Good web design is not rocket science: So shoot me if I talk like it is

Good web design is not rocket scienceSo shoot me if I talk like it is

Learning how not to do it withWebPagesThat Suck.com

“Unless you’re abnormally gifted, the best way to learn a craft thoroughly is to learn not only its central tenets but also its pitfalls.”

149 mortal sins, 82 possible mortal sins and 2 ultimate web design checklists

• We’ve designed our site to meet our organization’s needs (eg: more sales/contributions) rather than meeting the needs of our visitors

• It takes longer than four seconds for the man from Mars to understand what our site is about

• Our site doesn’t make us look like credible professionals

• Our site’s navigation is Flash-based• Our site uses Mystery Meat Navigation

• We’ve designed our site to meet our organization’s needs (eg: more sales/contributions) rather than meeting the needs of our visitors

• It takes longer than four seconds for the man from Mars to understand what our site is about

• Our site doesn’t make us look like credible professionals

• Our site’s navigation is Flash-based• Our site uses Mystery Meat Navigation

The biggest mistakes of 2007 According to WebPagesThatSuck.com

NoEase of navigationNoCredibleNoUser drivenYesClear focus

NoEase of navigationNoCredibleNoUser drivenYesClear focus

NoEase of navigationNoCredibleNoUser drivenYesClear focus

• The home page tells me what business this organisation is in

• It tells me what problem it solves: what benefit I can derive here

• It gives me clear signposting:• I understand where I can go and why• There is a call to action

The 4 second test Home pages that don’t suck!

Navigation, navigation, navigation

• Beyond the home page it is crucial that I, the user, understands:• Where I am• Where I can go and why• Where the home page is• Where I have been

• Use clear design conventions to style hyperlinks

• And don’t confuse that convention with similarly styled elements that aren’t

10%

800 x 600 pixels

50%

1024 x 768 pixels

26%

1280 x 1024 pixels

Beyond the foldTo scroll or not to scroll Proportion

of users

There is no fold!In the sense that you can’t know where it is

• Don’t try to squeeze your web page and make it more compact

• Visitors will scroll all the way to the bottom of your web page• So make life easier for them by dividing your layout

into clear sections for easy scanning• Encourage your visitors to scroll down by

using a ‘cut-off’ layout

ClickTale’s research helps unfold the myth of the fold

Give each page a clear focusRemember search engines are users

• Write each page so it can be found by search engines• We’ll talk about this later

• Aim to meet the user’s expectations when they land there• They may not land on your home page

• Engage with the user• Give them reasons to come back

Design on a shoestringFree and nearly free stuff

Wordpress is a free publishing platform with a focus on web standards and a host of ready made templates. Take a look at…www.wordpress.com/features

iStockPhoto has over 2 million high quality photos, illustrations and more from only $1 at…www.istockphoto.com

This presentation available at www.slideshare.net/tag/impact-071031