E1: UI Basics Technical Essay

10 Sep 2023

WODs 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3

For BrowserHistory1, 2, and 3, it took me around 18 minutes, 10 minutes, and 8 minutes, respectively. I achieved around the average range for the first WOD and did pretty well for the other two. For filming, I used OBS Studio, and I just used the timer in google.

BrowserHistory1 was the most confusing for me, but I used a template from ChatGPT. I asked it to create an html table of contents with four bullets, each linking to a section header with a body on the same webpage. I had to manually add in the image reference links after. I think the hardest part for me was figuring out where to start, even though I was following the instructions closely. I know how to do most of it, but it’s hard for me to think of it off the top of my head. But it was useful to have important pieces of code that you know are difficult on the side for you to reference if you get stuck during filming. I ended up just watching the video and taking note of important steps and code that I could refer back to while filming my WOD. From the first WOD, I learned mostly about anchoring and the use of IDs.

The other two parts of the WOD were much easier for me. I read through the instructions first and tried to envision it in my head before attempting it. Then, I watched the video at 2x speed, pausing and taking note of important info, and then I’d immediately try to film the attempt from memory. From WOD 3.2, I was able to practice more with Google Web Fonts and learn how to properly link it to my HTML file. Admittedly, I did have to refilm the third WOD a few times because I got slightly confused with the padding for the three columns. However, I did learn more about the float left, right, and center function and about padding. I also learned that an "em" is equal to 16px.

Overall, after completing the WODs, I have become more familiarized with html and css code. I realize that simple errors such as forgetting the semi-colon or accidentally duplicating the end tag can cost you time and energy, so it is important to take things step-by-step and to double check your work as you're completing it.