Web Design Considerations
You are about to embark on the design of a web site. As you make choices regarding features to include and how to display them you need to consider the basic elements of design. The following references are a sample of the information available.The first thing normally noticed about a web site deals with its functionality and navigability. Here is a list of factors to consider.
- Web Design Guidelines (About.com)
- Optimal Web Design criteria (Software Usability Research Lab)
- Seven C's of Web Design (University of Georgia)
- Common Mistakes in Web Development
- Culturally Correct Site Design (Web Techniques)
- Disability Friendly Tips (Web Developer's Virtual Library)
- Useit.com: Jakob Nielsen's Site which contains articles on web design
Now, what about aesthetic considerations? What is it about a web site that attracts us or confuses us? To identify these features we need to consider the basic components of every design:
- Navigation scheme
- Download time
- Title bar and meta information
- Appropriate content
- Links
- Image effectiveness
- Font usage
- Correct source code
- Frames properly used
- Browsers supported
- Simplicity
- Balance
- Emphasis
- Unity
Well, how do we achieve these affects? By applying the four basic design principles of Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity. These principles can be applied to help make decisions about
- Colors (backgrounds, fonts, buttons, images, ...)
- Typography
- Image usage
- Layout and use of white space
- Focus of the page
- Accessibility
The next step, Getting Started