Chapter 2

Web Site Design Principles

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Objectives
• State the principles of design for the
computer medium
• Develop a unified look for a Web site
• Understand the importance of active white
space
• Focus your design on the user
• Evaluate Web sites using screen-oriented
design principles

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Design for the Medium

• Craft the look and feel
• Make your design portable
• Design for low bandwidth
• Plan for clear presentation and easy
access to your information

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Make Your Design Portable

• Your Web site design must be portable and
accessible across different browsers,
operating systems, and computer platforms
• You must always remember to test your work
even when you feel confident of your results

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Design for Low Bandwidth

• Plan your pages so that they are accessible
at a variety of connection speeds.
• If your pages download slowly because they
contain large, detailed graphics or
complicated animations, your users will leave
before they ever see your content

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Design the Whole Site

• Plan the unifying themes and structures
• Create smooth transitions
• Use a grid to provide visual structure
• Use active white space

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Create Smooth Transitions

• Plan to create a unified look
• Reinforce the identifying elements
• Avoid random, jarring changes in format

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Use Active White Space

• Use white space deliberately in your design
• Good use of white space guides the reader
and defines the areas of your page
• Active white space is an integral part of your
design that structures and separates content

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Design for the User

• Keep your design efforts centered solely
around your user
• Design for interaction
• Design for location
• Guide the user’s eye
• Decide whether the user will read or
scan
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Design for the User

• Use the power of hypertext linking
• Provide plenty of linking options
• Provide location information
• Avoid “click here” as a link
• Use plenty of textual links
• Don’t overload the user with too much
content
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Design for the Screen

• The computer display is very different
from print-based media
• The display is landscape-oriented
• Colors and contrasts are different
• Computer displays are low-resolution
devices
• Reformat paper documents for online
display
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Summary
 Craft a look and feel and stick with it
throughout your site. Revise and test your
interface by paying close attention to the
demands of online display.
 Make your design portable, using as low a
bandwidth as possible.
 Plan for easy access to your information.
Don’t let the user click through more than
two or three pages before they get what
they want.

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Summary
 Design a unified look for your site. Create
templates for your grid structure and apply
them consistently.
 Use white space actively as an integral
part of your design. Use text, color, and
object placement to guide the user’s eye.
 Leverage the power of hypertext linking.
Provide enough links for the user to create
their own path through your information.
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Summary
 Use the ALT attribute on all graphics. Plan
for users who can’t or won’t download
graphics.
 Design your text for online display.

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