Separating Content from Presentation

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to address the issue of separating informational content from visual presentation. The first principle of design — Form follows function — is the golden rule that should be followed at all times whether it is designing a house, a coffee pot, or a web site. Many web design professionals begin the designing work by thinking in terms of how something will look rather than how it will work. The framework of any product must be thoroughly thought out and constructed before designing its outward presentation. The lack of understanding of this basic concept is the reason numerous web sites are difficult to use and are not easily accessible. Many of these designers, and the companies who commissioned them, have viewed the web initiative as something akin to advertising. While one can draw parallels between beautifully laid-out brochures or television commercials and effective web sites, there are some distinct differences. Hard-copy brochures and television commercials remain static once they have been published. Web sites, however, will render differently, depending on hardware configurations, user preference settings, and browser technologies, unless the pages are completely specified by the designer. Even then, there will be more variability than you would have in a brochure or television commercial. The web site must be constructed with this variability in mind.