Web Design Tips

  1. Site structure should be determined by the tasks users want to perform on your site.
  2. A site map should let users know where they are in relation to other areas on the site
  3. Avoid marketing fluff, get to the point
  4. Give immediate benefits to users, help them solve their problems as quickly as possible
  5. Earn the right to ask for information. Tell users exactly what you'll do with personal data
  6. Let people know PDFs are for printing, provide HTML versions for browsing
  7. Have a call to action on each page
  8. Use readily understood conventions (for example, blue underline for hyperlink, no underline for normal text) and tick to established metaphors ("shopping cart") whenever possible
  9. Don't underline text that can't be clicked (will be confused with hyperlinks).
  10. Write for scannabilty; use simple sentence structure and short paragraphs.
  11. For maximum legibility; Use high-contrast colors (black on white is best, white on black is second best)
  12. Keep load times under 10 seconds (34-50k on 33.6-56k, 120k+ on high-speed)
  13. Search and home links should be in prominent positions (i.e. first and last on navbar) and should be easily available from every page on the site
  14. Keep it simple. If a design works well without an element, get rid of it.
  15. Test on all browsers, all platforms