Monday, March 23, 2009

20 RULES FOR BETTER WEB SITE DESIGN Part4

16. Go Easy on the Gizmos.
Though the free-enterprise system is trying hard to make it one, the Web is not currently set up to be
a multimedia entertainment center. I once heard morning radio jock Howard Stern joke about how
he waited an hour to download a movie clip that eventually played in a grainy frame about twoinches
wide. He suddenly realized that in the next room was a life-size TV hooked up to 120 clearchannel
cable stations. Why do people continue to squeeze basketball-size media files through a
connection the size of a garden hose? Your visitors will reward you if you chill out on the special
effects and don’t force them to download dozens of plug-ins to view your pages.

17. Make Good Use of Page Titles
This is a simple but often-overlooked design tip. The words you put between the tags show up at the top of your visitor’s browser. Those words are also indexed by many
search engines. Make sure they describe the specific page, your name, and some reference to your
brand image. Commercial HTML editing programs generally provide an easy way to insert page
titles.

18. Stick With Standard Link Colors
Certain standards have developed on the Web. One of those standards concerns the colors given to
various types of hyperlinks. Blue is used for unvisited links, red for an active link as it is being
clicked, and purple for links that have been recently visited. With all the skepticism that exists on the
Internet, your brand will benefit by providing your visitors with some surfing standards they can
count on.

19. Use Hyperlinks, Especially Within Your Site
One of the most appealing aspects of the Web is its interconnectivity. Some of the best sites
encourage visitors to bounce around from page to page within the site—or even section to section on
the same page. One article can reference a topic covered in another article. Instead of plainly stating,
You’ll find more information on Labradors in my FAQ on hunting dogs, make the words FAQ on
hunting dogs an active hyperlink that takes the reader straight to that page.

20. Conduct Informal Usability Research
Once you’ve come up with a site design plan you’re happy with, invite a few friends over who know
little about your planned site. Have them visit your home page. Ask them to tell you what the site is
about; then ask them to browse around and click what interests them. Observe the pages they go to
and which navigation links they use to get there. Next, give them specific tasks: Place an order;
subscribe to the newsletter, and so on. Note which steps come easily and which ones reveal obstacles.
This isn’t rocket science; but this kind of casual research will help you find your site’s strengths and
weaknesses quickly.

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