Problems and Solutions Design. Patterns
Pattern literally means "pattern", "model". In the specific case of the design of websites is a proven solution to a recurring problem. In general, the patterns are not given "a priori" designed around a table and then described and disseminated. Are discovered a posteriori: just browsing the web allows you to identify and catalog them. When a series of sites show a way to respond to a particular applicant problemain a similar situation, you can claim to have identified a pattern.
Here are three links to interesting web sites patterns:
http://www.iawiki.net/WebsitePatterns
http://www.designpattern.lu.unisi.ch/index.htm
http: / / www.welie.com / patterns / index.html
http://www.iawiki.net/WebsitePatterns
E 'an encyclopedia entry (wiki is the name of an encyclopedia online collaboration, where those who know something about a topic to contribute an article, the public oversight provides a mechanism for reporting and correcting errors). IAwiki Artificial Intelligence is a wiki. A more accurate characterization of patterns from this site is as follows.
"Patterns are optimal solutions to common problems. [...] The architect Christopher Alexander was the first to give a name to this phenomenon, in relation to the spaces where you live. [...] The patterns are atomic in that they can be grouped to form more complex patterns: a pattern within a pattern is chair dining room, which is inside a house pattern, which is in a pattern città .Un 'idea that distinguishes a pattern from a simple requirement is that the pattern never lose the sense of their context: they describe things that work together and the rules that govern such collections. "
http:/ / www.designpattern.lu.unisi.ch / index.htm
initiative for the collection and cataloging of patterns already in progress for some time at the University of Italian Switzerland.
last few years has this interface, which is not much better, however, the fact of having one of the founders of the ACM SIGWEB is a trademark of quality (mean SIGWEB Special Interest Group - Web: special interest group for the web, the ACM is the Association for Computing Machinery, literally Association for Computer Machinery, the American is a professional association of computer, mainly).
To see an example of a pattern is going on PatternsRepository : it is a specific page of introduction. From there the categories of patterns which can be accessed are: I nterface / layout, Structure / Navigation, Content-oriented Applications, Browse . For example Interface
contains a list of patterns aimed at arranging objects on a screen. Consider a pattern to search - Simple search .
The scheme of the page is just a rating: name, authors of the pattern, the authors' affiliation, date of creation of the pattern, revision date, then on the right examples and patterns online.
If we look at the dates of creation and change we see an inconsistency: the creation is the modification of 06/03/1999 and 15/03/1999: How can the changes precede the creation? Evidently there is a misconception or more simply of writing dates. But if the error is to write the dates you have reason to think that the dates themselves are not handled automatically by the system, but rather entered manually by a human being.
The pattern is: the problem, discussion (explanation of the problem), solution.
The simple search allows you to make research without having to deal with too complex search forms, which meets about 80% of surfers, for 20% who want more sophisticated search features is the links to advanced search features. To operate well, we recommend you always provide a simple search in the first instance, that you must combine an advanced search. The simple search is now almost everywhere, but often lack the advanced search.
One example among many simple search + advanced search, the field at the top left of:
http://www.hoepli.it/
Unlike what happens with many other patterns in the column right in the examples are not listed examples actual use of the pattern, probably because it is so widespread that they have no need of examples (but not the examples, however, in principle, a defect).
In some cases the links section gives examples of other patterns not found error page (ie web pages that existed when the pattern was classified and described no longer exist). The fact that the links do not appear to be more active in all its importance: the web is a repository of information that is used in various ways and studied, and then not build the information so that it can remain accessible at all times seems to be the result the problem of misunderstanding or carelessness, or the like. To make long-lasting the links to examples that should be the pages were copied to the site http://www.designpattern.lu.unisi.ch/ .
http://www.welie.com/patterns/index.html
The site of a Dutch computer interface designer and usability expert.
In this site, very well done and interesting, you can visit the section devoted to patterns of browsing the page about the pattern of main navigation: Main Navigation
The main example is taken from the Apple site (image not is newer, but the concept is still valid), it still adopts the same main navigation: a first level, and when you select an item in the first layer appears a second level of navigation that specifies the contents selected at the first level. The scheme
concise presentation of the pattern is structured as the site of the University of Italian Switzerland in three respects: Problem - Situation - Solution.
Problem: Users Need to Know Where They Can Find What They are looking for. When
Use: All sites need some form of main navigation.
Solution: Place an always visible menu at a fixed position on the page. Support this main menu with additional navigation tools.
The main navi-gation is described in reference to three forms usually taken: the vertical menu (at left), horizontal menu (top) and inverted L menu (ie the horizontal menu at the top and the vertical menu on the left). Each has its advantages and limitations. For example, the second horizontal menu van Welie not stand more than 6 to 8 items, for reasons of space and can not show more than 2 to 3 levels for the same reasons.
very common is the inverted L-shaped navigation of the site of the University of Milan offers an example: http://www.unimi.it/
welie.com The site gives an example of simple vertical navigation on the left (the type A) from the cnn.com site: http://www.cnn.com/
and an inverted L-shaped navigation adobe.com site: http://www.adobe.com/
now briefly describe three possible patterns of browsing.
Bread crumbs
Another pattern of navigation are the bread crumbs, bread crumbs Tom Thumb he needed to find their way and go back home.
example below, the site http://www.macromedia.com/ ,
the breadcrumbs are indications of logical steps of the navigation path followed to reach the page where you are. Usually the words that identify the location that are clickable, allowing navigation back 'to jump', and avoid having to retrace all the steps.
The website of the University Vita-Salute S. Raffaele adopt this method of navigation: http://www.unihsr.it/
Double tab
's another pattern of navigation. The main navigation Apple http://www.apple.com/ , in the form of a horizontal menu at the top, is analyzed in the way that presents the voices of the second level.
Each time you click on a knight bachelor, how is the word Quicktime example, the entries appear with the second level which details the content 'clicked'. Another example
http://www.amazon.com/ : selecting books from the first level of navigation, they appear various entries that specify the destinations within the guideline "books."
Meta navigation
Meta navigation covers all content that has a site irrespective of the particular page that the surfer has achieved. It may be an example of the Contacts, map (or search), copyright, disclaimer, and the like.
meta navigation entries are present on all pages of a given site, always with the same look, and at the same location. An example
http://www.inter.it/ with entries
Home Company Team Season Tickets Community Sponsor, always positioned in the top menu.