The web designer’s Pre-flight Checklist.
When you think your website is done and ready to launch, it’s time to go over this checklist.
I always look for these elements in web sites:
- Clean easy to update design/structure.
- Good usability in the design – and all that implies.
- Fast loading ‘light’ pages.
- Intelligent use of technology – using Flash when it makes sense not because you want a ‘cool’ intro!
- The website’s ability to convey the meaning/message of the website quickly if not instantly.
THE DETAILS
1. Clean easy to update design/structure:
Just a few short years ago the web was full of dancing mice, spinning globes and animated construction workers, things have now changed where design principles are now actually put to good use … amazing!
A problem with many websites, is that the design is not flexible. Websites constantly change; if you find that putting in a new navigation button is going to take a lot of work, you have to reconsider your design.
You should be able to freely and add and remove elements from your pages with little to no trouble – that only makes sense.
2. Good usability in the design – and all that implies.
Usability is one of the new buzzwords that people like to use, but what does it mean? In a nutshell, usability is referring to (in web design) how easy someone can get around your website … how usable is it.
If someone has to ‘hunt’ for your ‘home’ link or your contact information, then you have a usability problem.
3. Fast loading ‘light’ pages.
This is one of the oldest rules in the book! People will leave your site like a flash, if your site takes over 10 seconds to load on a 56k modem. That means your pages have to be less than 60k – images and all.
Being that this is such an old rule of web design, you would think everyone would keep their pages light, right? Wrong! Just take a look around and it’s not hard to find 250k Flash websites!
This checklist is just a reminder of what we all know; sometimes in the excitement of building our masterpieces, we can forget … so check the checklist!
4. Intelligent use of technology – using Flash when it makes sense, not because you want a ‘cool’ intro!
I think this is obvious to most people. All the technology used to build websites are just tools; we use a screwdriver when we need to, not because we want to. (Of course, I’ve been known to hammer nails with a screwdriver and saw wood with a steak knife).
…
The point is, that you need to let the goal of the website dictate what technology you are going to use, and not what the flavor of the month happens to be at the time.
5. The websites’ ability to convey the meaning/message of the website quickly if not instantly.
The one thing that gets on my nerves (the most,) when I’m surfing the web, is when I come to a web page where I can’t figure out what the website is about. (Ok, maybe pop-up windows are worse, but this still ticks me off!)
Typically, these turn out to be what I would call ‘artsy’ websites, where the design is pleasing to the eye, but I have to ‘dig’ to get the point of the website.
Make sure that your visitors can easily figure out what the website is about, otherwise you won’t be conveying your message at all, because people will just be leaving your website.
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Originally published: January 20th, 2004
September 20th, 2005 at 9:16 am
“The point is that you need to let the goal of the website dictate what technology you are going to use, and not what the flavor of the month happens to be at the time.”
Finally! Someone said it perfectly.
I get so frustrated with clients/people in general who try to ‘demand’ flash intros or flash websites. My main goal is simple, clean design and exceptional optimization and marketing. I’ve actually had clients use the argument, “But non-flash sites are soooo borrrring!” The whine repeats and I find myself stammering over my words trying to explain to them that distracting your site’s visitors with flash today is equivalent to 8 years ago when everyone had flashing, spinning “E-Mail Me!” graphic links. (8 years ago? I still see current sites with that kind of junk on them… )
The purpose of the majority of business websites is to provide information to potential customers. Not to impress them with your “non-boring” website by using Flash, but by providing GOOD CONTENT and functionality. Sure, you want it to look good, but there’s no need to set off fireworks to get people’s attention. If they’re at your site, they’re already interested.
Thanks Stefan, for giving me the right words to use to make that point clear!
September 20th, 2005 at 1:20 pm
Hi Lara,
Every few years a new hot-item pops into the web-sphere, and every time people loose sight of the goals of most websites:
“The purpose of the majority of business websites is to provide information to potential customers.”
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These days, we have the obsession with Web Standards and code validation. These things are not bad in of themselves (they are actually very good in theory,) but people have put WAY too much importance in them … at the expense of speedy and practical web design!
More on that later.
September 21st, 2005 at 2:59 pm
Hi guys,
I agree, for now, goin flash is a bit overboard for most or all sites we see. In the next few years it is projected most houses in the US (where I am) will have broadband access, and by that time I think flash will become more used…
Flash is not one of the pass-through items that will fade out, I do think however it will find more usefullness, as people learn to code complete user interfaces and intertwine them with database solutions in a manner that keeps the overall file size compressed and the download times relatively quick, even downloadable on the old 56k.
September 26th, 2005 at 11:58 am
Nice ideals Robb, however let’s hope that the search engines “catch up” and decide that they can figure out how to read the bare bones of a Flash file by then. Because as it stands, you simply CANNOT optimize a site for the search engines that’s been designed entirely to rely on Flash. It just doesn’t happen.
October 6th, 2005 at 8:11 am
I just wandered in here because I want to learn something about this stuff, but let me say this. I just today loaded Flash after banning it for all this time because of the egregious intrusions and garish face-blasting that it represented. If you say that people are getting more civilized, I’ll use it….if not, out it goes. I don’t need to do business with anyone who has to shout at me.
January 17th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Nice list! Cheers