Web Design Information

Eight Website Pitfalls, and How to Avoid Them


Clutter: Too much noise, too much text, and too little white space mean that customers ignore the content. Customers often scan pages quickly, only reading titles or input prompts until they reach the content they want. Be concise, break text up with headings, not too many fonts and consider the reading level of your audience.

Confusing navigation: Buttons and menu items should be apparent, links should look like links. Text should not look like buttons or links. Customers do not typically read and digest information in linear order and should be able to move between sections easily.

Company-centricism: Customers are task-oriented. They don't know (or care) about departmental structures, or company jargon. Look at your site as an outsider would, by function or task. Use clear, generic labeling and try to minimize the use of company or industry jargon, acronyms or abbreviations unless context is provided.

Design by committee: Though teamwork is essential to the success of a website, requiring group consensus for decision making will stop a project in its tracks.

Bells and whistles: How a site looks is not as important as the content and the organization of that content. Establish the site layout before attempting to finalize design.

High-maintenance pages: Static pages based on dynamic information are quickly outdated. Include dynamic data only if it is needed, and provide a way to maintain it.

Back patting: Don't tell customers how great your products are, show them. Keep introductory material to a minimum and focus on your programs or services.

Overcomplicating: Designers tend to approach a site as if it should spring whole-formed from their head before it is published. Remember, a website is forever a work in progress and should be approached as such. Publish the information at hand, and the site can expand and revised as needed according to user feedback.

Torre DeVito is a web designer from Cary, North Carolina.

For more information visit www.pagecandy.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Sales & Marketing Technologies Opens New Tampa Web Design and ...
Emediawire (press release), WA - Oct 10, 2008
Sales & Marketing Technologies, a full-service Web Design, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website Hosting firm headquartered in Orlando, ...


WebAssist Debuts SuCasa, a Marketplace for Simplifying Web Design ...
PR Web (press release), WA - Oct 10, 2008
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) October 10, 2008 -- WebAssist today announced SuCasa, the fastest-growing online template marketplace and community. ...


Killer Startups

En.Wilogo.com - Corporate Logo Design
Killer Startups, FL - 9 hours ago
... where artists can convene and exchange insight and information, whereas further services provided by Wilogo include web design and web development. ...


Killer Startups

ProtoShare.com - A New Approach To Web Design
Killer Startups, FL - Oct 8, 2008
Protoshare is a tool that makes it possible for a team to collaborate in real time during the different phases of a website’s development. ...


Web Design- Tips to Resist Financial Crisis
NewDesignWorld (press release), UK - Oct 7, 2008
... or don’t know a way to enter Chinese markets. Apart from doing web design, we also do content management and something you want to enter the Chinese market.


Web Design Tips
Poynter.org, FL - Oct 6, 2008
I rarely write about web design issues in this column since our mandate is to write about ways to use the Internet as a reporting tool (and besides, ...


Creativematch

Marwyn invests in standout web design from twentysix
Creativematch, UK - Oct 7, 2008
Digital agency twentysix has developed a new website for boutique financial investment house Marwyn that communicates the company’s forward thinking and ...


Local Web design firm now offering inexpensive sites
MidlandOnline.com, MI - Oct 6, 2008
“BuildCheapSites.com is going to revolutionize the way Web design is done in Mid-Michigan,” Wolf said. “Our easy-to-use interface and wealth of options and ...


Web design & FOSS
ZDNet UK, UK - Sep 24, 2008
On my quest for ever smaller icons and ever smaller finger movements on my Acer Aspire One Natty Book, I have come across GNOME Do. ...


Pros and cons of Web design
Scripps News, DC - Oct 3, 2008
They loved Web design, but not corporate life, so they decided to venture on their own. Owen, 29, and Oliver, 27, recruited Oliver's brother, Paul Oliver, ...

Web-Design - Google News

home | site map
© 2006