| Simplicity is the heart of effective web design Keep | | | | doesn't seem to look good for a particular resolution |
| it simple. Will ya? | | | | it is likely that the visitor will close the browser |
| Have you ever wondered over the striking | | | | window feeling that the web page is not for their |
| commonalities among some of the tremendously | | | | viewing. Therefore, designing stretch layouts that fit |
| functional sites of our time? Just spare some | | | | any screen resolution will ensure a visually appealing |
| thoughts on the features of sites like Cisco, Marshall , | | | | and professional site. Make your site interactive and |
| Dell, Amazon, etc., and the answer would not elude | | | | rich in content |
| you. | | | | To make your website stickier you can add a few |
| Yeah. You have got it. Plain and simple. Friendly and | | | | simple interactive applications like site polls, surveys, a |
| functional. No cosmetics. No facelifts. No fuss. | | | | guest book, an event calendar, newsletter sign-up, |
| Simplicity matters in web design as it does in other | | | | etc. There are many applications on the net but you |
| spheres of life. | | | | need to choose them wisely. |
| Web design is not a medium to show off your | | | | Macromedia Flash is another way to add interactivity |
| technical prowess. Nor, you are supposed to | | | | to your site. 95% of the world's browsers have the |
| demonstrate your superb graphic acumen. These are | | | | Flash Player plug-in, so you need to think about |
| necessary but only in moderation; let them not | | | | compatibility as long as your movie can be played by |
| dominate over your site friendliness and usability. | | | | lower versions of the Flash Player. You may well try |
| Here are some useful and rather important tips that | | | | having a HTML and Flash Sections "Entry (Splash) |
| will help you-- turn on the right track--to establishing a | | | | Page" if you have a heavy movie to accommodate |
| site professional in appearance, and high in quality and | | | | users on slow connections. |
| usability. Formulate your mission statement and | | | | Make your site scalable and cross browser compatible |
| understand your target audience | | | | Making your code and design scalable pays you off |
| A m ission statement or statement of direction on | | | | well. This is crucial simply because as technology |
| where the company intends to go in the foreseeable | | | | advances and configuration of computers and their |
| future is critical. It will definitely provide some stability | | | | monitors keep increasing and varying it becomes |
| from which the website can springboard forward. | | | | impossible to test your site in all screen sizes and |
| You must pursue some explicit goals to excel on the | | | | platforms. |
| web. You must be pretty clear on the counts like : | | | | Also, check your site for Internet Explorer 5+, Mozilla |
| What's the purpose of the site? Who is the site's | | | | Firefox 1.0, Opera 7.0 and Netscape Navigator 6+ as |
| audience? How will success be measured? How to | | | | they constitute 95% of the world's browsers. |
| gather feedback and involve your audience in your | | | | Incorporate consistency all over your website |
| design? | | | | Consistency is crucial as it could give your site a more |
| Mere high intentions and a cool design aren't going to | | | | professional look and feel, and also makes way for |
| sustain your development and production processes | | | | easy navigation. For consistency to pervade |
| if you are missing out a concrete statement of your | | | | throughout your website, try using database |
| goals and how to achieve them. In its sheer absence, | | | | templates to create a common look and feel for |
| a website cannot deliver a consistent, steady | | | | your site. |
| message to customers, can hardly be a platform for | | | | Although database template is not commonly the |
| quality. Ponder well on your layout and navigation | | | | answer for all web sites, and may not be practical for |
| A clean layout and neat navigation that employs a lot | | | | smaller sites, it is a big help for all pages in your site |
| of white space enhances your site's look and appeal. | | | | to share common elements, and reflects a high |
| Be focused focus on your content. You can better | | | | degree of page-to-page consistency. The advantage |
| use dreamweaver templates for your site - all pages | | | | arising from it is that it is all the more easier to |
| or a group of pages have one basic design and only | | | | create, and make your site consistent regardless of |
| the content varies. And this will be taken note | | | | changes in personnel. Database templates also |
| of—hopefully with an appreciative eye. Make it | | | | facilitates you to make changes to your site much |
| sure load time on the site is optimal For making load | | | | more easily, and help you change certain elements |
| time low on your site, you can choose from the | | | | without recreating the entire page from scratch The |
| following options. Minimize graphics, flash and scripts: | | | | dividends of simplicity can not be ignored and put at |
| They occupy huge space, and thus need to be | | | | stake While designing a website it is important that |
| minimized. Optimize your HTML & script code: See to | | | | the site is attractive, fast-loading, user friendly, |
| it that your site doesn't have any unwanted tags or | | | | focuses on your content and has a high stickiness |
| unused scripts. Use server side include (SSI) files: SSI | | | | factor to it. This is probably what it takes to be |
| files once called from the web server remain in its | | | | professional in appearance, high in quality, and value |
| cache, and on subsequent requests they load faster. | | | | added in functionality. Any deviation from the cardinal |
| While designing take into consideration all screen | | | | principles of simplicity may well backfire, and energies |
| resolutions | | | | so spent can go down the drain. So, miss out on the |
| A site that is easy-to-use always encourages visitors | | | | finer points of simplicity, and stay tuned to face the |
| to stay on and read your content. If your site | | | | music. |