Getting to Grips with Web Design

Current statistics indicate that 60% (30.1 million) of the adult population accesses the internet per day. The internet is used as an asset for finding information to a multitude of questions, conducting research as well as being used as a means for shopping. The internet has evolved into a valued treasure trove of information that the general population has incorporated into everyday life. For this reason, a web site can act as a highly valuable method of establishing an online presence for an individual, a business or even an idea. This emphasizes the need to get the web site right the first time or a potential customer will just click away from your web site. So how can this be done?

Know thy user
As a web designer the most important point must be to ‘know thy user’. If a web designer does not understand what the user wants from the web site then how will they be able to supply it? This fundamental idea can be achieved easily by doing your homework and understanding who the customer is. If you’re working for a client, who are they and what are the requirements they want? If you’re trying to target a user, who are they and how can those unique users needs be met? There are some interesting ideas in publications that can point you to the answer.

Talking to the client will begin to draw a picture of what they are after, leaving a blueprint of what needs to be done. Gaining the basics of this golden image that needs to be obtained can allow the designer to consider more technical aspects. If the initial assessment of what the client wants is not gained correctly all the work that ensues could be in vain therefore showing the importance of getting it right first time.

Putting together the pieces
The image of what the client wants can leave the web designer to consider the interaction between the human and the computer. For a user to be able to successfully use an interface it must be at a stage where the user can efficiently find the information that they are looking for. The usability of the web site plays a large part in this process. The creation of a web site is based around the user’s needs meaning the ease of use experienced can be a measurement of usability.

Usability can or should be seen in almost every feature of a web site. The reasoning behind why features such as navigation, layout and appearance are that way should be to meet a target users needs. For instance, eye movement along a page is usually focused along the left hand side of the page which could encourage a designer to put the most relevant and important information there i.e. navigation etc.

The internet is a powerful asset that can be maximized through close understanding of a client/user and simple application of usability. There are many other aspects to consider however these two critical points are starting posts that should be built upon.