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Posted by Scott W. Spain on July 02, 1998 at 17:01:55:
In Reply to: Good design charactertistics for a site posted by Mary McCusker on July 02, 1998 at 14:40:33:
Mary,
Thank you! You've given me a topic that will really get me going. As a long-time desiner, I love to talk about this stuff. I don't have any specific sites to refer you to that talks about this stuff, but I'll be glad to shoot my mouth off on the subject for a while:
First, and most imporantly, the software you use matters very little. There are hundreds of good great sites designed in FrontPage, which is what I consider to be the worst of all. However, what is important is that you understand the limitations of the software you use. To stick with FrontPage as an example, FP is is guilty of designing pages that are geared toward the Microsoft browser. It's not uncommon for new users to use certain FP features, not realizing that 50% of the web population can't use them. As for how cheap the software is, that does not matter at all. I create a lot of my stuff in Notepad. You know, the free text editor that comes with Windows 95.
With that said, I'll go into some detail about what I think makes a "good" design:
Use of Frames
Frames are okay, as long as a few things are understood. 1. Some people can't view them. This is such a small segment of the population that it is hardly worth mentioning. 2. Many people have trouble printing frame-based pages. I NEVER use frames on a page that I anticipate people will want to print.
Resolution
Resolution (screen size settings) are also key. I typically work at 800 x 600 or higher. However, I have to understand that around 70% of the surfing population uses 640 x 480. I need to design for those people. Everybody hates horizontal scrolling. You may also want to consider the WebTV display, which is only 544 wide.
Speed
I try never to exceed 30k per page. This may need to be adjusted down, depending on the speed of the servers you're using for hosting.
Colors
Be sure to use either the 216-color web-safe pallet, or a 7-bit optimized pallet. 256 colors is by far the most common screen setting. It's important that the masses enjoy your pages.
Images
Have a good understanding of when to use .gif (line art mostly) .Vs >jpg (photos).
Fonts
Do not use any fonts that are not on every system.
I could go on for HOURS about this stuff. I'll be happy to elaborate on any of these items if you'd like. Most of the design work I do is based on user preference. We are the only web design firm I'm aware of that regularly polls the online public to determine system configuration and preferences. The most important aspects always come down to speed and compatibility.
Subject: Re: Re: Good design charactertistics for a site