One of my favorite websites

Because I am a current UTSA student, one of my biggest concerns is making sure I am on the right track to graduation. Thankfully UTSA offers the Automated Student Access Program (asap.utsa.edu) website, in which I can find answers that assure me that I am on track with my degree. By accessing this website you save yourself the trouble of scheduling an appointment with your adviser and are able to find answers as well as know the progress of your degree thus far. It is a great tool that offers many other student services that are useful throughout your years here.

Looking at the design of the Automated Student Access Program website one can see the use of:

Contrast
- Throughout the whole website they keep the same font style and font size, also the navigation bar has a bold font throughout which makes it stand out of the page for easier access. The website also only uses the colors orange and blue which are kept in the 2 divided sections (title and navigation bar) as well as in other line designs.

Repetition 
- Once you click on a specific category from the navigation bar, you can see the same repetition in all categories. Once clicked, you see the category name as the title and a drop down menu of different options as to which you wish to navigate to take care of business. Also there are sections throughout in which the website feels you need to focus more on, and the text appears in red as a way to stand out to the user. Making it easy to use and organized.

Alignment
- Alignment is shown on the entire website,as it is kept simple and clean. All categories are at the top in the navigation bar aligned to the left as well as the rest of the text that follows.

Proximity
- ASAP reduces clutter by grouping the categories at the top of the page, making it one visual unit. As you click on a specific category it becomes highlighted in a dark blue color, making it easy to navigate for the user. 

This website makes it easy to navigate by providing links such as "ASAP FAQ" in case you have questions as well as a "Help" link reassuring all your questions are answered one way or another. There is also a "Search" box on the page to find what you are looking for without actually needing to navigate all sections of the website, and this search box stays in the upper left hand corner throughout all sections and searches of the website.  

The following link will let you access the Automated Student Access Program of which I have relied on since day one at UTSA:

asap.utsa.edu

How I made my blog better

After going in and taking a closer look at my blog, I realized many design errors such as: 

1. Contrast:
For one, my contrast was all over the place. My fonts were similar throughout but not the same, which was an issue right off the bat. Followed by the font colors, which were also  different and made the blog look unorganized and not very appealing. I therefore went in and edited my blogs design, category by category and made sure that the same single font and the color were the exact throughout my entire blog. 

2. Repetition: 
Once again, the problem was that the elements on my blog such as the colors, spacial relationships, fonts and such were not consistent throughout. Again, I went in and made sure my elements were consistent and matched all categories from the body text to accents matched.

3. Alignment:
Alignment was probably the biggest and hardest part for my blog and I. Still now that I see the finished product, I am not completely satisfied with the alignment or maybe I am just doubting myself. To fix this, I went in and messed around with the layout and adjusted widths. 

4. Proximity:
I made sure to limit my images for my blog. The very first time I designed my blog... I defiantly had an overload of images. I went from 4 to 2 pictures and that made my blog look much more simple and spacious. 

Why I want a degree from UTSA

Obtaining my bachelor’s degree in Communication from UTSA has always been a goal of mine. Also, being a first generation graduate will not only make my parents proud but my family as a whole. I know that obtaining my degree from here will open many, many doors for me. As I move forward with my degree, I get the opportunity to connect with outstanding professors that share their experiences in the communication field from which I learn and gain experience from as well. Getting a degree from UTSA means not only working hard to achieve it but gaining experience in the field I am passionate in, expanding my spheres of influence, and knowing that success will soon be coming my way.