AN INTRODUCTION TO WEB DESIGN
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A website??™s navigation should be immediately accessible??”you should never have to scroll
to get to it. It??™s also a good idea to have a masthead area that displays the organization??™s
corporate brand (or, if it??™s a personal site, whatever logo/identity you wish to be remembered
by, even if it??™s only a URL).
The homepage should include an introduction of some sort that briefly explains what the
site is about, and it should have some pull-ins to other areas of the site. These pull-ins
could be in the form of news items that link to recent product launches, completed projects,
and so on.
Most websites require a method for people to contact the site owner, and at least one
clear link to a contact page is essential.
Avoid constantly changing the design throughout the site. In print, this sometimes works
well and provides variation within a book or magazine. Online, people expect certain
things to be in certain places. Constantly changing the position of your navigation, the
links themselves, and even the general design and color scheme often creates the impression
of an unprofessional site and makes it harder to use.
Ultimately, however your site ends up, and whatever your design, you need to ensure your
creation is as usable as possible. A good checklist??”even if the points may seem entirely
obvious??”is as follows:
Is the site easy to navigate?
Is it easy for users to locate content on each page?
Is it easy for users to find what they need on the site?
Are download times kept to a minimum?
Is the site suitable and relevant for its target audience?
Does the site use familiar conventions?
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CSS AND HTML WEB DESIGN
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If you can answer yes to all these things, then you should be on the right track!
Limitations of web design
Depending on your viewpoint, the inherent limitations of the Web are either a challenge
or a frustration.
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