INTRO:

A good website design will fulfill the designer's intent of function by conveying its message and engaging its visitors simultaneously. Several factors contribute to how well the website is perceived. If you want people to enjoy visiting your website and to help them want to come back again and again, optimal functionality and usability is key. Here are some guidelines for creating a good website:

WEBSITE PURPOSE:

Your website must have a purpose. Simply and clearly state on all pages what you have to offer. (On this page, I am offering notes on how to develop a good website.)

SIMPLICITY:

 There are three steps to follow when it comes to simplicity: color, fonts, and imagery.

Color: You should have no more than five different colors on your entire website. Try to choose ones which complement each other, as this can work really well.

 Fonts: Fonts play an important part in website design as well. Fonts can COMMAND ATTENTION and direct people to the most important information on your web pages. Fonts must be legible. Only use three different fonts max.

Imagery: Imagery is all the visual aspects of the website, including still photography, illustration, video and all forms of graphics. Most of the initial info we take in on a website is visual. Therefore, using high-quality imagery is important for a good first impression.

 

NAVIGATION:

Navigation is what users interact with on a website in order to find what they want. Website navigation is essential if you want to keep people on your website. If navigation is confusing, people will most likely give up and find their information somewhere else. Not good! You must keep the navigation simple, natural and consistent.

(NOTE: The links on the left panel are not actual links; this is a hypothetical webpage. :) )

 

F-SHAPED READING PATTERN:

The F-shaped reading pattern is the most common way people read text on a website. Studies on eye tracking have shown that most things people see are in the top and left areas of a screen. The F-shape pattern copies the Western world's natural reading pattern (left to right and top to bottom). A good website design will cooperate with the F-shape pattern.

 

VISUAL HIERARCHY:

When you arrange content in order of importance via size, color, imagery, contrast, fonts, whitespace (blanks), texture or style, you have implemented visual hierarchy. One of the most important functions of visual hierarchy is to establish a focal point, showing users where the most important information is.

 

CONTENT:

An effective website has both good design and good content. Use compelling language to attract your visitors to your offerings.

 

GRID-BASED LAYOUT:

By using grids, you can make sure your content is organized and structured. Grids keep your elements in line and keep the page clean by organizing content into a rigid grid with columns and sections that all line up. It helps the page to feel balanced and ordered.

 

LOAD TIME:

If your website takes longer than three seconds to load, you will potentially lose visitors. Almost half of website users expect a page to finish loading in two seconds or less. Optimize the sizes of your images so your pages can load faster.

 

MOBILE FRIENDLINESS:

These days, people lean more towards using their phones or other devices, like tablets, to surf the web. Thus, making sure your website is built with a responsive layout which can adjust to different screen sizes is crucial.