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5 Web Design Don’ts


By Michelle Timothy

Something happens to the creatively challenged person who learns a new design skill such as web design. They tend to forget what it is like to be a visitor or objective viewer. They are usually so taken with their new found ability that just about anything they create looks good to them, just because they created it and they know how far they came.Your visitor knows nothing about this!


Your visitor only knows that they are surfing for information and if it is too hard or unpleasant to find out what your site is about, they will simply leave and go to another web site.The main idea of your web design should be your customer not your ego. Design a web site that meets the needs of the person you are selling to. And yes you are selling even if you have nothing for sale on your web site.

You are always selling yourself. Imagine; who is your customer? And why would they visit your site? What are you offering? How will they find you? What will they know about you before they see your page, if anything at all?

Design your web site around your customer’s needs and the problem they came to you to solve. Address the main point of your web page immediately and near the top section that loads first. Now let’s find out what not to do;

1. Don’t Use Frames!
Aside from being difficult to get listed in search engines, frames present the webmaster with linking problems, URL destination issues, printing and Book marking problems. Frames are essentially two or more web pages displayed on your screen at the same time but you lack control over one or more of the web pages being displayed. You’ve seen it where you visit a web page, it loads… you see a great looking header. When it is done loading you scroll down and notice that, the great looking header does not move. It stays at the top of your viewing space! It essentially becomes a part of your browser and cuts your viewing space in half!

I personally have a small 14” monitor with an 11”w x8.5h” viewing space. I use IE as my main browser but I have added a few toolbars to it so my viewing space is now 4.5” in height! If the top or bottom frame on a web page were only 2”, I would now have a 2.5” viewing space! Do you see the problem? You can layout your web page with tables and achieve the same result without the headache of frames!

2. Don’t use wide pixel dimensions when creating your tables!
I never feel like I understand what is going on fully when I have to scroll left or right to view an entire web page. If you design your web page on a large monitor or wide screen resolution, make sure to consider that it will be viewed by people with smaller monitors and smaller resolutions too. Use percentages to create your tables whenever possible, so that the browser can readily adjust your web page to fit and look the same on any size monitor.

When using absolute pixel dimensions to design your tables, you run the risk of creating a web page that will not be able to adjust to fit any size screen. You will either dwarf a smaller screen with your design or have your design appear ridiculously tiny on a big screen. Most people have either 800x600 or 1024x768 resolution screens. If you use percentages instead of absolute pixel dimensions you won't have to worry about how your web site looks on either one it will adjust automatically.

3. Don’t use more than 3 colors! And make sure they blend!
There is nothing more disturbing than wacky color combinations. Your header graphic, border colors and text colors should all be in the same theme. Pick colors that blend together nicely. If you are ‘chromatically challenged’ use combinations you have seen before!Ideally you should choose just one or two ‘heavy’ colors. ‘Heavy’ means it is the richest or the darkest color on your page like navy blue, purple or red. The only way to carry off three or more "heavy" or rich colors, is to choose colors of the same "weight" or "value". For example ... all pastel colors are the same "value" even though they are different colors. They are all pale colors.


4. Don’t use colored text for your main body of copy. Always use black text on a white background when you have a paragraph or more of text, studies show that this format is the easiest to read on a computer monitor.


5. Lastly, don’t use more than 2 font styles per page. You need a uniform and neat appearance to convey professionalism. Many different stylish fonts in vivid colors do not communicate professionalism.


Stick to what works on the web for copy and that is black text on a white background. Arial and Verdana are the fonts that are the easiest to read on a monitor. Verdana was actually created just for internet use. If you avoid these 5 web design flaps, you should end up with a decent looking web page that will not scare away, annoy or confuse your visitors. Remember you put up that web page for a reason; keep that reason and your visitor in mind when designing your web site. Don’t go overboard with the design give them what they came for right up front in the simplest format possible.

 

Michelle Timothy
Copyright 2004 by Michelle Timothy
FREE web design ecourse ‘How to create a Web site That Sells’,
Visit http://cheap-webdesign.com for web design resources and tutorials

Feel free to reprint or distribute this article as long as the resource box at the bottom is included and remains in tact. if you do distribute or reprint this article please let me know where and when Thanks!