> So for $500 or so, you can get a nice website that is easy to
> maintain. Avoid frames, lots of custom graphics, and keep the site to
> just text and pictures. Unless you have thousands of extra dollars,
> that should be all that you need.
> 

In addition to this good advice, I would also add: 

* Don't rely on automated tools like Bobby for accessibility checking -- passing Bobby's tests is _not_ a guarantee of accessibility (it doesn't for example check for contrast between text and background, or whether the alt attributes for images make any sense).

* Don't rely on javascript or Flash for core functionality (I've lost track of the number of sites using only Flash for navigation and requiring the latest Flash plug-in which neither I nor anyone else here, including all the schools, is able to install, as it requires administrator rights). 

* Don't worry about the site looking different in different browsers. This is inevitable (indeed, it's a Good Thing (TM) ) the important thing is that the content should be accessible to any browser. A standards-based design should look pretty much the same in all modern graphical browsers.

* Don't let them change the default text size for body text. I for one am fed up with sites that change my default text size to tiny, so that I have to whack it up to maximum before it looks like it would have done if they hadn't fiddled with it in the first place. The web is not print, and text size is a user choice. There is also a bug in Internet Explorer that means if text has been sized in pixels, users can't make it any bigger. Designers seem in my experience to adore tiny print. When they specify Verdana as a font they discover to their horror that it looks much bigger at any size than other fonts do, so they make the default smaller (which kind of defeats the object rather), so the 20% or so who don't have Verdana get their (smaller-looking) font made _even-smaller_. Probably too much information, this, but it is a remarkably common fault.

> One caveat - ALWAYS go with a professional web designer. Volunteers
> are fine IF they have professional web design experience. There's a
> lot of people out there that SAY they can do web design but are
> self-taught and don't know the first thing about design,
> functionality, and accessibility. Look at other sites potential web
> designers have done and talk to them about their experience. A good
> web designer won't try and talk you into expensive extras and be
> honest about what they can and can't do within your budget. You might
> even find someone to do it for you pro bono if you just want a few
> pages on your site.
> 

I would add to this that many professional web designers also seem to know zip about standards and accessibility, so going with professionals rather than volunteers is no guarantee of an acceptable result. You need to specify standards in your brief. For example insist that the result must be semantically marked up HTML4.01 Strict; must use CSS for presentation; and must comply with accessibility legislation both in the US and in other countries (remember, it's the World Wide Web!). Does your existing site meet accessibility standards?

> Good luck!!

Seconded.

Pete
-- 
Peter M Gray
Museums Officer

Curiosity *may* have killed Schrödinger's cat.

> 
> Deb
> 
> On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 11:58:16 -0500, Simons, Michael A. (Contr)
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > I am trying to convince my board of the need for a better 
> web presence.  I'd like to see what regional museums in the 
> $100,000-500,000 operating budget range were able to put 
> together.  I am more interested in museums that could not 
> rely on local goverments for assistance.
> > 
> > Mike
> 


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