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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