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Website Design: Keep it Simple

Date Added: February 06, 2003 11:59:38 PM
Author: Jason A. Neal
Category: Tips and Tutorials: Web Design Tips and Tutorials

Website Design: Keep it Simple One of the keys to a quality

web site is simplicity. You've heard of the KISS principle?

Keep It Simple Silly. This applies doubly for websites.

Design Web Friendly It is inexperience than can make you

want to use every bell and whistle, every feature and every

new trick. It is nice to be able to create complex frames

and tables, use large busy fonts, use flash and animated

GIFs, but will end up with too many features competing

against your message. It's more than likely your audience

is quickly going to be overwhelmed, rather than impressed.

Just because you can create a flashy effect, doesn't mean

you should. Ask yourself if the flashy addition is improving

my page, my design. Decide if there is actual value in the

addition and does it add with this technique? Is this the

best way to communicate my message? A simple design doesn't

necessarily mean uninteresting and dull. Lots of people

confound fancy effects with effective communication. Keeping

it simple means you should think about how people will be

using your pages. Then present your information to them so

it matches their requirements and expectations. Earn their

attention Use technology and effects where appropriate and

where they make for more effective communication. You're not

designing web sites for yourself to look at. You're publishing

a web page because you expect someone to stop by and visit it

- your audience. The more you know about and understand your

audience, the more effective you can gear your communication

and marketing appropriately on your site. Does your audience

still use dial-up service that still relies on slow modems?

Then be aware of file sizes and download times. Are they

expecting to hear your band's music clips? Then you'd better

think about an audio format. Ease of use is critical in web

design, so above all else your site easy to navigate. Many

small factors can quickly add up to create easy paths through

your site. For example, one thing you can do is keep the number

of choices small, that way people are less likely to become

lost in a long list of options. Simple in design is simple

design. Did you know that the average human mind sees five or

fewer items as one group, but when it encounters more than five

items it has to divide them into smaller sub-groups to process

them? It makes sense, then, to try to keep your selections

arranged in groups of five or less. That makes it easier for

your readers to quickly see the options and select one.

Article written by Jason A. Neal.

graphic design seattle - seattle graphic design
 
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