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Articles Home | Design Tips

Web Design Tips

7.08.2004
by Ian Atkins
80four.co.uk

These tips are just a guideline, don't stick religiously to them. Some may apply to your site others may not. I know I don't tend to bother with number 9, unless I'm making a commercial site!

1. Consistency
Colour schemes, page layout, font type & size should all be consistent throughout your site. Indeed if you have an established corporate image (colours & logos) this can provide the basis of your site to improve company or brand recognition. Graphical icons used should persist on all pages to improve navigation and recognition.

2. Conciseness
Unlike traditional paper-based media more space does not mean more cost. Some sites cram too much information on each page causing problems to your visitor in recognising the section they are looking for. Generally people read up to 25% slower from PC screens therefore too much information on each page will give rise to 'visitor fatigue.' Descriptions should be brief with links to greater detail if viewers want it. Whitespace can be used effectively to space content across a page for ease of reading.

3. Easy Navigation
Navigation should have a natural logic. There should be no dead-ends and viewers should not need to use their own Back button. Navigation bars should be comprehensive and have a consistent theme. They should be placed in the same place on each page, normally in the margin or across the top.

4. Update Your Site Often
People expect the Internet to hold up-to-date information. Unlike other mediums your web-site should never be out-of-date. Even subtle changes to page layout and graphics on a regular basis can give the impression of 'freshness' even if the content has not changed.

5. Consider Download Times
Too many sites include wonderful graphics, video sequences and other animations which are eye-catching but take forever to download. If a page has not fully loaded after 8 seconds the chances are your visitor (and potential customer) will move on to another site - probably your competitors! Graphics should be simple and consistent whilst multimedia and other features that require special plug-ins should be kept to a minimum.

6. Make Information Accessible
There is nothing more disheartening to your visitor than being confident your site has the answer to his or her question but being unable to find it. Viewers must be able to gather information easily and quickly, this will encourage return visits.

7. Avoid Long User-Input Forms
Having to answer a long list of questions is a sure way to lose a visitor's interest. Many people are reluctant to give lots of personal information. Questions should be kept to a minimum.

8. Use Contact Us Links
Viewers enjoy the interactivity of the Internet. They should be given the opportunity to ask questions or request more information. It is imperative though that all requests and questions are answered as soon as possible.

9. Check Detail
Spelling errors, poor grammar, poor page layout all add up to an inferior presentation. The smallest detail can give rise to a poor image of your business. Sites should be cleared of outdated information and checked for compatibility across a number of browsers.

10. Site Under Construction
This is a definite No! If your site is not ready do not launch it. Viewers will not re-visit it to see when it is up and running. They will go to your competitors site.

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