20 RULES FOR BETTER WEB SITE DESIGN :
1. Make Sure the Visual Elements Reinforce Your Company or Brand Identity
The essence of your company can most likely be summarized using words; but your identity is also accompanied by many intangible qualities. Brands are as much about attitudes, feelings, and emotions as they are about factual information. The overall look of your Web site must supportthese defining factors. Is your brand identity best served by hard edges or softer, rounded shapes? Do primary colors capture the company philosophy or would earth tones be a better match? Experiment and find the right fit before settling on a design scheme.
2. Forget Cool, Think Useful
You can’t compete with TV, you can’t compete with movies, you can’t even compete with
entertainment Web sites. Luckily there’s no need to compete, though, because what really counts ismaking your site useful, not cool.
3. Lead Visitors Where You Want Them to Go
While your content may fulfill the needs of your visitors, your site design should guide them naturally to the places you want them to go. For instance, before visitors can download a sample chapter of a book, they might be shown a page that makes them aware of the full-length version and how to order it. Determine your goals and find a way to deliver value to your visitors while also getting what you want.
4. Offer Clear, Limited Choices
Some Web sites are so cluttered with navigation bars, banner ads, links, promotional blurbs, image
maps, and the like, it’s difficult to choose what to do first. Make it too hard for your visitors and
they may decide to go elsewhere. Decide what information is most important for your visitors,
particularly on your home page, and resist the urge to add more information.
5. Let Visitors Know What Your Site is About
The worst thing you can do is promote your Web site, get curious people to take a first look, and confuse the heck out of them when they arrive. View your home page through the eyes of a new visitor. Does it spell out exactly what you offer and what your brand stands for? If not, redesign it so it does. Also, remember that many people will arrive at your site through a secondary page, especially if they hear about it through a search engine or recommendation. Therefore, every page needs to explain what your site is about.
6. Avoid Long, Scrolling Pages
Sites overdo page length on both sides of the issue. Some sites make visitors scroll through endless reams of announcements, news items, articles, and more—all on a single page. The solution is to break things up. As a general rule, design with one item or concept per page. Provide a menu to related pages. On the other hand, don’t break things up too much. Some experts contend that Web pages shouldn’t be any longer than one screen length. As a result, many Web sites force readers to hit a Next button and wait for a new page to load before they can continue reading a relatively short article. If the content on a single page takes up only two or three screens, it’s easier to do a little scrolling than to keep hyperlinking to more pages.
7. Use Simple, Clean Layouts
Basic is better when it comes to Web site design. That doesn’t mean your site has to be boring. Your goal is to keep your pages clutter free, using lots of white space to allow visual breathing room. Have fun with your page layout; but make sure every design choice you make helps you communicate your brand identity.
8. Keep a Consistent Theme Throughout
Most designers start by creating the home page, since that’s the page most people see first. That’s a
smart move as long as you carry the home page’s look and feel throughout the rest of your site. Wherever the navigation menu is positioned on your home page, make sure the menu is in that same spot on every other page. If you use a fuchsia-colored border under the logo on one page, use fuchsia on all pages. Got it?
9. Think Big—Type, That Is
Along with creating a simple, clean design, you also want a site that is easy to read. Don’t make surfers squint to absorb your information. Make it as easy as possible for people to get the details they want. Avoid putting small text on colored or busy backgrounds.
10. Use Color Tastefully and Sparingly
Color is a funny thing. Used properly, color can have a good impact. Used irresponsibly, it can look ugly, scream “amateur site, run for your life,” and cause thousands to get queasy instantly. Make sure your Web site color choices lean more toward the former.
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