Time to Design! How Will Our Blog Function?

Well, here we go!  We've spent time understanding what makes a good blog and have identified the criteria we'll use to measure its success.  Now, we are ready to formulate our designs!

First step is to determine how your blogs will function.  What will be the features on your blog and where will they go?  As you answer these questions, think about a theme that may be emerging in your design.


STEP 1.  Sketch out your FUNCTIONAL design layout incorporating the minimum elements we discussed in class:

Minimum Functional Blog Requirements:

• Appropriate Blog URL, Title and Description
  What is the best possible URL, title, description to best match your blog theme?

• Navigation/Menu Bar
  Where will your menu be located on your page? What will be included in your menu?  What order will you place each menu item?
  
  
• Appropriate and Functional Gadgets/Widgets
  What widgets will be included?  Where will you place them and in what order? Remember to ask yourself what purpose will the widget serve?

• Author Bio Page
  How will you incorporate your bio/About Me information?  Will you include as part of your menu?  Design in a separate page?
• Optional: Banner
  This is an optional element.  If you include, sketch out an idea of the design.

STEP 2.  Refer back to your Investigate Reflection at the FIVE criteria you identified. Are there any other requirements you identified here that you may need to include in your functional layout?
 
• Example (discussed in class):  If one criteria you identified was the ability to search your blog, this would be an additional requirement that you need to include in your sketch.


Be sure to use the task specific rubric #1 to guide you in this design phase.

To earn a 5 – 6, make sure:

• Your sketch includes the minimum functional blog requirements.
• Your sketch incorporates the criteria that you identified in your reflection.

Remember:

• You should begin to see a theme emerging as you formulate your functional sketch.
• When sketching, be intentional about what goes onto your sketch and where they get placed.  Everything should have a reason.