Effective Web Design

The latest principles of effective website design

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Web design is a very general term that includes how material is presented to the end user through the web. The purpose of the design is to produce content that can remain on the web server indefinitely. A website can include images, sounds, text, and other items that might be interactive. The website design incorporates the structure of the site to include information, layout, or pages to have functional features and to be in coordination with the brand. All websites need to start with a clear approach as to what they are trying to achieve, which in turn helps in fulfilling the goals. Creating a website employing the latest principles of effective website design will allow the site to be more productive and useful.

Some basic principles of design include balance, contrast, emphasis, and rhythm. By keeping these elements in mind when designing a website, a page that is more effective, pleasing, and useful can be created. The larger and darker elements give a heavier look in the design as opposed to the lighter, smaller parts. Balance allows the creator to use these so an equilibrium is achieved. Besides color, contrast employs shapes (square vs. circle), size (large vs. small), and textures (smooth vs. rough). The emphasis is placed on the part of the page to which the eye is drawn first. While it might be tempting to emphasize many things, that ends up making the page bland. A good designer will determine priorities and emphasize accordingly. Rhythm is another name for repetition. Comprehending patterns is easy for humans and repeating patterns makes a site easier to understand.

The most important principle to be considered when using the latest principles of effective website design is not to test the visitor’s patience. It is important to keep the visitor involved in the site with some interaction that involves minimum requirements on the part of the user. Limit the number of times registration is asked for and even then, keep it simple. With long boring registration process or too many interruptions, the visitors will disappear.

The second thing to keep in mind is to make the navigation manageable. One of the most annoying experiences is when the user does not know where they are or where to go. Buttons should be easy to locate and well described. If the site is big, make use of crumb trails that lead to buttons. Keep the site design and layout simple so visitors don’t have to think. The site needs to be self explanatory, because the visitor will be there on their own and as such, all their queries need to be resolved. Since text is the fundamental element of any site, it is important that special attention is paid to fonts - their size and spacing between lines. The sentence structure should be straight forward and simple.

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Beauty is not the primary function of a website; it has to be functional. Design the site thinking of what the user will look for after coming to the site and go from there. The headings, colouring, button styles, illustrations, and photo choices should all tie together. The design consistency shows a sign of professionalism, whereas things like spelling mistakes and other inconsistencies lower the status of the site. The user will explore and stay on a site only if it requires the participation of the user. Create a site that allows the users to be a part of the demo, if there is one, or provide a video clip. This interaction helps to hold the user’s interest. Lastly, leave a place for comments, pingbacks, or trackbacks somewhere on the site.

In this day and age of competition, if a website is to give a boost to the business, then all of the above mentioned points should be kept in mind. A good experience will keep the visitors returning to the site, whereas a bad experience will turn them away - never to return. Keeping the website updated with the latest information is obviously high on the list of priorities. No visitor will return if they know the site will not have anything new to offer.

For an effective answer to your web design problems ring Steve at Design Central on 0845 649 0715 right away!