Usability, Accessibility and Interaction Design
5 tips for designing a better website
Research shows that people form a favorable impression of a website by visual design alone. The visual design should match the site’s purpose. Construct a better, more usable and accessible website with these 5 design tips.
- Provide clear communication in your design
Why? The primary purpose of your design is to communicate, not decorate. Yes, visual communication is very important, just don’t make it a distraction. Be very clear and direct. Can a website visitor understand what your company does? What you are selling? Is that blinking, flashing thingamajig helping or hindering?
- Make sure design elements are in alignment
Why? – Aligned elements strengthen the visual appearance and make it much easier to read and find information. Pick an alignment scheme and stick with it throughout the site.
- Group related elements together
- Use repetition and consistency
Why? – Use the same style, colors, typography, illustrations, format, and layout throughout your site to maintain integrity and a consistent look and feel. Construct each page to strengthen the image of the whole site.
- Use contrast effectively
Why? – Proper contrast will provide a dominant feature to draw the reader’s attention. If there are no (or multiple) contrasting elements, then nothing will stand out as a single focal point.
Why? When related items are grouped together each group represents a chunk of information that strengthens the visual hierarchy. The page is better organized and the information easier to scan.
