Dear
Readers,
It's been some time since the perception of a "good" Web site
consisted of the latest cool plug-ins and enough artwork to
choke a T1 line. Gradually the paradigm has shifted away from
inaccessible sites that only look good on the designer's computer
to a more widely accepted standard learned the hard way - through
losing sales.
Regardless of a site designer's artistic abilities, certain
realities must be faced - site visitors will not work hard to
use a site; surfers have a short attention span; information
must be made easily available or visitors will click away, never
to return. Today's WebSiteNotes is devoted to usability. If
you expect your visitors to stay awhile and perhaps buy something,
you need to present them with a site they can use.
Read on for expert advice on making your site friendlier, easier
to use, and more profitable in the process.
Visual
Architecture: The Rule of Three
A visitor to your site will not read all
the text there (unless that visitor is your mom). Designers
must take into account that people have short attention spans
and are more likely to scan a site than read the whole thing
to find what they need. Check out this article to find out how
to use the Rule of Three to capture the attention of the “scanner”
and even direct it.
Read
more at Digital-Web
Optimal
Web Design
Ready
to get tough with your site? Visit the psychology department
at Wichita State University's Software Usability Lab. A goldmine
of usability information, including such observations as the
mental deletion of graphics, the areas of the screen where users
expect to find ads, font legibility, age factors, and much more.
Not a light read by any measure, but solid information you can
act on right away.
Read
more at Wichita State University
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Critical
Thinking in Web and Interface Design
When
an engineering project fails, it’s usually due to design flaws.
Teach yourself to avoid failures on the Web by thinking like
an engineer. See how critical thinking can help you define problems
BEFORE you try to solve them.
Read
more at UIWEB.com
Principia
Hypertextica: A Mathematics Educator's View of Web Design
Now
that you’re thinking like an engineer, it should be a small
step toward thinking like a mathematician. This site offers
solid basic advice and valuable insights on design, especially
with regard to navigability and typesetting.
Read
more at Principia Hypertextica
Simplicity
is priceless
What
makes a good design? Jakob Nielsen says planning, involving
users throughout the design process, and creating easy to use
navigational systems are all ways of keeping sites simple and
friendly to users. What else can you do? Read on for specific
advice.
Read
more at Infoconomy.com
Invasion
of the Usability Experts
In this final article, we view the usability
discussion from the other side. Are usability experts too strict
in their thinking? Perhaps some go too far. Dale Dougherty reminds
us that suggestions are just that, and the Web should never
end up looking like a single, homogenized entity.
Read
more at Web Technique
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