The principles of effective web design
Web designing is about making your website look great, true, but is that the only focus? One of the biggest mistakes most designers make is that they assume it is the visual design that matters, rather than the usability and the utility of the page. What you should focus on when you are designing is the user.
What the typical user will do when he comes upon a website is simply scan the page rather than really read everything. Therefore your aim is to make the web page as obvious and as self- explanatory as possible. The page itself should be easy to follow, have visual clues that explain and direct the users to the required point and finally be easy on the eyes and the brain of the user.
Being unobtrusive should be your aim. The more complicated and long the processes on your website, the lesser the number of users who will take the time out to do it. For example, if there is a form that needs filling, make it as short and as minimal as possible. The longer it is or the more complicated anything gets for the user, the more annoying he will think it is.
Getting your users to go from just looking at your site to jerking into action and doing something requires the site to hold the attention of the user. For example, text to attract attention put in a different colour will attract more attention than plain text; but text is bold will do a better job; and in the same manner, an image will get an immediate response, rather than text. The trick here is to make the action happen by the user without actually making him ponder upon it.
Writing good, effective, original content is the next step. Don’t have jargon, complicated sentences, and company specific names, exaggerated sentences to make matters complex and confusing. Use language that is simple, effective and phrases that are precise so that the reader won’t be troubled reading.
Do not clutter up the pages. Make sure the material, both content and the images are spaced out and arranged in such a manner that they are easy on the eyes to look at and scan. Don’t put six lines of matter and a picture where there is space for 4 and a picture. Remember that there is always another page. Cramming will make it look disorganized and aesthetically unpleasant.
Bottom line: make it easy, make it simple and make it focussed; the rest will fall into line.
