A designer of web sites can really create a thing of beauty, function and form when they have a good grasp of the process. Good design practices can make the difference between an undistinguished, forgettable website and a memorably unique one. Knowledge is vital to good web design. This article will help you become more knowledge about the art and science of web design.
Do not underestimate the value of a website that loads fast, with no slowdowns. If your website takes ages to load, they will wash their hands of your site and find one that loads in a reasonable amount of time.
Functional websites work out for all visitors, regardless of their browser, so it’s essential that your website is tested across all the major platforms. The most popular browsers are Internet Explorer, Firfox, Safari and Google Chrome and what works with one might not work with the others. Prior to formally launching your site, verify that it displays correctly in each of these popular browsers.
Use a style sheet to stay consistent. There is almost nothing more disconcerting than being sent to a page that looks at nothing like the site you were just looking at, even if it is concerning the same subject. Style sheets help with saving your formatting, so each page looks similar to the rest.
Avoid creating user interface (UI) controls that mislead your visitors. These controls include elements, widgets and more that create an interactive experience, such as a link, drop-down list or button. You do not want to make visitors think that clicking on an underlined word or phrase for example, will lead to a new page if it is not actually linked to something else. When your visitors have expectations of something working a certain way and it does not, they are more likely to assume there is something wrong with your site and leave.
While you might be inclined to add a lot of bells and whistles to your website, flashing graphics, loud music and neon colors will just distract from the purpose of your website. Visitors who are bombarded by too many sights and sounds might be inclined to leave your website before they even start browsing. Keep the colors simple and the content relevant and your website design will be a winner.
If you believe your site may be accessed via mobile devices, you will want to keep your designs simple. The use of flash, excessive images, and complicated menus will not translate well to a mobile platform. Keep your page clean and simple, or create a specific mobile site for your users.
Pay attention to your background colors and your text colors when designing a site. Something like red text on a blue background doesn’t work well. And if you think that white text will pop with a black background, it could be a little too bright for your readers. Go with something subtle.
When tinkering with your HTML, you always need to save a copy. You can save a copy of your code in a Notepad doc; just save it as .html and it will save as an actual webpage. This way, you can tinker around with things and know that there’s a backup should something go wrong. Failure to save pages may result in having to start from scratch.
It is quite apparent that proficient knowledge, skills and abilities positively affect the positive outcome of your web design ventures. It’s easy to distinguish good from bad in web design, but getting from good to better — or best — takes more subtle touches. Utilize the tips provided in this article, and learn how to make your web designs fantastic.
