10 advices
1. Start with an open mind. Assume nothing. Study your intended Web site visitors, identify their information needs and then present the information in the language and order they expect it.Test, test, test.
2. Chunk the content. Assume visitors are in a hurry. Make it as easy as possible for them to scan your site’s content so they can identify and focus on the relevant 10 advices information. Provide plenty of subheads. Use white space to separate chunks of information.
3. Create meaningful categories. Categories should be based on visitors’ needs, not the organizational structure of your client’s firm or any assumptions about how information should be presented.
4. Design for speed. Avoid large, slow-loading graphics and animation.Use clickable thumbnails whenever possible, so only those who want to see a visual or experience a special effect will have to wait for it to download. Provide an HTML-only version of your site.
5. Follow accepted standards. Avoid reinventing the wheel. Don’t confusevisitors by using non-standard colors for hyperlinks and visited links. 10 advices Avoid pages that require horizontal scrolling.
6. Avoid unnecessary graphics. Use fast-loading HTML text whenever possible. Use graphics only when they communicate ideas that cannot be effectively communicated in text alone.
7. Design for easy reading. Use color and backgrounds sparingly. Assume visitors are seeking information rather than entertainment. Eliminate distractions such as unnecessary lines.
8. Design for universal access and for the lowest common denominator. Assume most visitors have slow Internet connections. They should not have to download plug-ins in order to view your site. Recognize that many visitors surf with graphics turned off and that visually disabled visitors depend on voice-translation technology that translates HTML text into spoken words.
9. Keep visitors informed of their current location. Never let them get lost. Make it easy for them to identify the position of their current page location–if only so they can easily return.
10. Design for printing. Avoid non-standard page sizes and text, and back- ground colors that do not look good when printed in black and white.