Home Page:

• The website has a name.
• The name of the website designer (author) or other contact person is included.
• The text fits on the screen (very little vertical scrolling).
• There is a stated purpose/objective of the website. (This purpose could be inferred from the title and navigation; it could be a link to "about this site.")
• The page is easy/quick to load (no heavy graphics).
• The page includes a link to the author's college home page and professional home page.

• Be sure that the entire website is ADA-compliant
• All pages use adequate margins and white space.
• There is a footer with last update and an email link on every page.
• A copyright notice is posted where applicable for borrowed material.
• A descriptive title appears on all pages.
• The site appearance is consistent throughout.
• The site has thematic unity.
• The site is not cluttered.
• There is navigation back to the site home page on all pages.
• Each page provides some context for a visitor arriving from outside the site.
• Each page has one focal point.
• The footer includes copyright information.

• All pages should fit in a 600 x 800 window without horizontal scrolling.
• Pages use an easy to read font, preferably a sans serif font (e.g., Verdana, Arial, Helvetica).
• There are no more than two fonts in the site.
• Fancy text is saved as a .gif file.
• Fonts should be used consistently throughout the site.
• The text is large enough for mature readers.
• Fussy text (such as overuse of italics and/or bold) is avoided .
• All underlined text is hot-linked. (Book titles may be all capitals or italicized.)
• Large blocks of text are not center-justified.
• Drop shadows and other eye-stopping graphic textual elements are used judiciously, if at all.
• There is a reasonable balance between head and navigation elements and page content.
• There is some visual appeal either through font color or graphics.

• Any buttons clearly indicate "This is a link."
• Use the ALT label on the navigation buttons.
• Design principles should recognize the importance of consistency; consistency issues include:
  • overall color
  • button color
  • position of navigation bar
  • font on button
  • text on button
  • contrast
  • location of footer and webmaster contact link.
• Buttons and/or bread crumbs lead the user back to the home page.
• Long pages use anchors.
• If the site is large, a site map and/or table of contents is linked to the site entry page.

• All links work.
• All links are visible and recognizable and distinguishable from each other and from unlinked text.
• The link colors are appropriate for site color scheme.
• Active and visited link colors are consistent and obvious on all pages.
• The link name should lead the user to a logical location.
• Add links to plug-ins (e.g. Adobe Reader) as necessary.
• External links are checked periodically and repaired if necessary.

• Pages provide high contrast between text and background for ease of reading.
• Background color and design are not intrusive.
• Use subtle textures for background.
• Text and link colors are distinct from one another.
• Brightness is controlled; the screen should not scream out.
• A page should use from two to four distinct colors.
• The colors fit the theme.
• The color scheme is coordinated.
• The pages use color consistently.
• The site considers the color blind (avoid red/green) and visually impaired (lack of contrast). Mature users have trouble seeing blue.
• The site may use color to distinguish different sections.

• Images load quickly (assume a 56K modem).
• Images are sharp, clear and well-cropped.
• Graphics relate to the site theme.
• ALT labels are included with all graphics, including any navigational buttons.
• Graphics links have a matching text link unless the graphic link is obvious.
• Animated graphics turn off by themselves.
• Graphic elements (photos, subheads) break up large areas of text. Repetitive graphic elements unify site appearance.
• Graphics are in jpeg (photos) or gif (line art or graphic with solid colors) formats.
• Graphics are optimized for minimum download time consistent with quality.
• Judiciously use graphics to add interest to most pages.
• A copyright statement is used to indicate the source of each image that is not "free."
• If thumbnails are used, they must convert to larger images quickly over a 28K modem.