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Top 10 Design Don'ts For The Third Generation Web Page Designer
By Marty Crouch
This week's note is a more specific look at design practices to avoid while creating the third-generation website. The second draft of this article had several examples of websites that violate one or more of these design practices. That draft is on the computer in my office, but not on this powerbook. Perhaps it's for the best not to provide those examples so I don't come across as a nuevo-know-it-all-critic.
1. Don't make your visitors wait
Slow-loading pages, over 50K in size, need immediate lipo-suction. The 50K size limit includes all the images and text. Divide the pages, downsize graphics and do whatever else it takes to make your pages serve in less than 20 seconds with a 28.8K modem.
Design your pages to display some interesting text while the remainder of the page is being served. Use some of the same images on different pages so that they will be displayed from the browser's cache very quickly. Specify the size of your images so the browser may reserve room for them and display text around them.
Tables are a wonderful tool, because they give us more control over the layout of our pages. For faster loading, avoid placing the whole page into a single table. Browsers tend to display a table only after complete content has been received. If your page is somewhat lengthy, place at least the top of page outside the table, or use more than one table on the page. This way, the browser can begin displaying the page before all of the table contents have been served.
2. Use no distracting background
The textured or wallpaper graphic tends to make foreground text illegible. The foreground will be more legible on MacOS, because the MacOS displays colors lighter than Windows. Therefore, be especially careful about foreground text legibility if you are creating your website on the MacOS.
A tiled logo that has been faded-out and embossed is another common background. If you're tempted to spruce up your page in that manner, try to forget the idea! Embossed backgrounds probably won't convey the message that you want to convey, probably won't be readable, and probably will be irritating.
3. Reconsider the use of blank lines as paragraph separators; use indenting instead
The venerable practice of indenting paragraphs on the printed page is used because it works best. Unfortunately, HTML makes it hard to achieve this effect on the web page. The new paragraph markup tag, is always rendered as a blank line. To indent your paragraphs on the web page, use a line break tag, followed by a series of four or five non-breaking spaces ( ).
4. Use no distracting movement
A couple of years ago many sites used blinking text. Almost no one uses it now, because it's distracting and irritating. The same principle applies to those ubiquitous moving images, Spinning bullets, galloping animals, blinking lights; They might look cool the first time you see them, but once is enough!
Moving images are fine when they help illustrate the site or its metaphor, otherwise they are a distraction that is better left on someone else's site.
5. Use no wall-to-wall horizontal rules
Horizontal rules are those lines or bars that divide vertical sections of the page. They are so prevalent that some people think they are required on every web page. Great sites don't use them because white space makes a less distracting and therefore better divider. If you must use horizontal rules, use the simple browser generated ones. Don't waste your time making your own even if you think they are more creative than the browser ones.
6. Don't display table borders in your tables nor frames on your frameset
Turn off the distracting borders on your tables, unless you are displaying tabular data. Never use table borders to place a frame around a heading. It will look like you just constructed your first web page using your brand new copy of a wysiwyg editor.
If you have a great application for frames, try designing the application so that the frame borders and slider bars can be turned off.
7. Don't use clip art on your web page
Well OK, use clip art if it illustrates your message and has the look you want. Use a scanned image of coffee-stain circles on notebook paper if it has the look you want.
8. Don't require your guests to register in order to get something for free
Give away something of value; it's a web tradition. But don't make people give you their bio in order to receive your free gift. Collect only the minimum information needed, usually no more than name and e-mail address. It's irritating to provide information that appears to invite unwanted e-mail or avertising contact.
9. Don't use all upper case, even for headlines
Browsers provide lots of ways to emphasize. In order approximate
order of preference emphasize with: boldface, color, larger size,
italics, and underline. Using all caps looks like you are a mass
e-mail marketer who is stuck on upper case as the only method of
emphasis.
10. Don't use the latest new browser features
Wait about a year after introduction before you use the latest new features, like cascading style sheets. By then most guests will be have software that will allow them to see your design, and it will have fewer bugs. Wait longer if your market niche is likely to have older equipment. Ignore this rule if your market niche prides themselves on having and using the latest technology.
Rules were made to be broken. Break any of these rules when you've considered the evidence and have decided that they don't apply to your situation.
MARTY CROUCH
Visit His Web Site At http://www.webvalence.com
Phone (503)335.3442 2236 NE 44th Avenue, Portland, OR 97213
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