Web Design Mistakes and Suggestions by Dreamco
Top Five Web Design Mistakes
- Long Download Times
The average user will wait about eight seconds for a web page to load before moving on to another site. Don’t overload your pages with graphics and text. - Not Providing Answers to Common Questions
A visitor to a web site should be able to quickly determine the purpose of the site, what differentiates it from other sites, and where to find the information they need. - Unnecessary Bells and Whistles
Animations, music, blinking graphics and scrolling text should be used only if they support, and don’t distract from, the main purpose of the web page. - Poor Content
Images should be crisp and quick to download, text should be brief, well written, pertinent and properly edited, and graphics should be clean and attractive. - Inadequate Testing
Web sites should be previewed on both PC’s and Macs and in all the major web browsers before being launched to avoid inconsistencies and embarrassing errors.
Top Five Web Design Suggestions
- Define Your Site’s Purpose
For your business - what are the goals for the web site?
For your audience - what can your business do for them? - Create Clear Page Hierarchies
Utilize graphics, color, text, page placement and other design elements to draw the user’s eye to the most important item on a page, then to the next most important item, etcetera. - Respect Your Audience
Clear, uncluttered web sites that answer users’ questions and load quickly will be rewarded with praise and a high volume of traffic. - Build Functional Navigation
Users should not feel lost on your site. They should be able to move
easily from one section to another in a few clicks. - Design for the Lowest Common Denominator
Create web pages that look good at a screen resolution of 800 x 600
pixels, utilize style sheets, and develop your site in accordance with
accepted coding standards.
Greg Loumeau is the founder and CEO of Dreamco, an innovative web design, computer training and publishing company. He has written a business guide for entrepreneurs called Twist The New [www.TwistTheNew.com] and a children’s book about endangered animals entitled The Endangered Alphabet [www.TheEndangeredAlphabet.com]. Greg is currently working on a combination record album and children’s book called Eyes of the Bicycle Horse [www.EyesOfTheBicycleHorse.com].
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