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Website Design

Visual Hiearchy and Organization is the Key

The placement of navagation, text and graphical elements greatly impact the user experience. The navagation should always be placed on the top or left of the website since we read top to bottom and
left to right.

The text must be broken up visually by size, weight and color. The body text must be ledgeable and properlly spaced to create an easy to read website. The body text should not dominate the page, it should be secondary to intense bold graphics and video.

Images should relate to the products or services offered on the website. There should be 3 or more graphical call to actions. These calls to action will direct the user immediately to the most important or searched after items or services on the website.

The Importance of User Interface Design

  • Functionality - list the functionality required of the website to accomplish the goals of the project and the potential needs of targeted users.
  • User Analysis - analyze the potential users of the website either through discussion with people who work with the users and/or the potential users themselves.
  • Questions to ask:
  • What would the user want the system to do?
  • How would the website fit in with the user's normal workflow or daily activities?
  • What gender, age group, interests, colors, fonts, images appeal to the user?
  • How technically savvy is the user and what similar websites does the user already use?
  • What interface look & feel styles appeal to the user?
  • Information Architecture - development of the visual / textual flow of the website
  • Flow Management - development of the navagational flow of the website
  • Mockup Development - development of interactive homepage of the website. These mockups consist of all look & feel elements and content for the website. A strong emphasis is placed on the development of a solid interface that is easy to navagate.
  • Usability testing - testing of the mockups on an actual potential users and obtaining feedback using a technique called talk aloud protocol where you ask the user to talk about their thoughts during the experience.