HAPPYMOUSE Basic Web design course
HAPPYMOUSE Basic Web design course
This
course is for anyone involved in planning, writing or maintaining a web site,
whether from a management, publishing or technical viewpoint. It covers
suggested standards as well as good practice that can enhance your web pages.
The web: Understanding the Medium
Books have been around
for a long time as a medium. We all understand them. We are not necessarily able
to explain this understanding; It is like walking; we just do it. It is
important to apply this hard-won knowledge to web design, recognising what is
appropriate for this new communication channel and what is not.
The
Bookshop
A bookshop is a colourful
place. It has both order and disorder. Books are stacked on the shelves in order
of author or subjects. Topical books and leaflets are on display with
eye-catching covers. Just the size of a book gives some clue. If you want a
Spanish phrase book for a holiday you will ignore the huge dictionaries.
The Web -
One page at a Time
The web is different: there
are no colours, no sizes, no order. Indeed, there are no visible books. There is
just a hatchway with an assistant. If you can name a particular page in a
particular book it will be brought to you immediately.
If the page is well designed you can also get a list of some of the pages in all
of the books that contain a particular set of words or phrases.
Ask for the "French Revolution" and you will get references to 'A Tale
of Two Cities', histories of France and books about architectural revolutions
and the use of French windows.
What sort
of books?
The web is not a very good
medium for novels. It's very good for non-fiction, active catalogues (www.amazon.co.uk),
newspapers and pen-pal type information. In youth organisations, most if not all of our work will be
non-fictional. A Youth Services web site will rarely be first choice for world
news, scandal, gossip or entertainment, but there is no reason why it should not
provide lively and interesting material. It will always be like the reference
section in a library.
One page at
a time
The 'One page at a time' way
that the web operates significantly different and for us as web designers that
has many implications:-
Speed
Ideally the page should appear with sub-second response: two or three seconds is
acceptable, twenty or thirty seconds is not. Why? Because otherwise your
audience will get bored with waiting and go elsewhere. Many factors influence
speed but the size of the page (taking account of graphics etc) is always
important.
HAPPYMOUSE
HINT:
Large is slow, small is fast.
Contents list
Since you can only see one page at a time, a contents list is particularly
important. It starts on the home page and this is what allows your audience to
navigate your pages.
Links
The page selected may have onward links to other pages. It should always have
'backward' links so that someone arriving at this page can at least discover the
homepage (contents list) for the site. It should always have an active e-mail
address of a contact for the page. If there are search facilities available
these should be evident as well
Clues
It helps to give clues. Think of Victorian novels:
Chapter
XI - In Which Our Hero Meets
Persons Of Dubious Repute And Finds Himself In A Perilous Situation
in our case, though:
Members – a list of all associate member organisations and links to
their web pages.
Campsites
– information about all our
facilities and on line booking
Give some clues about what is at the next level so that people
realise that it is worth going on to that level.
HAPPYMOUSE
HINT:
Leave clues (tease to please)
Content
The most successful websites are ones where people come back again and again.
They are about content rather than flash gimmicks. Make sure that every page has
good content that changes frequently.
Don’t have pages that just say;
'Welcome
to Bloggs Plumbers. Click here to enter'.
You might as well say;
'Here
is a home page designed by Numpties. Don't bother to enter because the rest
will be just as bad'.
Navigation pages need to have several selections available, sometimes perhaps a
list of, say, twenty or thirty. They should not have thousands since that would
make the page too big and, hence, slow.
HAPPYMOUSE
HINT:
Content is
King
Colour
Books have colourful, interesting covers, but inside they do NOT have the text
displayed in yellow print on a purple background dotted with astrological signs.
They DEFINITELY DO NOT have each page in a different colour scheme. If they did,
you would not think 'This looks interesting. I will settle down and read this'.
Taken to its logical conclusion this argument would suggest that web sites
should all be black text on a white background but this is going too far.
Some use of colour and texture can give a more finished look but it should be
used sparingly and consistently. It may be tempting to use different font
colours to signal different topics on your web pages. However, you will not be
getting the advantage that might be present for a book where you can see the
edges of the pages and recognise the pink section or the green section. It will
reduce the brand impact. Not normally a good idea (the web doesn't have coffee
tables).
You also need to consider accessibility for your audience. Those with visual
impairments can see Black on white or white on black more easily.
HAPPYMOUSE
HINT:
This is
web design, not an art class!
Recycling
It is a very good idea to re-use backgrounds icons and graphics as much as
possible on different pages. If a page containing icons and graphics has already
been viewed and a subsequent page contains the same icons or graphics, they will
already have been downloaded and will therefore appear quicker.
This can make a substantial difference to the speed of response while navigating
your website.
Branding
In commerce a brand is extremely valuable and can fetch a very high price. If
you are proud of your site you will want to establish a consistent brand image.
You will want people to realise when they are on your site and when they have
left it (remember, one page at a time). However your site will NOT usually
attract people to your pages. Your pages MAY attract people to your site. There
are not many sites with a brand image strong enough to attract visitors at a
site level.
Navigation
Remember that you are training visitors to use your site and to feel at home
there. This means that your navigation and your icons need to be consistent.
An encyclopædia or a dictionary may have pictures or diagrams but the
navigation (alphabetic, start on the left, bold type) is ALWAYS the same. With
each page accessed you are aiming to build up a standard set of navigation
instructions for your visitor ('this is how you navigate this site and it will
be the same on subsequent pages').
Modularity
On your website you can re-use pages. A picture and some text about, say ‘The
Big One’ at Blackpool Pleasure Beach could be linked from an amusement park
section, a local attraction section, a historical section or a roller coaster
section. If the detail was tightly bound into a page with other roller coasters
you would not be able to use it so flexibly.
The same information may be viewed in many different ways. Always look for
modularity.
Infrequently
used information
It can be tempting to delete information
that is not frequently used. This can be sensible. Mostly, though, it is as
sensible as deleting from the telephone directory numbers that you haven't used.
Hyperlinks
The web has both advantages and
disadvantages with respect to books. A prime advantage is the ability to use
hyperlinks, for example 'The film "A kind of Loving" was filmed in Bolton
with the ability to click on Bolton and
get more information.
The use of hyperlinks within text is good but it should not usually replace the
ability to navigate in the conventional manner.
Maintaining integrity
There will often be many links pointing to the same object, both inside your
site and from other sites as well. If the object is moved all these links will
fail. Trawling for these links can be very time-consuming.
Do NOT move objects around. If for some obscure reason they have to be
moved, think twice and think hard. The very least that can be done is to leave a
trail.
Use of a web site
management program like Microsoft’s FrontPage will help to avoid this pitfall
User
control
The interactive nature of the web means
that the user has more explicit and powerful control of a web site than a reader
has of a book. The user can invent his or her own navigation paths. This is what
users expect and this is how it should be.
Tricks such as making people go through long chains to raise the number of hits,
don't fool anyone but they certainly infuriate.
The web has built up its own Netiquette over many years and experienced users
have definite expectations and awareness of good and bad practice.
This part of the course
is intended to help you plan and prepare for creating intranet web pages. It
covers questions of purpose and scope and practical matters such as the
resources required to produce effective content.
Why
have web pages? - think about why
you are doing it and what you hope to achieve.
What equipment will you need? - an explanation
of the tools needed to maintain a web.
How long will it take? - factors that will affect
timescales.
How do you maintain pages? - how you should
approach the maintenance of your web pages.
Quality Control - making sure you get the
appropriate review and approval.
You are likely to be keen
about the idea of the web, and sold on the benefits. Before going further,
though, it is worth examining exactly why you want to develop web pages, and why
they are different from other media. Understanding exactly what you want to
achieve from your web pages at this stage will make it more likely that you
succeed.
We are familiar with the printed page and the conventions that surround it, but
the web is different. The Web: Understanding the
Medium gives you an introduction.
Checklist for your
web pages - some points to ponder
1.
Who is your audience?
2. What are their information needs?
3. What language and style will they relate to?
4. How will web pages fit with other elements in your communication strategy?
5. How can you link your web information with other information you produce?
6. Web pages are more dynamic than brochures and press releases and can be kept
up to date more effectively.
7. Improving two way communication through e-mail or forms.
Creating web pages
yourself
The creation and maintenance
of web pages is fairly straightforward. Publishing with Microsoft FrontPage can
done using pre defined templates or you can design your own.
You will need:
There are many elements that
need to be considered when creating web pages, which will reflect in the
timescale for the work. Precise timescales are difficult to predict but the
following factors will influence project overheads:
Timescales are dictated by the size and complexity of the work you wish to
publish. You will need to allow time for revisions and quality control. Don't
underestimate the amount of time involved - it could be days, weeks or even
months for major projects. (Famously however, one person here is very proud of
having designed a site in 6 minutes!)
Once your web pages have
been published, the work really begins!
The initial launch is only the first part of the project you are considering
undertaking. Adequate planning must be made for ongoing maintenance, revising
existing content; deleting old material; adding new features, photographs, etc.
your web site will need a contact for your web pages (a web master) who:
If the pages you are creating have a limited shelf life they should be removed
when they become out of date.
You are responsible for keeping your pages up to date and for the process and
resources involved.
Web pages that are not maintained on an ongoing basis become outdated very
quickly and the initial investment is wasted.
There are two phases for
ensuring the quality of your web pages. The first is during the intensive
activity to get your pages launched and the second is the ongoing maintenance
and development of your web pages to ensure they stay relevant and up to date.
Working towards launch
Part of your information
planning should be a review with other people in your organisation and you may
also wish to road test your pages with users prior to launch.
If you are working to a
specific deadline, sufficient time for this review process must be built into
your project schedule.
These are the suggested
requirements to achieve a user-friendly web site.
Accessibility
- so that all web users can access your information.
Accountability for Information - making
sure the information on your web pages is accurate.
Acknowledgement - acknowledging external
sources of information.
Advertising, Banners and Sponsorship - what
is and is not acceptable.
Appropriate Content Policy - keeping to acceptable
community standards.
Copyright - keeping within the law.
Corporate Template - achieving a consistent look
and feel for all your pages.
Date Format - how to avoid confusion.
Document Downloads - what format to use for
downloading.
Domain Name and URL - naming your web pages.
Fonts - size and type.
Frames – why the use of frames is not a good
idea.
Graphics and moving text - making effective use
of graphics and moving text.
Home Pages - what should your home page include?
Interactivity - allowing two way exchange
with web users.
Links - setting up and maintaining connections
between pages.
Navigational Icons - guidance on appropriate
navigation.
Page Titles - think about your audience.
Photographs of Children - important
considerations when using photographs of children.
Plug-ins - what they are.
Portable Document Format (PDF) - how it can be used
"The power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone
regardless of disability is an essential aspect." --Tim Berners-Lee,
Director, Web Accessibility Initiative
All web pages must be accessible to as wide an audience as possible and this
means taking special care for disabled people. If pages are ultimately published
in HTML all web users will be able to access them.
The information revolution has meant that blind and partially sighted people can
access the Internet in a variety of ways. Some use 'access technology' such as
speech output, hand held Braille display or screen magnification, whilst others
require the words on the screen to be easy to read and to contrast well with the
background colour. For the first time, people with sight problems or other
cognitive disabilities can access enormous amounts of information. Access to web
sites is often made difficult or impossible by design which fails to make text
easily legible or which employs coding (such as JavaScript) that is inaccessible
to access technology.
The commitment by the World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C) to lead the web to its full potential includes promoting a high
degree of usability for people with disabilities. The Web
Accessibility Initiative (WAI), in conjunction with organisations around
the world (the RNIB in the UK) is
pursuing accessibility of the web through five primary areas of work:
technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, research and development.
You should be aware that some users will have limitations in viewing your pages
because of the browser software they are using. Pages appear differently
according to which software the user has and how it has been set up. Our
standards make it more likely that EVERYONE will be able to see our information
properly.
Accountability for Information
You own your website. You
are responsible for ensuring:
Always
acknowledge external sources of information and in particular the use of
registered trademarks in your documents.
This course acknowledges the use of a number of sources of information in the
compiling of the these Standards:
Advertisements, Banners and Sponsorship
Advertising and/or banners
promoting products or services of a third party organisation can be useful but
take care – your audience will quickly get fed up of lots of distractions and
they can slow down your site
Appropriate
Content Policy
You must provide good clear
information which meets with accepted community standards and is in line with
the aims and purpose of your organisation.
Unacceptable content includes, (but is not limited to), that which:
Authors of literary,
dramatic, musical works and computer programs (software) are permitted to charge
a fee for the publication or performance of the work in question, although
normally copyright is assigned to the company which employs the author(s). It is
therefore an offence to copy, publish, adapt or use without the specific
authority of the copyright holders other peoples words, images etc.
Please note that any breach of copyright could result in legal action.
There are specific rules on the publication of photographs of children that must
be adhered to and are addressed later in this course.
You should have a single
style for web pages that ensures a consistent image throughout the whole of your
site. This your audience in navigating the site and lends credibility to the
origin and reliability of the information published. The template could consists
of several elements.
All of these requirements can be achieved very simply.
Web sites are inherently
international, so different date formats can become confusing. For example in
the United states 10.4.2000 can be interpreted either as 10 April 2000 or 4
October 2000. When putting dates on your web pages, all dates must be in text
format. Dates should not include st, nd, th or rd, for example 1st October. The
date should be in a format that includes the month in alphabetic form - for
example 10 April 2000 or 10 Apr 2000.
Document Downloads
It can sometimes be useful
to provide a downloadable version as a supplement to your web pages. For example
a long document may be broken into several web pages, but it may be useful to
provide a downloadable version that can be printed in one go.
Where documents are to be made available to download they can be provided in all
sorts of formats. Most people will have access to:
All
Web pages are allocated a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) under the http://www. domain style. For example the web pages owned by LCVYS are
registered as http://www.lcvys.org.uk/
Fonts
Try and be consistent with
the font you use and keep it simple. Not all users have “bigfancyfont” and
they may not see the pages as you intended. Newspapers use times new roman for a
reason and the one that didn’t went bust (Today)!
Do not specify typefaces or font sizes which override the user's default setting
- instead accept that they will have chosen whatever font best suits their
individual needs. This will also ensure that your pages meet the text clarity
requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and remain fully
accessible.
No frames please, we're British!
The use of frames on web
pages is not usually a good idea;
Many people are keen to employ frames in the presentation of their web pages.
Opinion is divided on the correct application of a frames environment. The
principal reasons why I suggest not using them are as follows:
Browser Incompatibility
Some users have graphical
and text based browsers. These find it difficult and sometimes impossible to
cope with frames, so you would have to maintain two versions of your site!.
Framed sites are awkward for visually-impaired users to interpret which can
compromise compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Speed
A framed page consists of
several documents. This often impedes the speedy downloading of a web page and
may well alienate the user.
Alienating Users
Users attempting to print
out a specific page on a framed site may find this will end in failure.
Bookmarking pages is
difficult within framed sites, as they will only be able to bookmark the URL of
the home page.
If a framed site has links
to other sites (unless the HTML parameter target='window' is used) links will
load within the current frame. This will mask the URL of the destination site
and confuse the users, also disallowing the linked-to site to be bookmarked.
Design, Navigation and
Operational Issues
Framed sites are difficult
to implement well.
A web page is small to
begin with. Carving it up with unnecessary frames can reduce the usable area to
a tiny fraction.
Building a site around
frames makes it difficult to navigate and limits you to having a very simple
site. The cursor keys do not work unless you click in the frame you want to
scroll, and the browser's BACK button may produce unexpected results.
If there is a problem with
a framed page, it will be difficult to report since only the URL of the main
page will be displayed.
Framed pages cause problems
when the browser is called from another application.
There may be copyright
issues involved if another site shows up within the framed site. In any case if
is unfair to the other site.
Search Engine Problems
Unexpected results can occur
when a search engine indexes a framed site. Visitors who arrive on a page in a
framed site from a search engine will not be entering through the site's portal
and therefore will not see the frame that would normally be holding the page and
associated navigational information.
If you think you need to use frames, please, think again!
Graphics and images are
effective at making the web interesting, but caution must be exercised.
Large or complex graphics can overwhelm the text and may cause pages to download
very slowly. Some graphics can be useful for visual impact but they should be
kept to a minimum and have useful information content. The alternative text
option within the graphic tag must always be used to provide users with
information on the content of the graphic and what size it is so they can decide
whether to display it or not.
Using a thumbnail image gives the user the option to view large graphics without
affecting the opening download time for the web page.
The use of animated graphics on your site could put you in direct contravention
of the Disability Discrimination Act but can add a little spice to a plain page.
Moving text - such as a scrolling "news service" feature – looks
good but again, think about your
users.
Your home page is the
gateway to your collection of web pages and should explain what the user will
find if they enter your site. You should think of it as a 'shop window' telling
the user what you have on offer, what will be interesting, informative and
useful to them.
The home page should be presented in a way that is user friendly. Before
publishing your web pages I suggest you test your pages with people who may use
your site and act on the feedback that is provided.
When you are thinking about creating your home page you should consider the
following elements:
A major benefit of the web
is in providing opportunities for interaction and communication between
youyou’re your users. This might be to enable users simply to comment on the
information (relevance, ease of finding, presentation, etc.) or, more usefully,
to request further information or complete a questionnaire or application from.
Your pages should have a feedback button and contact as part of your corporate
template.
Links to Master or Home
Pages
As part of your Template you
should have a link back to your homepage.
This can be achieved using a page link . You could use a logo or banner as the
link icon (you could design your own for this purpose or use many of the free to
use stuff found on the web)
This will provide the user with a consistent and predictable way of navigating
your site.
Links to Other Pages
Don't duplicate information
that exists elsewhere - link to it instead. Researching related information and
creating a link from your site will make your site more valuable to the user.
Links to other providers' information must be continuously reviewed to ensure
that they are still accurate, valid and relevant. Publishing effective and
useful pages relies on encouraging the user to find out more. Provide links to
other relevant pages in your own collection and to other information collections
elsewhere on the web. Web site management programs like Microsoft’s FrontPage
will do this for you
Hyperlinks
When creating hyperlinks, do
not say 'information about X is available by clicking here' where here
is the hyperlink. Instead you should write 'information about X is
available' with X being the hyperlink.
Routes Out
All pages must provide a
route out - there should be no dead ends. This helps the user move around the
information on your site in a logical and structured way preventing them getting
'lost'. This can be achieved by using a 'next' or 'previous' icon for moving
around your web pages. This can be achieved using a page link or again you could
use a logo or banner as the link icon
Browser Windows
Some web sites use
hyperlinks that cause a new browser window to be opened when a specific
hyperlink is accessed. This can be useful where you don’t want the user to
lose their page but be careful – it can be confusing. If you do use this
method, put button or link on it which will close it down and return the user to
the original page after use.
Multiple browser windows often confuse inexperienced users, and cause problems
to users using access technology to read web pages, and the
"Back" button will not work when new browser windows are opened.
Listed and External Links
When you have a list of
links you should always include a short explanation of what users will find if
they follow the link. This means that the user can make a decision about whether
to follow the link.
Broken Links
A broken link occurs when
the site you are pointing to either changes address or no longer exists. Links
have to be kept up to date and must be reviewed regularly. Also, be aware, if
you are deleting a page, that there may be many links pointing to your web page
from other parts of the web.
Again, Web site management
programs like Microsoft’s FrontPage will help you with this.
Effective navigation helps
users to find their way around a web site. Navigation includes all graphics
associated with links. New users will quickly learn the navigational conventions
and because of this it is important to maintain a consistent and recognisable
way for users to find their way around.
Page titles
Every page should have a
unique title that is meaningful to the user. Because people can visit your page
out of context, for example from a search engine, the page title must be
meaningful even when viewed in isolation.
The title also influences how search engines list your pages and what a user
will see when a match is made to their search. Meaningless or blank titles may
result in users not finding your pages.
Photographs of children on web pages
Special considerations apply
when you plan to use photographs of children and young people on your web pages.
This applies to all children and young people.
If:
then you must:
These considerations do not apply if, for example, a group of children were
viewed from behind, or in the distance, and it would not be possible to identify
individuals. If you are in doubt, it is best to err on the side of caution.
A plug-in is a program which
is installed as part of a user's web browser. A plug-in application is
recognised by the browser and is used to display information in a particular
way. Plug-ins require the user to download and install specialist software, or
install from a CD. To some users this is impractical, to others impossible and
to others undesirable.
In the context of information provision, plug-ins must not be the only means of
providing core information. That is to say, all information contained in
sections requiring plug-ins must also be available in HTML.
Any information that is provided using plug-ins must also be available in an
alternative, standards format. For example if speech is provided using RealAudio
then the transcript must be provided in standard HTML. It is advised that, where
plug-ins are needed, the more commonly used technologies are deployed. These
include:
Portable
Document Format - PDF
There are resources
available to Youth Groups via LCVYS to have documents converted into Portable
Document Format (PDF) but its usage must be considered carefully.
It
is recommended that PDF documents should only provide an adjunct, or an
additional feature, for standard HTML web pages.
PDF is a file format that preserves the fonts, formatting, colours, and graphics
of a source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create
it. You can think of it as an electronic photocopy. Users need the Adobe Acrobat®
Reader to view a PDF document.
Although there are advantages with PDF (the ability to print out faithful copies
of paper documents for reading off-line; graphic design tools are able to output
PDF), it also has many disadvantages. Major disadvantages are:
It is not possible to
legislate for all aspects of the design and content of the web. The following
advice on good practice can be used in addition to the suggested
standards to improve the overall effectiveness of your web pages.
These good practice guidelines have been put together from experience and
from other people's ideas published on the internet.
·
Content
- further considerations for the content of your web pages.
·
Design -
the design of your pages is important.
·
Structure - how to structure your pages for easier navigation..
·
Language - helping your readers to understand your message.
The information contained in
your web pages is one of the most important considerations. In the Standards
already covered it was said that the
content should be appropriate for the audience. Here are some further
considerations to undertake concerning the content of your web pages.
Scope of Information
Help users understand the
scope of the information you provide - how comprehensive is it? What is
included? What is not included? Where can they get information about missing
bits (provide links to these if they exist elsewhere on the web or supply a
contact and phone number if possible). This 'Scope' information could be on a
separate page and could also contain any disclaimers and/or copyright notices.
Authors
Provide useful information
about the author/organisation. This might be an individual or a team in the
organisation. One way of doing this is to make a link to a page about the author
- details of who, where, when, how they can be contacted, e-mail address, etc.
What's New?
A 'What's New?' or 'Latest
News' page can be useful for regular visitors - they can quickly identify pages
that have changed or been introduced since their last visit.
If you provide this facility give a date (to define what 'new' means). If your
'What's New?' is six months old it can reflect badly on the whole of your site,
so it may be better not to carry a page of this nature.
Related Information
Concentrate on providing
information for which you are the source/owner so that you can ensure it is
authoritative and maintainable. This will also save you time and effort.
Research what other related information is available elsewhere and provide links
to it (or references and contacts). Users will value pages which provide good
links and use them again, but links should not be provided at too low a level
otherwise they may not be found.
Do not duplicate information which is available elsewhere - use a link instead.
If you do include information from another source you must be in a position to
keep it accurate, relevant and up to date. Contact the owner - obtain their
consent and an agreement as to how they will keep you informed of any future
changes.
Site maps
Image or site maps are often
provided on web sites. A 'site map' can be a menu, an index or a graphical image
representing the layout of the web site.
be aware though that Image-based site maps can create problems with:
Consider using a text based solution such as an A-Z list. If you still require a
site map it should not be so large that it takes an unreasonable time to load.
The user should be given information about the filesize of the map and what it
includes so that they can decide whether to load it or not. If you do use a site
map you MUST supply a text form alternative.
Page Length
The longer a document the
slower it is to download. Keep pages short - one page of A4 text if possible. If
they are longer than this, break them up with headings and hyperlinks.
When breaking down documents it is important that individual pages are
meaningful in isolation.
Page Width
The size of users' screens
can vary enormously and before pages are set live they should be tested using
browsers on a range of monitor sizes as the formatting of the document may be
adversely affected. If using HTML you should not need to check as it should
adjust to fit.
Presume most users are restricted to a 640x480 pixel display area.
Plain English
Plain
English should always be used. Try to should ensure that text is short simple
written with their intended audience in mind and avoid jargon. The web is
intended to be used by everyone, and your audience will benefit from simple
language as this is easier to understand.
Text
Write your web pages from a
user perspective and take advantage of working in a different kind of media to a
printed page. Do not simply reproduce hardcopy leaflets that may contain
inappropriate expressions such as "see page 2 of this leaflet for further
information" or "see overleaf"'
Scanning
Scanning printed text for
publication on the web using optical character readers is a straightforward
process and increasingly common. However, you should review the text carefully
after scanning for conversion errors (for example 'b' and 'd' reversal) and to
strip out inappropriate 'text'.