Design and Content Tips

[resurepus]

A Web developer needs to wear many hats these days, from programmer to PR rep to market researcher. Making your site all it can be involves much more than putting together a few graphics and your contact information on a single index.html page. In this week's open publishing article, writer Peggie Brown offers us useful tips for creating and maintaining your Web site.

Categorize
Categories help your visitor move about your site quickly and efficiently. If visitors get frustrated, chances are they will lose interest and find a site easier to navigate. Well-defined categories often require a lot of planning and quite a bit of thought, but the time is well spent. Well-defined categories may mean the difference between a buyer and someone who just surfs on in frustration.


Be A Site Visitor
First, we mean that you should pay attention to details when you visit other sites. Note navigation that works, what entices you to look further and what frustrates you to the point of irritation. Next, we suggest you put yourself in the shoes of your target site visitor. What do you want to find and how do you go about finding it? Pretend a little here, forget that you have ever seen the site before or that you know its content. Really challenge yourself to find what doesn't work well. Look for intuitive ways to find site content. What clues are used to get you where you want to go?

Get opinions from others and then listen well. It's hard to take criticism, but you really need people to surf about the site and tell you what does not work for them. When you hear "I couldn't find my way home," don't chalk it up to them being an idiot not able to find their way out of a paper bag. Instead, realize that while clicking on the banner with the logo seemed obvious to you, it wasn't to someone else.

The complete article can be found here.


we invite everybody to take part in the discussion of this article. It is published as part of our cooperation with www.webreference.com

[jesse101]

Good article!

[Neupix]

Great starting point for people to follow, but I think there are alot more things that people need to start considering when designing for the web. We are at a day and age where WYSIWYG created websites don't cut it - and where compatibility issues and new technologies (such as CSS2 & XHTML) need to be taken into consideration. I could go on, but maybe I will save that for my own article

[Inxi]

Nice, really helpfull!

[Bestvanit]

good information! I also think that keeping things clear and simple is very important

[ru7mka]

Well that all are here discussed, becomes all on their own place

[smith.lachandri]

Thnx for the advice. I'm looking to change my online portfolio again.

[switch_cs]

some cool flash websites takes time in their loading... but when it's done.. it was worth the wait...

[Vovikus]

In Favorites

[GemDesignz]

good advice, im gunna need this when i re-design my business site ina couple of months. thanks

[vespershine]

When building my sites I usually start by developing a site map and then creating my navigation structures. Then its just a matter of filling in the blanks.

[edison]

Thank you for your advice, its help full for me.

[GoldenZ]

Thats a very interesting Article, However Easy Navigation and how to attract visitor to your site is not an easy Job to do! It takes hours building a layout and re-building again and again, And how your good in interact the visitors with your website. Google did it! they Start with the most Powerful Search engine, No.1 favorite first engine in the world for me.! Also they covered all your needs with the Toolbar on the Top. On other websites Most visitors getting bored from reading website content. Instead Designers converting this data to a rotating banner describing the main feature thats it talk about, which it help the most to find their way on the site. Which I suggest on DC team to have a rotating banner bringing up the main features (all kind of contest, Guides).

Nice article +5 xD
-Amr

[liamsquire]

I always try to look at things from the perspective of the target audience but it is easy to assume. I think it is very helpful to get feedback from the actual target audience where possible.

Cheers for the article!

[dho Bahanan]

very useful information...

[jensandersson]

good article, really helpful for a newb