Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Top 10 Elements of A Good Web Design That Performs

There are many articles you can find that point out mistakes of web design and all that constructive criticism. They also provide some prescription for things to do in a Web design project such as the do’s and don’ts of design, to avoid mistakes.

However, what will be discussed here will be additional elements that can be used to increase the usability of sites such as the following:

1. Name and logo on every page

Placing and making the logo on all pages can allow link to the home page. This should be present except on the home page itself, where the logo should not be a link. Remember never have a link that points right back to the current page.

2. Search engine

You should provide search engine to guide visitors to get the information they want if your site has more than 100 pages.

3. Easy and simple headlines

These are the page titles that visibly clarify what the page is all about.

4. Organize the page

Make it easy to help users get the most comprehension on what your site is promoting. Use grouping and subheadings to break a long list into several smaller units.

5. Use Hypertext to structure the content space

This is a substitute about a product or topic into a single, definite page. Use it into a starting page that provides an overview and several secondary pages that each focus on a specific topic. It allows users to avoid wasting time on those subtopics that don't concern them.

6. Product photos

Avoid cluttered and bloated product pages with photos that only cram the page. Better ways to do them would be:

• Use small photo on each of the individual product pages and link the photo to one or bigger ones that show as much detail as users need. This varies depending on type of product.

• Some products need zoom or photos that can be rotated. Reserve all such advanced features for the secondary pages.

• Primary product page must be prompt and should be limited to a thumbnail shot.

7. Relevance-enhanced Image Reduction

After you prepare small photos and images, replace it for the purpose of simply resizing the original image to a tiny and unreadable thumbnail. Zoom in on the most relevant detail and use a combination of cropping and resizing.

8. Utilize link titles

Users can have a preview of each link so that they will know where it will take them.

9. Accessible pages

Ensure that all important pages are accessible and not lead to error pages.

10. Test your design with real users

Check with your website people if they do things in odd and unexpected ways, so even the most carefully planned project will learn from usability testing.

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