If you’ve taken a design class then you’ve heard to never ever use the font comic sans. In the web design world, there are some major do’s and don’ts that everyone should be aware of, but if you’ve never taken a class this is the list for you. Here are a few do’s and don’ts to keep in mind with your website.
Do’s
Easy Navigation – When it comes to navigation UXPlanet suggest keeping these three things in mind:
- Simple – Every site should have the simplest structure possible.
- Clear – Navigation options must be self-evident for visitors.
- Consistent – Navigation system for the home page should be the same on every page.
Consistency
- Colors – Choose a color scheme and then stick with it for every page. It should never feel like you are bouncing between different websites as you go from one page to the next. Also, remember that colors should not be chosen simply because they are pretty. Consider functionality along with your color choice.
- Type Face – You should only have 2 maybe 3 different fonts on your website. If you have more than that your site will start to look more like a mystery note instead of a professional business.
Well Organized
- Text – avoid large blocks of text. Try and keep your paragraphs around 3 or 4 sentences with clearly labeled transitions. This will make your content seem more consumable and help visitors to your site easily find what they’re looking for.
- Label Buttons – All of your buttons should be clearly labeled on your website. A visitor should never have to happen across an action to realize it’s a button.
- Visited Links – If you have numerous links on your page, make sure the links change colors after someone has visited the link. This makes it easier for the visitor to remember where they’ve been and what they’ve already seen.
Mobile Friendly
Your site should seamlessly transfer from one user interface to another. With today’s technology, you never know if your website will be accessed from a computer, phone or iPad, so your site should be ready to beautifully pull up on any source.
Don’ts
Ignore Your Target Audience
When looking at your website it should cater to your target audience as much as possible. If your target is middle-aged women who like to garden then the colors and content should reflect things that those women would be interested in. That website should look vastly different from a punk band’s site.
Over Complicate
Too many options – You never want your visitor to feel like they’re clicking into the labyrinth when they enter your site. Don’t use four options when two will work just fine.
Too Busy
- Colors – Choose a color scheme and stick with it. On that same note though, you don’t want to blast your visitors away with a crazy bright orange background. If a friend looks at your website and the first thing they say is, “wow that’s a lot of yellow,” you might want to rethink your color choice.
- Type Face – This goes back to what was mentioned earlier. You don’t want tons of different font sizes or font types. If you get carried away it will make it hard for people to focus on the actual content of your website.
- Blinking Text – Blinking text is always a bad idea. It is distracting, annoying, and feels like you’re shouting. People will not want to stay on your site if they are getting yelled at the entire time.
- Clutter – More is not always better. White space is not a bad thing if tactfully done. Just remember that more pictures, infographics, and buttons are not better, they are just busy.
Poor Quality Photos
With the resources available to you there is no excuse for poor quality photos. If you want stock pictures there are plenty of free sources with high-quality photos you can download. If you need a photographer to take pictures of your product, the money you use getting those pictures will be money well spent.
If you read through this list and realize that your site isn’t quite hitting the mark on numerous accounts than you might need a redesign. If there were just one or two things that needed tweaking, then good luck with your website.