Web Design World—Sessions

Day One—Monday, July 28
Designing in 2003 with Web Standards
Redesign Redefined: New Tools for a New Economy
Fresh Styles for Web Designers
From Tables to Styles: CSS-Based Redesign
Accessibility and Section 508
A Designer’s Introduction to XML
Accessibility Strategies for Rich Media
Save for Tomorrow: Web Site Preservation
Designing in Public

Day Two—Tuesday, July 29
Creating Intuitive Interfaces
Net Words: Effective Web Writing
The Why and How of Blogging
Creating Effective Web Navigation
Getting Found: Designing Search Engine-Optimized Sites
Creating Effective Search Interfaces
Getting the Word Out: Driving Traffic to New Sites
The Why and How of User Testing
Acrobat and PDF Power Tips
Deconstructing… You!

Day Three—Wednesday, July 30
Designing with Macromedia Studio MX
Size Matters: Power Optimization Techniques
Designing Dreamweaver Sites for Contribute Users
Photoshop and Flash Together
Adding Interactivity to Web Pages With Dreamweaver MX
Fireworks, Freehand and Flash
Customizing, Automating and Expanding Dreamweaver MX
Data Driven Graphics
Flash Accessibility Strategies
Automation: Photoshop for Lazy People
Dreamweaver Can Do THAT?!
Automation: Fireworks for Lazy People

Day One—Monday, July 28

Designing in 2003 with Web Standards
Jeffrey Zeldman
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and other standards bodies have established technologies for Web-based content. These standards are designed to deliver the greatest benefits to the greatest number of Web users while ensuring the long-term viability of Web documents. Designing and building with standards simplifies and lowers the cost of production, while delivering sites that are accessible to more people and more types of Internet devices. See the current the state of the standards and learn the authoring techniques that ensure that your sites look and function as intended.
9 a.m. Web Design

Redesign Redefined: New Tools for a New Economy
Kelly Goto
Times have changed, and the Web design workflow must change accordingly. It's essential to incorporate iterative design cycles for site redesigns in measurable, documented steps. Find out how to improve your ROI by developing short initiatives for outsourcing or in-house deployment. Learn how to incorporate new tools for measuring site success -- by incorporating cost effective and efficient methods of workflow into your workplace.
10:15 a.m. Web Design

Fresh Styles for Web Designers
Curt Cloninger
What if beauty actually enhances usability? A growing number of innovative Web designers think it does, and their clients are paying them to prove it. Curt Cloninger examines 10 "Fresh Styles for Web Designers," plus a few additional styles that have recently emerged. You'll learn practical ways to incorporate these design styles into your commercial sites, using specific online examples as illustration.
11:30 a.m. Web Design Track 1

From Tables to Styles: CSS-Based Redesign
Mark Newhouse
A good way to ease into the world of standards and Cascading Style Sheets is to compare a traditional design with one built around CSS and Web standards. In this session, CSS and standards guru Mark Newhouse walks you through the process of rebuilding a page with modern markup. See layout tables and <font> tags disappear before your eyes as you learn the best ways to work standards and CSS into your sites.
11:30 a.m. Web Design Track 2

Accessibility and Section 508
Jeffrey Zeldman
Few laws have caused as much confusion among Web designers as Section 508, which requires many sites to accommodate people with disabilities and spells out what “accessible” means. Many designers wrongly conclude that accessible design means unattractive, “low-end” design. But images, table layouts, style sheets, JavaScript, and other contemporary design techniques can jibe with 508 compliance. Learn what 508 compliance means to working designers and developers, and see how to make your sites comply beautifully.
2 p.m. Web Design Track 1

A Designer’s Introduction to XML
Joe Marini
XML is becoming more common in mainstream Web development every day. In this session, you'll learn how XML works, what it's good for (and not good for), and what you need to know about it as a designer to put it to good use. You'll see how XML can be used to separate content from layout, drive dynamic interfaces, and be transformed for display in different ways.
2 p.m. Web Design Track 2

Accessibility Strategies for Rich Media
Andrew Kirkpatrick and Jim Heid
While access to basic Web content has improved dramatically, ever-increasing amounts of rich media online present significant barriers for people with disabilities. This session will provide examples and practical advice for incorporating rich media such as QuickTime, Real/SMIL, Flash, Shockwave, and others into Web sites while addressing accessibility concerns.
3:15 p.m. Web Design Track 1

Save for Tomorrow: Web Site Preservation
Carrie Bickner
We take for granted that our cultural artifacts will last. This is why it offends and horrifies us when we learn of decaying archaeological sites, looted museums, and burning libraries. But our digital heritage does not afford the durability that we enjoy with cave paintings, cuneiform tablets, or even paper. Web sites are disappearing and changing all the time. What should your organization be doing to preserve and archive your sites? What are the legal ramifications? Libraries and museums are beginning to ask these questions—it's time you did, too.
3:15 p.m. Web Design Track 2

Designing in Public
Thunder Lizard Panel of Experts
Most site redesigns take place in private, with little or no iterative feedback from end users. But some designers are beginning to actively involve their visitors in the design process, posting new iterations and seeking feedback. Macromedia and Apple Computer have recently used this approach -- can you? In this panel, you'll see a wide spectrum of strategies for "designing in public," and you'll learn how involving your visitors can result in a better site.
4:30 p.m. Panel Discussion

Day Two—Tuesday, July 29

Creating Intuitive Interfaces
Kelly Goto
How can you create sites people will actually use over and over again? You must incorporate clear messaging, navigation, and usability methods into your site design to provide a clear roadmap for your users to follow. Learn principles of information design, navigation and site architecture, and user testing that lead to better site design and happier customers.
9 a.m. General Session

Net Words: Effective Web Writing
Nick Usborne
News flash: the Web isn't print. Writing for the Web requires different techniques than writing for static, non-interactive media. In particular, it requires a deep understanding of how people read online. Learn how Web users scan pages, and get the best techniques for getting your message across accurately and succinctly.
10:15 a.m. Web Usability

The Why and How of Blogging
Nick Finck
Web logs, or "blogs," aren't just for personal sites. Sites of all kinds can employ blogs to keep visitors informed and up to date. Learn what a blog can do for your site, and see the best tools for creating and maintaining them.
10:15 a.m. Web Strategy

Creating Effective Web Navigation
Steve Mulder
How do we help users find and do what they need to do on our sites? With effective navigation schemes. Discover how real users move around a site, and learn the guidelines for successful navigation systems. Learn about navigation models, consistency, labeling, design, and see examples that will make you cheer -- and cry.
11:30 a.m. Web Usability

Getting Found: Designing Search Engine-Optimized Sites
Barbara Coll
The architecture and technologies you choose for your site can have a significant effect on your search engine rankings. Learn to build a search-friendly site and adapt existing sites to increase your rankings in search engine results. Topics we’ll cover include directory structure, file naming conventions, dynamic technologies, secure HTTP, JavaScript, CSS, Flash, and frames.
11:30 a.m. Web Strategy

Creating Effective Search Interfaces
Steve Mulder
How do users actually use search? Which page layouts work? What labels make sense? What are effective ways to design a search form and results page so that users can find what they need and get on with their lives? Discover guidelines and design techniques that make your search interfaces work harder.
2 p.m. Web Usability

Getting the Word Out: Driving Traffic to New Sites
Barbara Coll
They won’t visit if they don’t know about you. One of the challenges of launching a new site is letting your target audience know about it. Several proven techniques exist for getting the word out. Learn the smart ways to get listed in search engines and build up external links to your site — and thus increase your online visibility and click-throughs to your site.
2 p.m. Web Strategy

The Why and How of User Testing
Kelly Goto
The best way to assess your site’s design and structure is to test it with actual users. But usability testing is more than just sitting someone down with a mouse and a browser. We’ll review case studies of actual user testing sessions and you’ll learn how to conduct tests that deliver meaningful results and how user testing will affect your site’s structure.
3:15 p.m. Web Usability

Acrobat and PDF Power Tips
Sandee Cohen
Adobe Acrobat 6 is here — what does it mean for the Web designer? Is this a must-have upgrade or something less? In this session, you’ll learn how to create the smallest possible PDF documents for Web and email distribution, how to use Acrobat’s new accessibility features to meet Section 508 guidelines, how to take advantage of Acrobat’s enhanced commenting and review features, and much more.
3:15 p.m. Web Strategy

Deconstructing… You!
Thunder Lizard Panel of Experts
Top Web designers join Conference Chair Jim Heid in critically evaluating several of our attendees sites. Bring your pencil! Your site may be among the ones we examine in this lively wrap-up session.
4:30 p.m. Panel Discussion

Day Three—Wednesday, July 30

Designing with Macromedia Studio MX
Joseph Lowery
When should you use Flash instead of HTML? When should you use both? What is an application? An application server? This session explores the integration and best production practices with Dreamweaver MX, Flash MX, and ColdFusion MX. Learn why they share the MX moniker and what that means to you. You’ll also learn how to fully exploit the features of each product for the best end results.
9 a.m. Macromedia MX

Size Matters: Power Optimization Techniques
Michael Ninness
Learn the essential parameters of designing Web graphics that look great, load quickly, and encourage return visitors. See how Photoshop and ImageReady combine to combat the evils of bloated graphics. This session will reveal the hidden optimization tools and techniques to squeeze out every extra byte while retaining image quality.
9 a.m. Photoshop and Advanced Web Graphics

Designing Dreamweaver Sites for Contribute Users
Joseph Lowery
Macromedia Contribute has freed many Web designers from the drudgery of performing minor updates of static Internet or Intranet sites. But there’s a price: to get the most freedom, sites need to be designed with the Contribute user in mind. Learn how to properly set up templates to achieve the proper balance of flexibility and control. You’ll also learn what pitfalls to avoid when working with server-side includes, navigation and other page elements.
10:15 a.m. Macromedia MX

Photoshop and Flash Together
Michael Ninness
Getting a layered Photoshop document into Macromedia Flash has typically been a time-consuming and labor-intensive process: save each layer in the Photoshop document as a separate .PNG file, import each .PNG into Flash, convert it into a symbol, create a layer, place each symbol on its own layer, and then reposition all the elements to match the original layered layout. There are several ways to make this process much easier and this session will reveal them all to you. You'll also learn how Flash handles embedded bitmaps and how to control the optimization of each bitmap independently.
10:15 a.m. Photoshop and Advanced Web Graphics

Adding Interactivity to Web Pages With Dreamweaver MX
Joe Marini
Learn how to make your Web pages come alive with Dreamweaver MX! Make image rollover buttons, use Dreamweaver’s built-in support for Fireworks and Flash content, use pre-built JavaScript behaviors to validate form input, and build interactive drop-down menus.
11:30 a.m. Macromedia MX

Fireworks, Freehand and Flash
Sandee Cohen
What if all your graphic tools had no boundaries between them? Discover how this trio of MX applications all work together to become one uber-application. How to use the vector graphics from FreeHand in Flash and Fireworks. How to add Fireworks images into Flash files. How to add Flash Action Scripts and movie clips into FreeHand pages.
11:30 a.m. Photoshop and Advanced Web Graphics

Customizing, Automating and Expanding Dreamweaver MX
Joe Marini
Dreamweaver has always been a malleable program that you can mold to fit your needs. But extensibility takes a big leap forward with the release of Dreamweaver MX. Learn about Dreamweaver’s customizing features and how to write your own Dreamweaver extensions. Even if you’ve never written an extension before, you'll learn how to customize
Dreamweaver and turbocharge your productivity.
2 p.m. Macromedia MX

Data Driven Graphics
John Nack
Looming deadlines mean you need to work faster and more efficiently -- Adobe's Web Collection is here to help. See how to use the dynamic data-driven graphics capabilities of Photoshop and ImageReady 7, Illustrator 10 and GoLive 6 to automate the production of similarly formatted graphics.
2 p.m. Photoshop and Advanced Web Graphics

Flash Accessibility Strategies
Andrew Kirkpatrick
Whether you are eager to develop your first accessible Flash content or you already have some experience, this session will provide valuable information about the capabilities and limitations of Flash for people with disabilities. Learn the most up-to-date strategies for development and testing of accessible Flash content.
3:15 p.m. Macromedia MX

Automation: Photoshop for Lazy People
Michael Ninness
When you find yourself doing the same thing over and over again in Photoshop, you should stop and tell yourself to create an action or a droplet. You'll save time, and you might save your wrists, too. From actions to batch processing., this session is all about making Photoshop and ImageReady do the work for you
3:15 p.m. Photoshop and Advanced Web Graphics

Dreamweaver Can Do THAT?!
Joseph Lowery
Even if you use Dreamweaver daily, you’ve probably barely begun to mine its potential. By tapping into Dreamweaver’s advanced features, you can increase your productivity, expand your skill set and make yourself more valuable in the marketplace. This session will show you how to automate your Web production, integrate Dreamweaver into custom schemas and much more through a combination of tips, tricks, and killer demos.
4:30 p.m. Macromedia MX

Automation: Fireworks for Lazy People
Sandee Cohen
Let one of our laziest speakers show you her techniques for letting Fireworks do all the work instead of you — things no pixel-based program could ever do. See how to use Find/Change on fills, strokes, gradients, and text. Learn how to create multi-sequence batch processing procedures and turn History steps into menu commands. And see how the data-driven graphics wizard can create your graphics for you.
4:30 p.m. Photoshop and Advanced Web Graphics