CMS 3710 Final Exam

The final examination will include an in-class writing assignment on all of our readings and class discussions since the midterm exam. This includes the following:

  • "Leatrice Eiseman on Color" (Curtis 147-51)
  • Pabini Gabriel-Petit, Color Theory for Digital Displays
  • Web Style Guide
    • Universal Usability
    • Information Architecture
    • Interface Design
    • Site Structure
    • Page Structure
    • Graphics
  • Publishing a Web Site (in-class lecture)

You will not have books, notes, or Internet available during the exam. You must type your paragraphs using Microsoft Word on one of the Design Lab computers. There is no minimum word count, but each paragraph should demonstrate the following characteristics: 

  • a clear thesis that specifically addresses the topic; 
  • specific examples and details drawn from the texts; 
  • a definite pattern of organization, including a topic sentence.

Example Exam Questions

You will be given a subset of the following questions, and/or similar questions.

You will be asked to write a detailed, well-organized paragraph responding to each question. (On average, I expect each paragraph to consist of about eight sentences, or one double-spaced page.) Your paragraph should define the term (when appropriate), explain why the concept is important to the practice of web design, and offer one or more concrete examples to illustrate your point.

Universal Usability

  1. What is Universal Usability?

Information Architecture

  1. What is Information Architecture?
  2. What is "chunking," and why is it important to web design?
  3. What are the three essential structures that can be used to organize a web site, and why would a designer choose one over the other?

Interface Design

  1. What information and tools should appear in a web page header?
  2. What are breadcrumbs and why are they useful?
  3. What are the 4 W's and why are they important?
  4. What is the most important piece of information in any web page? How is it marked up, where does it appear, and why is it important?

Site Structure

  1. What is semantic content markup?
  2. What is "CSS"?
  3. What is "SEO"?

Page Structure

  1. Where are users most likely to look for standard web page components like global navigation, local navigation, search boxes, etc.?
  2. What are the four primary elements of home pages?
  3. In the context of web page structure, what is "the fold"?
  4. What kinds of pages should designers begin with when creating templates?

Graphics

  1. Which of the four page layouts in this image uses background colors effectively, and what is wrong with the other three?
  2. What are the two most common file formats for still images. What kinds of images are appropriate for each format?

"Leatrice Eiseman on Color" (Curtis 147-51)

  1. How are the colors on the color wheel divided?
  2. What are complementary colors and when should they be used in web design?
  3. What is color temperature, and what associations do different temperatures communicate?

Pabini Gabriel-Petit, "Color Theory for Digital Displays"

  1. What is color harmony?
  2. What are common ways of achieving color harmony?
  3. What are RGB, HSV, and CMYK?

Publishing a Web Site (in-class lecture)

  1. What is the difference between a static and a dynamic web site?
  2. What is a Content Management System?