| Looking at a website is the virtual equivalent of meeting someone for the first time. You have one of three reactions: like, dislike or indifference. You want people to choose the first one. Every time. Paying attention to these five areas will set you in the right direction.
Content: Good content on the Web has to be relevant and appropriate for the audience. It needs to be clear, precise and concise. Nobody likes to read pages of useless text. Two things to remember:
- Talk to your target audience in their voice. Be honest and frank - you are talking to an audience that has the world at their fingertips, and their finger is already on their mouse button.
- Refresh the content of the website frequently. This gives people a reason to come back. Creating daily, weekly, or at least monthly information is a great way to attract an audience
Navigation: Good navigation should pass the "grandmother test" - if your grandmother can make sense of your website, it works. Be careful of the "elevator" syndrome. In explanation, elevators are an example of design and navigation created and implemented by engineers. The "ground" button is the one most often pressed in the elevator, but there's no consistency to it's placement. We have to look down and relearn how to use an elevator every time we step into a new one.
Keep these principles in mind when you create the navigation for your website. Don't force people to learn to use your website:
- Locate the navigationmenu somewhere stationary and obvious. Don't move it around, you'll lose half your audience.
- Provide visual clues for navigation. Colour code areas of the site, and provide area titles at the top of each page.
- Follow the three-click rule: You should be able to go anywhere on the wite with a maximum of three mouse clicks.
- Provide a sitemap. A sitemap should provide an overview of the site structure.
Remember that simplicity is best - if it looks simple, and is simple to use, navigation will be intuitive.
Visual Appeal: With the range of multimedia software products and features now available it's easy to over complicate site design. Present the most essential information and strip away non-essential elements. Remember, website design needs to be relevant.
Use the lowest res and screen size for your target audience. Also keep in mind that you should repurpose the website to allow access by portable and wireless devices. Site directories and maps are excellent tools to help wireless surfers navigate your site. Provide them a guide and they will visit more often.
- Keep it simple, keep it subtle. Limit the bells and whistles. Don't let them get in the way of real information.
- Use no more than three fonts - this aids navigation and retention.
- Create smaller images and reuse them. Remember that a series of smaller images loads faster than one large image that contains an image map.
Functionality: A website never looks the same on any two computers. Even the simplest site looks and functions differently on different browsers.
- It's essential to test your website on different operating systems and browsers to ensure consistency. For example: colours generally appear 15 percent darker on a PC than on a Macintosh. Make sure your website is easy to browse on all platforms and that it loads quickly throughout. Plan for different versions for multiple devices.
- Minimize plug-ins. Most users will leave your site if it requires a plug-in just to visit. If they are necessary, make sure they are easy to download and install.
- Proof your site. Watch for typos, links that go nowhere, inaccurate information and copyright infringements.
Interactivity: Allow and encourage your audience to interact with your website, you and each other.
There are three levels of interactivity.
- Basic - use rollovers and always provide a "contact us" section that allows users to access a human. You may use external links to other relevant websites, or place a counter to track visits to your site.
- Intermediate - create a community. Allow people to communicate with each other by setting up a chat room or discussion board. Enable visitors to create their own personalized area as part of your website, or allow them to link to their own existing.
- Advanced - offer search engines, e-commerce capabilities and games targeting the interest of your users.
For full article see Applied Arts - Vol. 16, No. 3 - Charles Rouleau
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