7 Tips for Unbelievable Website Design

How do you create website design that looks great? Here are the key points from the article “Principles of Effective Web Design”:

1. Make it Obvious

Make your website design self-explanatory so that users can almost unconsciously navigate your site without feeling like they’re trying to figure out a puzzle. A visually obvious website design structure and easily recognizable links can help you achieve this.

2. Make it Quick

Make your website design easy for your user to take action. The easier it is for a visitor to do so, the more will do so. For example, a long form for a free e-book? Many will quit part way through. If it can’t be done in less than 30 seconds in an unobtrusive way, it probably won’t work as well as it could.

3. Focus Attention

In your website design, assign values to what is most important for your users to see on your site. Then focus your users on those items with color, video, or the word “free”, for example, to capture attention.

4. Easy as 1-2-3

Think about the 1-2-3 step approaches you have seen on websites, where you were guided through a process with large button and visual effects. Easy, wasn’t it? Felt good, didn’t it?

5. Writing Style

Lots of text won’t be read. All caps won’t be read. Avoid these in your website design. Use bold, underline, bullet points. Get to the point and convey the basics. Users will not be reading. They will be skimming, or ignoring if it isn’t short and sweet.

6. Keep it Simple

KISS.

7. Use White Space Effectively

White space helps fight cognitive overload. If you want to focus your users, you need to counterbalance it with white space so they can effectively scan and take in your website design.

To read the entire article, visit
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/31/10-principles-of-effective-web-design/.

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Comment by Gabriel Solis on January 23, 2009 at 9:26am: great tips, i will take a look at my website and see where I can improve.

tks

Comment by GOBS LLC on January 19, 2009 at 12:40am: Great info about the website, Thanks a lot

Comment by Terrie Travers on December 26, 2008 at 9:41pm: Thanks! Crisp and concise. I can't stand sites with too much going on and tried to keep my clean, but you have pointed out a few things I have overlooked.

Comment by Gus Akel on December 12, 2008 at 2:14pm: I know some about web desig and I know more about advertising,and I know alots about attraction and sales.I agree about what you said for the website make it simple to read .and let others read what you need them to know about by attracting their eyes first, like a fire works in the 4th of july.and the site has to be renovated from time to time.to keep others checking on what's new.make people same as subcribers for your site.then start feeding your business information.this is my idea.Hopefuly I am right.

Comment by Liz on October 25, 2008 at 10:00pm: I have always wonder about how my website look to otheirs You have pointed out things that I can change. Thank you