Friday, September 12, 2008

Good Web Design Tips

Web design is about the conceptualization, planning and execution of content delivery over the Internet. Web design is intended at creating a website that presents its content in a human-readable form. The web pages that compose a website are designed using the markup languages that support readability on various Internet browsers. A good web design comprises of the content and the graphics put on the site, the layout of the web pages and the plugins embedded into them. A website is composed of a collection of web pages, each bearing information pertaining to the subject covered in the website. Website design tips include the tips on the design of the individual pages, as also the way they are linked to each other, and the ease with which they can be browsed. Website design should take into account the content that the pages present, the graphics they display and the consistency in their design. Since all these pages form one website, they should have a consistent layout. They should bear a uniform color scheme and should appear as being the pages of the same site.

Good Web Design Tips
When users try to open a web page, they expect it to appear within a certain time frame. They expect all the components of the page to appear, fairly around the same time. Page components appearing at different speeds can annoy the users. So a website designer should remember that the pages should download quickly. Cluttering a web page with too much of graphics makes it heavier, thus increasing its loading time. One of the basic factors that make a web design user-friendly is the downloading time each of the web pages takes.

Make sure that the content presented by the web pages is in a human-readable format. See that the pages, or at least the home page fits into a form of 640x480 pixels. The background colors should not interrupt with the colors of the text. The text should be of a suitable size. Not more that about 2-3 fonts and not more that 3-4 colors should be used for a website. The colors red and blue as also the colors yellow and blue should not be used together. Some of the accepted color schemes are red, yellow and white or blue and white. A careful use of templates is a good option for website design.

The layout of the web pages and the consistency in their design are the major concerns for a website design. Technologies such as the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) can be used for maintaining a uniform layout throughout the website.

Do not clutter the web pages with too many links. Underline the links and preferably present them in a different color so that links can be distinguished from the page content. See that the external links from the website open in a new window.

Navigation between the different pages of a website is another vital constituent of web design. Organize the links such that the website users find it easy to find what they want. Make the navigation easy to understand for the users. Avoid excessive cascading of links on the web pages. The implementation of ‘Back’ and Next’ functions is recommended for a website design. Place the ‘Next’ button to the bottom right while the ‘Back’ button can be placed at the top left corner of the page

To make sure that your web site users can easily find what they are looking for, it is extremely important for you to provide them with a site map. It is necessary for every website to provide its users with a search facility.

It is important for the web designer to consider the fact that different users use different browsers. Due to this factor, browser compatibility becomes immensely important in website design. Design pages that can look good and work well in all browsers.

The fundamental principle behind the web design is that the website content cannot be compromised! Remember not to compromise on the information presented by the website. After all the website content is its soul.


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