Cyberpunk on the Web Essay -- Websites Internet Design Essays Papers

Cyberpunk on the Web Finding information on the World Wide Web can hardly be called troublesome; most of the time it's as easy as clicking a button. However, finding information that one would consider good or visually appealing seems a more difficult task. Many times web designers throw meaningless fluff onto the medium, not bothering to think about the cleanliness of the work or the aesthetic value of the overall creation. The World Wide Web holds more than just data, it holds images; images intertwined with the information to build a lasting image of the work. Web pages should convey an idea quickly and efficiently, either through good writing or visual aids, and should not confuse the user with misleading images and phrases. Also, web pages should not be bulky; that means that they should be small and direct, not embedded with huge images that would ordinarily tax even the speediest of data lines. The Cyberpunk home page, a personal page located at the URL http://www.cs.uidaho.edu/lal/cyberspace/cybe rpunk/cyberpunk.html, excels in its computational efficiency. In regards to the visual and informative aspects of the page, however, the Cyberpunk page falls short of perfection. The Cyberpunk home page is not commerical in nature. Rather, it is maintained by Luke Shenman, a student at the University of Idaho. Some would argue that because it is not a commercial page, it should not be evalutated by the same criteria as a commercial page. However, there are many personal pages that, judged alongside commercial pages, would rate higher marks. Commercial enterprises who have a presence on the Web don't know why they're there, but they know that they should be. Many personal pages, though, are created by designers who have expe... ...rown together with haste, and it shows where things were haphazardly placed. The page needs housecleaning, and badly. Overall, I'd say that The Cyberpunk page could use a lot of work. A nice background to start with, but not necessarily a "nice" background. Rather, a harsh background would convey more of the point of the cyberpunk movement, as well inviting the user to explore the genre. Reorganization of the subheadings and some tightening of the text would benefit the work greatly, with some parts of the first page moved to subsequent pages with more elaboration. A new title image, conveying the harshness of the cyberpunk psyche, would be a good way to start off the page. Finally, some images of cyberpunk characters and fiction would brighten up the page while still gently prodding the user toward the information, which is the whole point of the World Wide Web.