Web Site Design

In this chapter you'll discover how to create a more user-friendly experience by improving your Web site's design, layout, navigation, and much more.

14.	Chapter Two Introduction
14.1.	Average Internet Users Do Not Exist
14.2.	Two Types of Web Users
14.3.	Know Your Users
14.3.1.	User Profile
14.3.2.	User Likes and Dislikes
14.3.3.	User Preferences
14.3.4.	User Limitations
14.3.5.	User Habits
14.3.6.	Replacing Users' Existing Systems
14.4.	Define Your Web Site Objectives
15.	Human Factors
15.1.	What are Human Factors?
15.2.	How Do We Use the Web?
15.2.1.	We Scan Web Pages
15.2.2.	We Satisfice
15.2.3.	We Wander Through Things
15.3.	Human Memory
16.	User-Centered Design (UCD)
16.1.	Make Every Aspect of Your Web Site Self-Evident
16.2.	Five Essential Elements of Designing a User-Friendly Web Site
16.2.1.	Create a Clear Visual Hierarchy
16.2.2.	Break Up Pages into Clearly Defined Areas
16.2.3.	Use Standard Conventions
16.2.4.	Make Clickable Links Obvious
16.2.5.	Minimize Page Noise
16.3.	Wide vs. Deep Web Sites
16.4.	Minimize Instructions
16.5.	Warn Users About File Sizes
16.6.	Business Information
16.7.	Update FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Page
17.	Homepage
17.1.	Make a Good First Impression
17.1.1.	First Three Seconds are the Most Important
17.1.2.	Site Identity
17.1.3.	Site Benefits
17.1.4.	Primary Navigation
17.1.5.	Direct Links to the Content Advertised
17.1.6.	Feature and Content Teasers or Promotions
17.1.7.	Fresh Content
17.1.8.	Links to the Most Popular Content
17.1.9.	Starting Points
17.1.10.	Search
17.1.11.	Registration or Log-In
17.1.12.	Advertisements
17.2.	How to Sell the Benefits of Using Your Site
17.2.1.	The Tagline or Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
17.2.2.	The Welcome Message
17.2.3.	The Browser's Title Bar
17.3.	Starting Points for Three Types of Users
17.4.	Optimizing Home Page Real Estate
17.4.1.	Rollover Pop-Up Windows
17.4.2.	Pull-Down Navigation Menus
17.4.3.	Effective Pull-Down Menus
17.4.4.	Rotate Content
17.4.5.	Split Run Testing
17.5.	Can Homepage Navigation be Different?
17.6.	Common Homepage Mistakes
17.6.1.	Large Banner Ads
17.6.2.	Too Many Ad Buttons
17.6.3.	Too Much Content
17.6.4.	Go Away Links
18.	Web Page Layout
18.1.	Excess Noise
18.2.	Movement
18.3.	Chunking
18.4.	Design for 640x480 Screen Resolution
18.5.	WebTV's Screen Resolution Limitation
19.	Navigation
19.1.	Global (Persistent) Navigation
19.1.1.	Page Title
19.1.2.	Site Identity or Logo
19.1.3.	Local Navigation
19.1.4.	Primary Navigation
19.1.5.	Home Page Link
19.1.6.	Breadcrumb Trail
19.1.7.	Search Form
19.1.8.	Utilities
19.2.	'Where on the Internet am I?' Checklist
19.2.1.	Where is the Content Promised by the Link?
19.2.2.	What is This Page About?
19.2.3.	Where are the Local Navigation Links
19.2.4.	What is the Name of This Site?
19.2.5.	Where are the Links to the Main Sections of the Site?
19.2.6.	Where is the Link for the Homepage?
19.2.7.	Where am I in Relation to the Homepage?
19.2.8.	How Can I Search This Site?
19.3.	Five Ways to Navigate
19.4.	Tab Divider Navigation Bars
20.	Hyperlinks
20.1.	Use Action Links
20.2.	Cross-Linking
20.3.	Minimize Links in Text
20.4.	Icons vs. Text links
20.5.	Avoid Broken Links
21.	Text
22.	Images
23.	Color
24.	Multimedia
25.	Learn from Existing User Experiences
25.1.	Web Page Exit Ratios
25.2.	Monitor Site Search Words
25.3.	Listen to User Feedback
25.4.	Server Log File Analysis
26.	Design Mistakes
27.	Chapter Two Summary

Other Chapters: Web Usability - Web Accessibility

Web Site Design

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