In June this year, BusinessWeek.com covered a range of web design experts to know more about their web design rules. The luminaries included Don Norman, co-founder of the famous Nielsen Norman Group, and Khoi Vinh, the design director of NYTimes.com. Simply put, these web design contributors explained the “10 commandments for Web Design for 2008.”
So, here’s a recap of what these 10 commandments mean and how they can help you improve your professional website design:
- Stop Flash abuse. Flash abuse is a common website design problem. Users are forced to tolerate uninteresting sequences on a site. This really ends up distracting users while they navigate through your site. Remember, simple designs are not only user-friendly, they are IN.
- Don’t hide content. Many sites have more advertisements popping up than valid content. A user visits your site to access information that is interesting and informative. So when content is hidden, it ceases to interest the user.
- No clutter please. A cluttered website will deter users from searching for the information they want. Users will be forced to wade through piles of information before they can find what they are looking for.
- Discard glassy reflections. A commonly copied design is the glassy reflections style. This looks slick and cool but is so common now that designers believe it is time to discard it.
- Don’t cut out vowels. Funny nomenclature patterns are emerging as websites come up with weird sounding names. Don’t cut out the vowels just to sound weird or grab fleeting user attention.
- Respect typography. The most successful web designers insist that typography has become popular. So don’t dismiss plain text while using cutting-edge designs.
- Engage users with powerful content and functionality. It isn’t enough for websites to look good. Sites like Facebook draw millions of users, who then remain glued to these sites for ages. This is what brilliant content and functionality does to drive up website traffic and retain user attention.
- Get social. The mantra for your website should be “Get Social.” Users love to communicate on sites that are browser based.
- Embrace elements of proven technologies. Sites like Facebook and Wikipedia are a part of the daily web browsing routine. So, add their successful elements into your site design. Connecting with users in a meaningful way is what makes all the difference.
- Let Content Lead. Remember, content is King for your site. So surge ahead with compelling content and let aesthetic design follow.
The bottomline is that the content and design of the website is what attracts users and drives maximum traffic – and this is what lies at the core of any successful business.
