Whitten Words’ Philosophy on Web Design
I recently decided that I should, in addition to my ordinary copyediting services, offer a web site design service. Potential clients should be aware, though, that I am by no means an expert at web design. My pages tend to be uncomplicated and straightforward – in fact, this site is a prime example of whatever site I design will look like (that’s why I am so cheap).
Now, while browsing my site, you may have noticed that I have a slightly different design philosophy than many other web designers. Now, hear me out – this may appeal to you.
My philosophy can be summed up in three words: simpler is better.
This is not what you may have been told. The prevailing wisdom seems to be that you need a flashy site that will grab people’s attention. But flashy sites are complicated – and the more complicated something is, the more there is that can go wrong with it, and the more there is to confuse and frustrate visitors.
For example, imagine you have a grandmother who was born in 1909 (she remembers when telephones, television, and electricity were not common) and that she is now surfing the net. Will a flashy site help keep her attention? Or will it confuse her? Will she be able to navigate it?
These are questions you have to ask about your site – it is much the same standard you should apply to anything you write for public consumption. You should always write as if you expected your reader to be unfamiliar with the material. Likewise, you should design your web site with the non-computer-savvy in mind (unless, that is, you don’t care about maximizing the consumption of your site).
Also, you should try to make it as easy as possible to access your site. A flashy site with a goodly amount of images might look neat, but it takes a while to load. Not everyone has the most up-to-date machine, and many people still use a dial-up internet service.
In my opinion, images should be used in web design only if it is necessary to accomplish the purpose of your page (for example, as the contents of your on-line family photo-album, or as an illustration of something you are describing). And when you do use images, you ought to limit the number per page. For example, if you have posted your photo album, you might want to break it into several pages with no more than six photos per page – remember images take time to load. It is frustrating for people with slower computers to wait for the page to load when all they want is the information on the page (businesses should keep this in mind – you do not want your potential clients frustrated by your web site).
Your web site should be clearly demarcated and easy to read. Your background and text need to be in contrasting colors. Here’s a hint: lime-green and yellow are not contrasting colors. Most contrast comes from shade. If you have a background with a light shade, you should never, ever choose a font with a light shade. For example, you might be able to see a pink font on a light purple background, or a lime-green font on a yellow background, but some people have trouble with it – colorblind people might not be able to read it at all. A good rule of thumb is to avoid white or other bright colors. It is not fun to read bright fonts or to read from a bright background on an illuminated computer screen.
Your site should be easy to navigate. My method is to have one or more ‘nexus’ pages (including the main page) that link back to the main page. Each nexus page covers a unique topic (or topics) and all documents listed on the nexus page link back to that page. If someone can get lost on your site, it’s probably too complex.
Simpler is better. If you do not agree, you should not hire me, you should go to my links page and check out Rainbow Rick’s web design page – he has much greater expertise in this area than I, and can offer a wider range of service.
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