WebDesign+Handout

=The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly= This wiki page defines the design process and highlights principals or tips for good web design along with features typical of bad designs. References are noted at the bottom.

__**What is Design?**__ "Design is a complex process that is intensely personal, emotional, cognitive, social, and contingent on history." (Mishra, Zhao, & Tan, 1999, p. 236) It is this complexity that makes it impossible to have just one theory or train of thought that will guarantee success. However, there are some common themes recognized by design experts that can help start you in the right direction.

__**Five Tips for Good Web Design**__
 * 1) **//Centered Around the User//** - "Get to know your audience and design for them - not for yourself or your colleagues." (Brown, 2008, par. 4) Understanding your goals for a project as well as what the audience wants is critical in the success of any design project. The user should feel empowered and inspired.
 * 2) //**Is Aesthetically Pleasing**// - A good design impresses a "feeling of completeness, coherence, balance, and unity" (Mishra, Zhao, & Tan, 1999, p. 230). Good design is more than appearance. It gives the user a "total" experience.
 * 3) //**Is Useful and Valuable**// - Make your design as easy to use as possible. This includes navigation, readability, and accessibility. Test your design regularly throughout the design process. Be open to suggestions from users to improve your design. Avoid "falling in love" with your design so that you are not blinded by its weaknesses (Mishra, Zhao, & Tan, 1999, p. 233). In addition, the design must offer something of value to the user. If the user sees no value in a site, they will not use it. (Greenspun, 2003).
 * 4) //**Is Communicative -**// The design must "give the users a sense of what the site is about" (Mishra, Zhao, & Tan, 1999, p.231) and should also have a forum for two-way communication. According to Lewis, "your design should answer the user's basic who, what, when, where, and why questions" (2000). The website must also contain useful contact information and allow for feedback through comments or bulletin board postings. Finally, it is important to encourage multiple perspectives.
 * 5) //**Allows Feedback**// - It is important to encourage multiple perspectives. Provide a means for users to submit feedback through comments or bulletin board postings.

__**Five Features of Bad Web Design**__
 * 1) //**More is NOT Always Better -**// First impressions are very important. While flashing icons and fancy color schemes may look impressive, ultimately the user is looking for great content. Keep things simple, clean, and fresh. According to Lewis, "make sure there is plenty of white space to make your content stand out" (2000). Also, consider using templates to maintain consistency throughout the entire site (Lewis, 2000).
 * 2)  //**Has TOO Many Graphics**// - A user visits a site to get information, so an abundance of images can make a website too busy or distracting. Careful attention should also be paid to image quality and size. If a sites takes a long time to load images, users will move on.
 * 3) //**Just TOO Much**// - Even with tasteful graphics and pleasing backgrounds, mixing colors, fonts, and other visual design elements can ruin your site. Pay close attention to contrast.
 * 4) //**Poor Goal Choice**//s **-** "People come to websites looking to get a job done or a question answered" (Greenspun, 2003). A design that reflects the needs of an organization rather than the needs of its users is inherently flawed.
 * 5) **//Lack of Support -//** Be sure to investigate all potential reasons why users will visit your site. For example, a manufacturer that advertises products on their site but does not provide technical support or a customer support forum is not considering which users will potentially use the site. In addition, a site that provides a customer service forum must commit to keeping it current. Webmasters should work answers to frequently asked questions into their web design. (Greenspun, 2003)

Brown, Marc. (2008). "Dreamweaver". //Macromedia Design Tips//. Retrieved on March 25, 2008 from http://www.adobe.com/devnet/dreamweaver/articles/dwmx_design_tips.html.

Greenspun, P. (2003). "Envisioning a site that won't be featured in suck.com". //Phillip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing//. Retrieved on March 23, 2008 from http://webdesign.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.photo.net/wtr/thebook/suck.html.

Lewis, C. (2000). //Professor Lewis' Basic Web Design Principles.// Retrieve on March 29, 2008 from http://www.colorado.edu/AmStudies/lewis/Design/lewbasic.htm.

Mishra, P., Zhao, Y., Tan, S. (1999). [|From concept to software: Developing a framework for understanding the process of software design]. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 32(2).

Williams, Robin. //Web Design Features//. Retrieved on March 26, 2008 from http://www.ratz.com/features.html.