10 Rules for Website Design
Visiting websites is something that we do often everyday. Have you ever stopped at thought about the reasons that you like or dislike certain websites? What are the factors that enhance your web viewing experience. In this post I will explore the top 10 rules for website design as told by various sources and my own opinions. I don't think that there are really 10 set in stone best rules for website design, but there are things that work and things that don't. As with any other communication medium, a website should be usable, attractive and let get the reader the information they are looking for in an efficient way.
In today's world having an online presence is highly valued. Whether your site is a professional representation of your business, club or individual work, it can make or break others' view of you. The first impression that is created through your website may be your last impression on the viewer. On that note lets take a look at some so called "golden rules" for website design and functionality.
The rating and order of these ten rules is up for debate but there are a total of ten so they will be numbered.
#1 Navigation
(I agree with this 100%) According to Clubrunner the most important thing for a website to have is great navigation. They make the point that a visitor to your site may get frustrated and just give up if the navigation tools don't work. Once a visitor is fed up, getting them to return to the site again is very unlikely. Visitors on a site should be able to get where they need to go in a few clicks and find areas of interest without much effort.
"There are few things more frustrating than not being able to find certain content on a website. Pages should be well-organized with a top-down design so that visitors can easily browse through the different sections on your website." I can relate with this frustration. I have been on websites that were poorly navigated and my temper acts up quickly when I get frustrated. I'm not going to bother with a non-responsive site there are plenty of others with similar information that I can go check out.
#2 Design Layout
"When you meet someone for the first time, you want to make a good first impression. The same should be true for your website. The overall look and feel of your site is the first thing your visitors will notice." Sharpened Productions asserts that design is paramount. I think that design is a very vital aspect of any design. Your website should have a clean look and avoid clutter (see point #5 below). It shouldn't look like an advertisement. Past experiences directly affect a visitors experience with your website. The design should be simple and not too flashy. It should avoid animations and banners because most people connect those with advertisements and scams. Keep things consistent throughout the website and don't change the design halfway through. (see my previous post about basic design principles using c.r.a.p) This design rule includes use of color, simplicity, consistency and readability.
#3 Content
One cannot have a successful website without content. When designing a site, content is what will make your site stand out from the other well designed sites. What makes your site unique and interesting (tell the visitor)? I thought the people at Sharpened Productions put it quite succinctly, "even if your site is beautifully designed, it is no more than an empty shell without content. A good website has both great design and great content. Therefore, make sure all your pages have unique, original content that makes them worth visiting." Great content only lasts so long before people get bored. Your content should be updated in order to keep visitors interested in coming back. "Long text blocks without images and keywords marked in bold or italics will be skipped. Exaggerated language will be ignored." Keep it simple and straight forward. (see point #6 below)
#4 Developed for Multiple Browsers
#5 Eliminate Clutter
Clutter is the enemy of good design. I want you to imagine all of the cluttered magazines, webpages, and desktops you have ever seen. Did those things draw you in and capture your attention? Most likely they did not. When a site is too cluttered it is hard to focus. Most people do not read every single word on a page or pay attention to every graphic. The eye scans the page for important concepts and ideas and moves on. "Another common mistake that many people make is placing as much content as they can, on one page. Often, many people place so much information together that the visitor has an information overload." Information overload is bad. If you have too much information for one page, break it up and make it two or more pages in order to have the content readable and make sense for the reader.
#6 Scannable text
The information on your page should be broken up. "A wall of text is deadly for an interactive experience. Intimidating. Boring. Painful to read."
Write for web not print. To draw users into the text and support scannability, use well-documented tricks:
subheads
bulleted lists
highlighted keywords
short paragraphs
the inverted pyramid
a simple writing style, and
de-fluffed language
#7 Quick Downloads
"In today’s fast paced world, patience is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Website visitors want the website to load fast and want to be able to look at photos, articles, and watch videos immediately. When a website has too many large images within it, it will take longer to load. This leads to frustrated visitors who end up leaving your site." It's sad but true, we live in a society that demands instant gratification. If your site starts loading and it feels like 1998 and you hear a dial-tone things are not looking good for you. Make sure that your site, its links, videos etc. all are functional and moving faster than a snail.
#8 Test Your Site
Test early, test often. This so-called TETO-principle should be applied to every web design project as usability tests often provide crucial insights into significant problems and issues related to a given layout. Test not too late, not too little and not for the wrong reasons. In the latter case it’s necessary to understand that most design decisions are local; that means that you can’t universally answer whether some layout is better than the other one as you need to analyze it from a very specific point of view (considering requirements, stakeholders, budget etc.). Save yourself some grief and makes sure things are working as you develop your site. Its beneficial to find problems early on and will save a lot of time and effort as opposed to waiting till the end and encountering problems. If you want a great site make sure you test all of its components. It should be working smoothly when it is published, not being fixed continually as visitors complain.
"Browsers are supposed to render webpages the same way, but they don't. Therefore, make sure to check your website on multiple browsers to make sure everything appears correctly. It is best to catch problems ahead of time instead of relying on complaints from your visitors." Not everyone uses the same web browser, so you must make sure that your site loads correctly and views consistently across the browsers. If you are using a website builder this shouldn't be a problem, but if you code your own site make sure to take this additional step and check on multiple browsers. I won't go into the specifics of doing this test, just know that it is an important part of web design.
*additional research required on your part.
#5 Eliminate Clutter
Clutter is the enemy of good design. I want you to imagine all of the cluttered magazines, webpages, and desktops you have ever seen. Did those things draw you in and capture your attention? Most likely they did not. When a site is too cluttered it is hard to focus. Most people do not read every single word on a page or pay attention to every graphic. The eye scans the page for important concepts and ideas and moves on. "Another common mistake that many people make is placing as much content as they can, on one page. Often, many people place so much information together that the visitor has an information overload." Information overload is bad. If you have too much information for one page, break it up and make it two or more pages in order to have the content readable and make sense for the reader.
#6 Scannable text
The information on your page should be broken up. "A wall of text is deadly for an interactive experience. Intimidating. Boring. Painful to read."
Write for web not print. To draw users into the text and support scannability, use well-documented tricks:
subheads
bulleted lists
highlighted keywords
short paragraphs
the inverted pyramid
a simple writing style, and
de-fluffed language
#7 Quick Downloads
"In today’s fast paced world, patience is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Website visitors want the website to load fast and want to be able to look at photos, articles, and watch videos immediately. When a website has too many large images within it, it will take longer to load. This leads to frustrated visitors who end up leaving your site." It's sad but true, we live in a society that demands instant gratification. If your site starts loading and it feels like 1998 and you hear a dial-tone things are not looking good for you. Make sure that your site, its links, videos etc. all are functional and moving faster than a snail.
#8 Test Your Site
Test early, test often. This so-called TETO-principle should be applied to every web design project as usability tests often provide crucial insights into significant problems and issues related to a given layout. Test not too late, not too little and not for the wrong reasons. In the latter case it’s necessary to understand that most design decisions are local; that means that you can’t universally answer whether some layout is better than the other one as you need to analyze it from a very specific point of view (considering requirements, stakeholders, budget etc.). Save yourself some grief and makes sure things are working as you develop your site. Its beneficial to find problems early on and will save a lot of time and effort as opposed to waiting till the end and encountering problems. If you want a great site make sure you test all of its components. It should be working smoothly when it is published, not being fixed continually as visitors complain.
#9 Easy to Find
"Although, once upon a time, the ‘if you build it, they will come’ mantra worked for websites – it no longer does. Due to the fact that there are millions of websites on the Internet, it becomes important for you to ensure that your website ranks high in search engine results and is easy to find." I know there have been times when I have looked for a certain website that I was referred to and it was nowhere to be found. A visitor shouldn't have to dig to find your site.
"Although, once upon a time, the ‘if you build it, they will come’ mantra worked for websites – it no longer does. Due to the fact that there are millions of websites on the Internet, it becomes important for you to ensure that your website ranks high in search engine results and is easy to find." I know there have been times when I have looked for a certain website that I was referred to and it was nowhere to be found. A visitor shouldn't have to dig to find your site.
#10 Audience Analysis
Audience analysis is important for design. I think this should be in the top ten list because it is a crucial starting point. When thinking about web layout and design you must keep your audience in mind. Who is going to be viewing this site? Why are they going to come to your site as opposed to others? Depending on your audience, your site will carry a different vibe. Whether that is professional, casual, artsy, simple etc. Tailor your design and content to the audience you want to capture. Reflect on things that have drawn you to other websites, ask questions and view similar sites to your own. Make yours unique and someplace that you would want to visit.
This list is by no means exhaustive or authoritative. Many of these rules have sub-categories that enhance and elaborate on specific aspects of design. There are many more possibilities for top design rules but I chose these ten to highlight because of my own experience and similarity throught different lists that I was researching. In the videos below you can learn about some common web design misconceptions and how to make your site more engaging. Thanks for reading!
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