Web design can be very difficult as everybody’s perception of a good web site is going to be different. Opinions will always differ on things such as colors, use of fonts and imagery. There are some general rules applicable to web designs that are considered good all rounders. When thinking about designing a web site these should help you avoid some common pitfalls.
Standards: There are standards every user of a web site expects. If something is underlined that usually indicates it is a link to another page. Follow this rule, if you do not and people click on something that is underlined and it is not a link they may think there is something wrong with your web site – not a great impression to create. Making a web site user friendly is a must. The best way to do this is make a list of the things you would expect the user to want when they visit your web site. The user wants to do these things with ease and so bear this in mind.
Alignment: This does not mean that everything in your web site has to line up perfectly. It does not mean all the text has to appear in perfect columns or paragraphs. It does mean that use alignment to make your web site look pleasing to the eye. Make sure chunks of texts that do appear are aligned. Perhaps having certain pieces of text aligned with certain images would create a nice tidy looking home page. Use alignment to your advantage; make the best of your web site using it.
Consistency: Make sure there is consistency with your choice of fonts, colors, borders and shapes used. When a person clicks from one page to another they do not expect to see a page that is totally different to the one they just left. There does need to be an element of consistency within your web site.
Typography: Make careful decisions when choosing fonts and font sizes. These should be in line with your company’s image. Remember depending on what your company does there will be certain expectations and these should really be adhered to.
Navigation: If using navigation buttons in your web site you should do so with a few things in mind. The buttons need to be of a size that people can easily see them. If there is text on the button make sure it can be read. Navigation buttons are usually located on the top of the web page so it would be best to locate them there to avoid users becoming frustrated if they cannot find them
Clarity: This can make a massive difference to the quality of your web site. Clarity in terms of web sites is mainly to do with the pixel size. Use the best pixel size for your images. If images are blurry people probably will not be looking at your web site for long.
