Design |
More Design Topics
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Home page design
should quickly identify:
1) What is this?
2) What can I do here?
3) What do they have here?
4) Why should I be here and not somewhere else?.
5) Where do I start?
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Users initially see
large blocks of color and shapes and contrast, and then begin to scan for informational specifics, contrast being the more vital element. |
Never put a banner at the top so that it forces the rest of the homepage down the page.
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Visual grids break up long pages. A balanced and consistently implemented design scheme will increase users' confidence in your site. This grid design uses graphic elements to break up the monotony of text-only content. |
Your content should fit onto 1000 x 568 format, realizing that
most monitors are set to
1024 x 768
This will assure you that the viewer will not have to scroll left to right at all, nor should they need to scroll up and down on the homepage. |
Site identification
Logo and tagline in the upper left, always |
The tagline
offers a short, six to eight word, phrase that adds clarity between the logo and site content. |
Layout consistency ~ Repetition “reinforces a distinct sense of place, making your site memorable” (Horton 2002, p. 88). |
Vertical stratification
Web pages are at a disadvantage compared to magazines and books in that the latter allows the viewer to take in the visual elements of two pages at a time, the left and right. |
Scrolling
The maximum scrolling should be two screens |
Avoid Click Here links and buttons as it's not descriptive in it's destination and some ADA users don't click! |
Don't use more than two fonts, one for the body and a bold one for the headings |
Increase your Web Cred
by avoiding busy, MySpace-style, backgrounds and other amateur gimmicks |
Page Titles
Search engine spyders search the first 64 characters of the web page's title |
Don't put up a site that isn't finished!
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Home pages need a site search feature
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Splash Screens Must Die!
Search engine spyders don't look at sites with Enter Here or Flash opening pages. |
Don't use hands, fingers, feet, or gestures that are offensive in other cultures. |
Visual puns or sports metaphors may not come across on international sites. |
Don't forget the rest of the planet!
The U.S. holds only 50% of all web users. |
Graphics with text will be unreadable to foreign users, however,
Alt tags will translate! |
Many language translation tools are available on the web, however, a human translator should be used to verify accuracy. |
Language translations should be displayed in that language.
English ~ Français ~ Deutsche ~ Español |
Keep It Simple
Web designs should be simple and easily identifiable, short, and visually interesting. |
Start Here!
The designer can implement a simple spot for the user to begin, e.g., search bar or login or ‘start here’ button. |
Users want a site that is:
- Easy to use
- Loads quickly
- Allows them to complete tasks requiring the least time and frustration
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Include users input in your site design. |
Web sites are designed as:
- Informational
- Entertainment or
- Commerce-oriented
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Clients are not users! They have input but only your targeted users know what they really want. |
Color should also be culturally sensitive
White represents birth in the U.S.
but a funeral in Japan! |
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