Design Considerations
There are many factors to take into account when designing a Web presence. Here we're going to take a look at some of these factors which influence Web Site development.
The Purpose of the site has a big influence on the design: it could be an information site; an educational site; it could provide a corporate web presence; an online shopping facility; or software support, etc.
– So you need to be analysing what the benefits of a Web presence are to the client.
As you can imagine, this is not a 'one site fits all' type of situation.
How much money is a client likely to spend on a Web presence? – This will also depend on the purpose of the site: for example, an information or educational site is unlikely to generate any income, and may have a strictly limited budget; whereas a corporate site can be viewed as an essential method of company promotion today, which in fact is extremely cost effective when compared to other more traditional forms of advertising; an online store is another extremely cost effective way to promote products and generate sales / exports on a relatively unlimited scale.
Is a Web presence really that cost effective? – Well it could be but the overall effectiveness of any web presence depends on the client, however large or small, developing and embracing a new attitude. The Web site is really just another tool which needs to be constantly used. That means that it will do very little if it just sits on the WWW.
It could be considered a crucial part of your work as an Internet consultant, to advise clients on how to proceed once the Web site is launched. I.e. to help them to realise that there's more to having a Web site than they might think.
For example: the Web site itself needs to be advertised / promoted; the information needs updating regularly; the look of the site may need refreshing occasionally; the route of customer enquiries needs to be monitored.
All that and more may be a lot to take in for a client who is getting a web site for merely superficial reasons. However, the cost effectiveness is real as the client can then save on: advertising costs (the information being on the Net, just advertise the Web site rather than everything the client does); promotional literature (no need to have 000's of glossy brochures printed which are out of date before they have been utilised); premises / staffing / administration costs (a centralised order processing system may be viable rather than lots of branches).
The presentation style also needs thinking about. Taking into account the nature of the site, what kind of presentation will best deliver the content to the visitors?
If the pages are likely to be printed out, use images economically, or provide a printer friendly copy; be aware of information overload and chunk the information into concise sections; maybe a magazine style would suit; the use of colour is important also and should be considered carefully; a strong corporate identity / theme may need to be followed.
There are many different options, the point is that a presentational style has to be unique to, and tailored to a particular client, and not the other way round where the client is shoehorned into an 'off the peg', 'one site fits all ' kind of deal.
The actual content of the site also needs very careful consideration. Of course it's possible to place as much information as you want to into a Web site, that's part of the attraction, but you have to remember that someone, somewhere has actually got to read it. The essential skill here is to be able to imagine the site from a visitor's point of view.
Here are a few essential design tips for you to consider when working on the content presentation:
• Use a meaningful title
• Keep it clear & concise – takes longer to read on screen
• Consider viewer's screen dimensions
• Background / text colours, use appropriate combinations
• Each page should be able to stand alone
• Avoid browser specific techniques / terminology
• Minimise the number of elements on the page
– Keep the design simple
– Multimedia only if absolutely necessary
– Avoid unusual fonts
• Use headings – makes browsing the page easy
• Think about rapid page scanning:
– Use headings, lists, list menus
– Keep important information near the top of the page / paragraph
• Organise / present the textual content in 'chunks'
• Separate these chunks with lines / rules, boxes
• Don't be afraid to use space
• Use colour carefully – draw attention to important text
• Keep link text short and relevant
• Use links for further exploration / information
• Don't overuse emphasis – avoid underlining words
• Images – be careful – do they enhance the site?
– always use a descriptive alternative text
– don't overuse, will detract from content
– Use small image files
– Keep them relevant, are they necessary?
– specify dimensions to preserve page layout
– avoid copyright protected images
• Be consistent with multiple pages – build familiarity
• Does the page look attractive / informative?
• Can the visitor find the information quickly enough?
• Spell check and proof read the entire site
Remember, all your sites should be user friendly, the information should be readily available, and the page should load before the visitor gets bored.
It's been reported that a person's attention span when viewing Web content is only a fraction of what it would be when reading newspapers, watching TV etc., so this also needs to be considered, i.e. how do you encourage the visitor to stick around long enough to assimilate all the relevant information, and be attracted to what you're offering?
The Navigation Strategy needs careful consideration also, as there are various ways to present your site. The navigation menu is the crucial element of the site that holds it all together. What would be the best way for a visitor to access the site?
The main types of navigation to be considered are as follows:
• Linear – where the pages are arranged in a kind of horizontal fashion rather like a book, with the information contained in a number of sequential pages. You are imposing a restriction where the visitor can only go forward or backwards, however this may be perfect for the site, or indeed a part of the site.
• Hierarchical – where the pages are arranged in a vertical fashion rather like a family tree, with the parent / home page at the top, and the subsequent generations / pages arranged below, each spreading further downwards as required. This allows for quick selective navigation / access, and a gradual progression through the site to more specific content.
• Web – where the pages are arranged in a completely unstructured fashion rather like the web itself, with different pathways available to access the contents.
What about the size of the site. How many pages? How many links?
One single page would be really easy to maintain, would be useful for printing out, but would take a long time to load, and would involve far too much scrolling.
A multiple page site will allow for several smaller pages with less scrolling. However these sites will inevitably have many links which in turn may make for a high maintenance site.
When you have considered all these options and have decided on a suitable navigation strategy, you can move on to creating the navigation menu which will act as the visitor's 'guide'. It will preview the site contents, help them keep track of where they've been, and always provide a way back to the parent / home page.
There follows a few more essential design tips, this time focussing on the navigation menu.
Navigation menus - consider the following:
• They should be clear, and to the point
• They should be well organised
• Take care with colours
• Standard link colours avoid confusion, easily recognised
• They should support the content
• Provide additional information in context with contents
• They should be descriptive i.e. where will it lead?
• Is it really needed?
• Avoid duplicating links – this just clutters the page.
• Use graphics / icons with ALT text
• Avoid 'click here' unless supported by descriptive text
• They should not interrupt the text flow
• Don't have links dotted haphazardly throughout the page
• Don't use a block of text as a link
• Always provide a way back to the parent / home page
• Does the navigation flow logically and smoothly?
One more thing! Always include an E-mail address for comments / queries / feedback. This can be to contact the client, or you, the designer. It's also quick and convenient, especially if it can be sent from within a Web page.
So, you have been very thorough with the planning and design considerations, and now its time to work some magic on the PC. Hopefully you'll have a clear idea of what you need to do now so you can begin to apply all that practical knowledge of Web site design techniques.
Remember - it's not all about showing how much you know – all that knowledge needs to be applied with restraint.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE!!