Website Design
Introduction
What is a good website? In short a good website is one that balances design with functionality in order to reach the target audience and carry out the intended purpose.
Points to consider
General
- Effective design must be underpinned by the application of principles common to any design undertaking e.g. contrast, unity, balance, use of colour, typography etc.
- Web spaces are challenging spaces to design because each page needs to fulfill a range of functions e.g. telling the viewer where they are (banner, titles), giving the viewer the option to navigate to another page (navigation), providing the viewer with information (content), providing the viewer with the opportunity to do something e.g. buy a dvd.
- You need to make it possible for the viewer to focus on different parts of the screen without being distracted by other parts. The most obvious example of this is avoiding looping animations but more subtle factors must also be considered.
- Your banner needs to be distinctive but it must not dominate a page.
- Your pictures should in some way complement your overall design concept e.g. matching or complementary colours.
- Your text must be clear. If you can’t use black on white, you must select colours that contrast strongly for text and background.
- Standard html limits you to just a few common fonts which is advantageous in terms of providing a standardised product. If you use unusual fonts in your graphics make sure that they are easy to read otherwise they will have a negative impact on the viewer.
- Your navigation must be prominent but at the same time must not take up too much space.
- Your website must take into account that some users have slow connections. Make sure that you keep file sizes down.
- Pay attention to screen resolution. At the moment the standard 1024 x 768. Check out what Jakob Nielsen has to say to make sure that the size of your site is current.
Navigation
- In general, people have become used to set navigation patterns and generally expect navigation to be similar from one site to the next. You need to satisfy this expectation. Creative navigation may look good but it is likely to upset many viewers who will then leave your site. Either provide navigation across the top of the site or along the left and right hand sites or a combination.
- Your navigation must remain constant throughout the site otherwise your viewer may become confused, frustrated and leave your site.
- It is highly advisable to have a home button displayed in the top left hand corner of the page. This will be in addition to having the banner hyperlinked to the home page.
- Each page must be clearly labeled so that viewers know where they have landed.
- You must be very careful to plan the structure of your site so that categories are logical and easy for an uninitiated viewer to understand.
- Communicate with your viewer especially if your site has interactive features e.g. if they have to fill in a form, provide a screen which tells them that their form has been submitted and thanking them or provide a preloader if there is a large .swf file to download. If you don’t communicate, viewers will loose confidence in your site and will go elsewhere.
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