should try to access the page in this way, the visitor will be redirected to the login page. And lastly there is a logout feature where the visitor will be redirected to the login page after logging out.

Explore new web technologies

Reflection Statement: One needs to continuously learn and practice new web trends and technologies to stay competitive. Since I work on a Mac I run into some challenging issues with some trends being PC-biased. I would have to find either compatible applications or alternatives. By having such challenging issues, I have discovered great resources and tools that have greatly benefited my web development process (i.e. Since Internet Explorer is a commonly used web browser and is not for Mac anymore, I go to IENet Renderer to have my pages displayed on IE 8, 7, 6 and 5.5 for testing.)
Work Sample URL: http://152117.mschubertdesign.com/web-trends/index.html
Work Sample Documentation: For this course topics learned were mobile development, Joomla content management system, Prezi online presentation, web standards and panoramic image and virtual tour. I really enjoyed the Prezi presentation software - a digital napkin of notes. It takes the ordinary presentation to extrarodinary. This course allowed everyone to explore many web technologies that they were interested in - perfect for the ever changing web.

Incorporate E-commerce solutions

Reflection Statement: Once again I had absolutely no experience with e-commerce solutions prior to the E-Commerce: Web Design and Marketing course. I had learned that is far more to e-commerce than just having a shopping cart. For this class I had implemented the Zen Cart e-commerce solution as well as social media features into a website I had previously worked on for the Web Design, Implementation and Maintenance course. Also as part of my internship project for Laura's Smile Foundation, they wanted to gain a huge foothold in the area of the web with their site redesign with implementing many e-commerce features. I assisted with helping set up their web hosting and domain transfer, setting up their merchant account with PayPal, customizing their social media and blog, building a community, and ensuring the legal issues are handled correctly. This project is my pride and joy. This class is one of my top classes for most valuable information learned.
Work Sample URLs: http://www.laurassmilefoundation.com/
http://benders.mschubertdesign.com/
Work Sample Documentation: Laura's Smile Foundation has implemented almost all of the e-commerce features that were discussed in class – social media (Facebook, Twitter, blog, YouTube), online registration and donation (soon the PayPal feature will be live), email marketing campaign using iContact, search engine optimization and positioning, Google Analytics as well as offsite advertising via radio, TV and print marketing. This is my ultimate learning experience from all aspects of designing and developing (and volunteering).

Bender's is a fictitious company has the Zen Cart e-commerce software implemented. Here there are seven categories with a variety of products with 6-16 in each including different manufacturers. Along with the products, I have sales on some of items. An affiliate program is also in place. Benders too has several social media features such as the Become a Fan Facebook badge, YouTube training videos, email marketing campaign using MailChimp, and a blog.

Demonstrate project management

Reflection Statement: Although I do have prior freelancing and supervisor experience, I didn't have web project management skills. I feel I gained the most valuable experience of the team by making sure the plans and projects were completed as scheduled and done thoroughly. This is were my attention-to-detail paid off. As a team we had to deal with the termination of a team member for lack of communication and work as well as handle cultural differences with a member being a former Brazilian native. This is another top class of mine for most valuable experience.
Work Sample URL: http://p6design.mschubertdesign.com/
Work Sample Documentation: P6 Design & Development was our team for the Web Design, Implementation and Maintenance class. I was elected as the Project Manager for our group. The position came naturally to me since I have supervisor experience. For the most part we worked together and achieved our goals for the projects.