Web Design/Development Tips

It's easy to create a page that can frustrate your viewers, so it's important to remember a few things when designing your website.

  • Stay organized! Think about the content you want to provide. Display the sections of your page in order from most to least important. Also try to maintain usefulness with the information you're providing. No one wants to scan through five paragraphs to find content that could've easily been summarized into one or two.
  • Keep distractions out! Don't use elements such as animated GIFs or auto-loading sound. These things can easily become a nuisance when a visitor is trying to find information on a page, but can't focus on what is crucial.
  • Don't type sentences in ALL CAPS! Words in capitals draw attention to themselves to prove importance, but should not be used in full sentences. By typing everything in all caps, you lose the desired effect and thus none of it looks important. If you want specific elements of your page to stand out, try making the text bold or in a different color.
  • Use a spell checker! People who already spell poorly may not notice that your site is badly misspelled, but literate people may notice and care, and they're in the majority.
  • Keep your links lowercase! If a designer were to save a page as Example.html but someone were to type example.html into their browser, chances are an error will appear (instead of a webpage). By default, hyperlinks are in lowercase letters; the likelihood of someone typing out a link with a capital letter in it is fairly low.
  • Be aware of, and check for Accessibility! This is required by law. It refers to the inclusive practice of removing barriers that prevent interaction with, or access to websites, by people with disabilities. When sites are correctly designed, developed and edited, all users have equal access to information and functionality. If a webpage is not created with web accessibility in mind, it may exclude a segment of the population that stands to gain the most from the webpage. You can check for web Accessibility by visiting webaim.org

Good Luck!