March 8, 2008
(with a little help from Steve Krug)
It's easy to get caught up with over-doing and under-thinking the design or redesign of a site. Of course it's never always perfect, but luckily it's always ever changing. So here are some guidelines I've found to be helpful when jumping on a new web design project.
- Don't make the user think (most likely, they probably won't) Your site and individual pages should be obvious and self-explanatory. Make buttons look like buttons and the search function should be simple. For example, if an image can be clicked to zoom in, be sure it has a clear icon along with text stating the fact.
- Keep it short - People glance and scan pages and once they find what they want, they click. To assist users with finding what they want on a page you want to establish a clear hierarchy, use conventions, and break pages into a logical order. Every page can't be everything to everybody; have a clear focus for each page.
- Keep it shorter - Omit needless words; see #2.
- Navigate, navigate, navigate - Use persistent and consistent navigation on the page and always include a way home. Breadcrumbs are a helpful option when content is larger. Your user should always know where they are.
- The big picture - The homepage should summarize the big picture. A good tagline can do half the work. Get rid of unnecessary content.
- It's the future! Please, please, don't ever include a "splash" page or something that has a "skip intro" button. And, if you're thinking about a "hi-bandwith" and "dial-up" option on the homepage for the user to choose, slap yourself.
- Everyone is an expert - Wrong. There are no rights and wrongs. A good design should work for the user and convey the qualities and personality of your business at the same time.
"Do you really want to know if your web site works, ask your neighbor to use it, while you watch."
