a2-Jmckeen8-Joshua-McKeen

README.md

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-Assignment 2 - Short Stack: Basic Two-tier Web Application using HTML/CSS/JS and Node.js  
-===
+## Assignment Tracker
+Link: https://a2-jmckeen8.glitch.me/
 
-Due: September 9th, by 11:59 AM.
+This website allows users to keep track of assignments for courses. It allows them to specify the course and assignment name, when it's due, the method through which it's turned in (Canvas, Email, etc.). It also has a derived field based off of the due date and the current date that tells the user how many days they have left to work on the assignment. The website displays the upcoming assignments in a table, and when the user has finished the assignment they can click the "Done!" button to remove the assignment from the list.  
 
-This assignment aims to introduce you to creating a prototype two-tiered web application. 
-Your application will include the use of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Node.js functionality, with active communication between the client and the server over the life of a user session.
-
-Baseline Requirements
----
-
-There is a large range of application areas and possibilities that meet these baseline requirements. 
-Try to make your application do something useful! A todo list, storing / retrieving high scores for a very simple game... have a little fun with it.
-
-Your application is required to implement the following functionalities:
-
-- a `Server` which not only serves files, but also maintains a tabular dataset with 3 or more fields related to your application
-- a `Results` functionality which shows the entire dataset residing in the server's memory
-- a `Form/Entry` functionality which allows a user to add, modify, or delete data items residing in the server's memory
-- a `Server Logic` which, upon receiving new or modified "incoming" data, includes and uses a function that adds at least one additional derived field to this incoming data before integrating it with the existing dataset
-- the `Derived field` for a new row of data must be computed based on fields already existing in the row. 
-For example, a `todo` dataset with `task`, `priority`, and `creation_date` may generate a new field `deadline` by looking at `creation_date` and `priority`
-
-Your application is required to demonstrate the use of the following concepts:
-
-HTML:
-- One or more [HTML Forms](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Forms), with any combination of form tags appropriate for the user input portion of the application
-- A results page displaying all data currently available on the server. You will most likely use a `<table>` tag for this, but `<ul>` or `<ol>` could also work and might be simpler to work with.
-- All pages should [validate](https://validator.w3.org)
-
-CSS:
-- CSS styling of the primary visual elements in the application
-- Various CSS Selector functionality must be demonstrated:
-    - Element selectors
-    - ID selectors
-    - Class selectors
-- CSS positioning and styling of the primary visual elements in the application:
-    - Use of either a CSS grid or flexbox for layout
-    - Rules defining fonts for all text used; no default fonts! Be sure to use a web safe font or a font from a web service like [Google Fonts](http://fonts.google.com/)
-
-- CSS defined in a maintainable, readable form, in external stylesheets 
-
-JavaScript:
-- At minimum, a small amount of front-end JavaScript to get / fetch data from the server; a sample is provided in this repository.
-
-Node.js:
-- An HTTP Server that delivers all necessary files and data for the application, and also creates the required `Derived Fields` in your data. 
-A starting point is provided in this repository.
-
-Deliverables
----
-
-Do the following to complete this assignment and acheive a base grade of 85%:
-
-1. Fork the starting project code (make sure to fork the 2021 repo!). This repo contains some starter code that may be used or discarded as needed.
-2. Implement your project with the above requirements.
-3. Test your project to make sure that when someone goes to your main page, it displays correctly.
-4. Deploy your project to Glitch, and fill in the appropriate fields in your package.json file.
-5. Ensure that your project has the proper naming scheme `a2-yourGithubUsername` so we can find it.
-6. Modify the README to the specifications below, and delete all of the instructions originally found in this README.
-7. Create and submit a Pull Request to the original repo. Label the pull request as follows: a2-gitusername-firstname-lastname
-
-Acheivements
----
-
-Below are suggested technical and design achievements. You can use these to help boost your grade up to an A and customize the assignment to your personal interests. These are recommended acheivements, but feel free to create/implement your own... just make sure you thoroughly describe what you did in your README and why it was challenging. ALL ACHIEVEMENTS MUST BE DESCRIBED IN YOUR README IN ORDER TO GET CREDIT FOR THEM.
-
-*Technical*
-- (10 points) Create a single-page app that both provides a form for users to submit data and always shows the current state of the server-side data. To put it another way, when the user submits data, the server should respond sending back the updated data (including the derived field calculated on the server) and the client should then update its data display.
-
-*Design/UX*
-- (5 points per person, with a max of 10 points) Test your user interface with other students in the class. Define a specific task for them to complete (ideally something short that takes <10 minutes), and then use the [think-aloud protocol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_aloud_protocol) to obtain feedback on your design (talk-aloud is also find). Important considerations when designing your study:
-
-1. Make sure you start the study by clearly stating the task that you expect your user to accomplish.
-2. You shouldn't provide any verbal instructions on how to use your interface / accomplish the task you give them. Make sure that your interface is clear enough that users can figure it out without any instruction, or provide text instructions from within the interface itself. 
-3. If users get stuck to the point where they give up, you can then provde instruction so that the study can continue, but make sure to discuss this in your README. You won't lose any points for this... all feedback is good feedback!
-
-You'll need to use sometype of collaborative software that will enable you both to see the test subject's screen and listen to their voice as they describe their thoughts. After completing each study, briefly (one to two sentences for each question) address the following in your README:
-
-1. Provide the last name of each student you conduct the evaluation with.
-2. What problems did the user have with your design?
-3. What comments did they make that surprised you?
-4. What would you change about the interface based on their feedback?
-
-*You do not need to actually make changes based on their feedback*. This acheivement is designed to help gain experience testing user interfaces. If you run two user studies, you should answer two sets of questions. 
-
-Sample Readme (delete the above when you're ready to submit, and modify the below so with your links and descriptions)
----
-
-## Your Web Application Title
-Include a very brief summary of your project here. Be sure to include the CSS positioning technique you used, and any required instructions to use your application.
+This website uses the Flexbox CSS layout, which allows the assignment entry form to be displayed horizontally and centered with even spacing, but also wrap the elements if there's not enough horizontal space in the browser window. 
 
 ## Technical Achievements
-- **Tech Achievement 1**: Using a combination of...
+- **Tech Achievement 1**: This website is displayed as a single-page app where both the assignment entry form and the assignment list table are displayed on a single page. When the user either clicks "Submit" on the form or one of the "Done!" buttons in the assignment list, the server processes the request and sends back a JSON representation of all of the table data for the assignment list, allowing the table to be fully refreshed and have the latest information without the need to refresh the page or go to a different page.
+- **Tech Achievement 2**: This website allows users to both add and remove entries from the assignment list. Adding is done through the form, while removing is done by clicking one of the "Done!" buttons in the table. When one of the "Done!" buttons are used, the JSON object sent to the server only has one attribute (as opposed to many for adding a new assignment). This is how the server tells the difference between the two types of incoming requests, and decides how to handle the request appropriately. 
 
 ### Design/Evaluation Achievements
-- **Design Achievement 1**: 
+- **Design Achievement 1**: Feedback/Think-aloud:
+1. Last name of student: Staw
+2. What problems did the user have with your design?: The feedback in this area was mostly related to minor details about site aesthetics/look and feel. He said that the CSS styling was a bit plain (which I did end up tweaking a little bit after our thinkaloud, although even more could probably be done in this area) and also mentioned that I had put "Duedate" as one word and he thought "Due date" was better, so I changed that.
+3. What comments did they make that surprised you?: He was overall impressed with the workflow of adding/removing assignments, especially with how easy the "Done!" button was to use and understand. It also didn't really take any prompting from me for him to understand how exactly to go about adding/removing the assignments. It was nice to find out I had done a good job of making the interface intuitive and easy to understand.
+4. What would you change about the interface based on their feedback?: I would probably put a bit more effort into the CSS styling in particular, adding more colors and making it more visually appealing, etc. That being said I do kind of like the clean look of the current website.