Dogwood Discussion
Forum Summary of Comments on General Web Design Principles
Appearance
- A site should have a clear front or "splash" page that is about one
screen long and guides the user to both the content pages and the
designer's home page.
- Try to break up text with simple images or even horizontal lines.
- A column down the side can help to narrow text pages, but don't make
the text too skinny or it looks funny and gets too long.
- Don't underline the titles of books or any other words for that
matter-people will think they are hotlinks.
- Clutter is annoying. Avoid putting fancy stuff on a web page just
because it can be done.
- Text should be broken into readable chunks, with plenty of "white"
space to relieve the eye.
- Pages should be clear and legible, with dark type and backgrounds that
are reasonably pale, so that they can be easily read.
- We should work towards ADA compliance.
- Long lists of links should be on their own pages.
- Limit text to some percent of the screen (85 or 90), in order to have
margins.
- Avoid complex background that interferes with ease of reading.
Consistency
- A site should have some sort of unified color scheme.
- A site should use consistent style and fonts.
- Identify each page with the name of the College, and the webmaster's
name.
- Use consistent terminology throughout a web site.
Clarity
- Use standard terminology, or at least define terms.
- Put similar elements in similar places-e.g., if there is a navigation
bar at the bottom of the page, it should always be at the bottom of the
page.
- Explain any instructions clearly-the audience is far away and may not
ask questions.
- Assume an indifferent reader, with weak computer skills and little
patience-now how can this be explained clearly to that person?
Ease of Navigation
- A site should be easy for a new user to navigate; clear road signs are
very helpful.
- Don't put too much text on a page (we're not sure what "too much" is).
Too many links can be annoying, as can too long a page.
- Long pages should have some kind of table of contents.
- A web site should have a site map or index.
- Links MUST work!
- Each page should have a navigation bar or list or set of buttons to
take the user to the main page of the web as well as a route to the
author's home page.
- Each page should have an e-mail link to the author or person
responsible for maintaining it.
Content
- Each page should have enough context information to guide a person who
pulls it up while searching, or at least a clearly labeled back-button
to such a page.
- Content is very important; people may be willing to slog through
complex sites with valuable content; conversely, pretty sites without
content are a waste of time.
- Obey copyright laws-no stealing of nifty ideas or pretty images from
other places without proper permissions and/or attribution.
- A copyright page, stating what is used and what can be used and under
what conditions is a good idea.
- If a site is linked to other sites, the links need to be checked
regularly to see if they still are functioning.
Technology
- Images should be fairly small, so they don't take up a lot of time
downloading.
- Images should be labeled, so that people can decide whether or not to
open them.
- Pages should look ok in either a large or a small screen format.
- Check out pages in both Netscape and Internet Explorer.
- Use a WWW-safe palette-unusual colors may not look the same on
different screens.
- Avoid frames, or offer an alternative for users who do not read them.
- Aim at a low-level user, with an outdated machine, medium sized
screen, a 28K modem, and no fancy video and/or graphics capabilities.
- Avoid horizontal scrolling by using percents instead of pixels.
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