Web Design Considerations

If you are designing a website there are many things to consider. It is important that it is well designed, easy to use, and gives the visitors what they want.

The main thing that needs to be taken into consideration when designing a web site is the purpose of the site. You need to decide what the site is for and then design it accordingly. You need to work out what the visitor will want from the site, and what you want your visitors to do. It is always a good idea to put yourself in the visitor’s shoes. There is no point designing a flashy website that you think looks great if it is of no use to your visitors. Remember the site is for the visitor, not the designer. You need to work out who is going to use the site. Do your research on who the audience are and what they will be looking for.

The look of your website is important. It needs to be eye catching without being over complicated. If it is too bland the visitor’s are likely to leave immediately. You need a hook that makes them want to stay and investigate further. If it is too complicated though, the visitor may find the site too much work and leave for that reason. The visitor needs to be able to find what they are looking for. Once you know what this is, design the site so it is easy to find. Internet users are usually reluctant to work too hard for the information or products they are seeking. They don’t want to search for it for a lengthy period of time; if they can’t find it they will soon look elsewhere.

Usability is an extremely important factor in the design of your website. The site must be easy to navigate around. The last thing you want is for the visitor to leave the site because they feel they can’t use the site, despite the fact that the site may have what they are seeking. If you are selling a product, the visitor must be able to find the product and purchase it easily. If it is information you are providing, then it should be easily accessible. Creating a simple site may sound boring, but it is often what the visitor wants. There is nothing more frustrating to a visitor than a messy site, with too much content on each page so they can’t find what they want.

Of course you will want graphics on your site. They do add something, and without them the site will be very bland and look unprofessional. Any graphics you have, though, should have a purpose. Don’t overload the site with graphics, think about what purpose they serve and put them in the right place. They should fit naturally into the site. Only use animations, such as flash, if necessary. You may think they look good, but they can be very frustrating to the visitor, especially if on a splash page before they even get to the home page. They are also bad for SEO purposes, meaning you are less likely to appear high in the search engine results pages. Graphics, and more so animations, are fine in the right place if they serve a purpose, but if used in the wrong way they can frustrate the visitor.

Something that may be useful before designing a site is to look at the competition within you niche. Look at the things that they have done well and see if you can do something similar. You can also look at what they have done badly, and therefore prevent yourself from making the same mistakes. By looking at your competition’s website you can work out ways to provide your visitors with what they are looking for in a better way than anyone else.

Andrew Marshall ©

Web Design London