Design within
boundaries of an "image-safe" area
![[sketch of image-safe area]](images/imgsafe.gif)
Anticipate your users' screen resolution settings and the size of
their monitors. Use this information to define a dimension for the
"image-safe" area. Allow room for browser elements such as navigation
buttons and scroll bars. In the illustration to the right, the main
title "Forget Me Not" does not fit into the image-safe area. This may
misinform users, because unless they widen the browser window, they
will read the message as
"Forget Me."
Design in a
style that will appeal to your audience's tastes
Use your audience profile and strategy definition
to define a visual style for your site which they will find appealing.
A reference site for a general corporate audience will need to convey
a different image than a site which should appeal to restaurant
managers and hobbyist connoisseurs interested in exotic fruit.
Test the visual
design
Before you begin coding and creating the visuals
for your site, ask users to evaluate the planned visual style. Create
some quick paper sketches that are easily revised. Offer your
participants alternative sketches of different designs. Consider
asking each participant the following questions:
Creating simple sketches are valuable not only for
soliciting feedback from users, but also for communicating your
purpose and plans to other team members.
Establish and/or
comply with your organization's design conventions
Many organizations have an established set of
design conventions that dictate how their logo and related elements of
corporate identity are to appear on stationery and other materials.
Consistent design conventions help your organization become more
recognizable to the public. If your organization does not have a set
of design conventions that apply to web design, you might suggest that
one be established.
Maintain
consistent visual identity
Establish a visual identity by using related visual
elements throughout your site. A consistent visual style gives a site
a sense of unity and reinforces users' experience that they are rooted
in a certain place.
Present your
message efficiently and avoid clutter
Your words and your design will be more powerful if
you can say more with less, so be rigorous about eliminating
superfluous elements. Every element of your design should support the
goal of your message. While using purely decorative elements is
legitimate, keep in mind that a tremendous amount of information is
competing for users' attention. Information overload can cause
discomfort and prevent users from finding the information they want to
find.
Draw attention
to new or greatly changed content
Regularly updating your site will increase its
value and give users incentive to return. Make it easy for users to
see what you have added and when you added it as soon as they enter
your site. Enable users to go directly to the new information without
wasting time reviewing areas they have already seen. You can provide
direct links from a "What's New?" area to the new information.
Avoid requiring
users to scroll in order to determine page contents
Users should be able to recognize immediately
whether the subject of any given page interests them. Elements that
are critical to identifying page contents need to be visible in the
image-safe area without scrolling.
Avoid requiring
the use of horizontal scroll bars