Thursday, April 21, 2005
Want to build a Web site that people love? Here are just a few more pointers you should keep in mind:
Make links meaningful; avoid generic "click here" links. Instead, link on a phrase that describes what the payoff for clicking the link will be.
Keep anything that's really important within three clicks of your homepage
Keep directory names and filenames short and consistent. Use lowercase, not mixed case,directory names and filenames.
Tell your users the size of any downloadable files -- they need to know whether they can manage the file. Also tell them the format of the files and what software they'll need, if any, to use them.
Provide an email link for feedback or to a specific contact person.
Test, test, test. Test concepts by showing index cards to a focus group or friends. Test the site before you go live. Test it after you go live. Test it until you can't stand to look at it another minute. Then get others to test it. Find all the bugs and squash them.
Document, document, document. Document your plans, the decision you made as the site is built, and the specifics of how the site is created, which tools are used, and so on.
Make links meaningful; avoid generic "click here" links. Instead, link on a phrase that describes what the payoff for clicking the link will be.
Keep anything that's really important within three clicks of your homepage
Keep directory names and filenames short and consistent. Use lowercase, not mixed case,directory names and filenames.
Tell your users the size of any downloadable files -- they need to know whether they can manage the file. Also tell them the format of the files and what software they'll need, if any, to use them.
Provide an email link for feedback or to a specific contact person.
Test, test, test. Test concepts by showing index cards to a focus group or friends. Test the site before you go live. Test it after you go live. Test it until you can't stand to look at it another minute. Then get others to test it. Find all the bugs and squash them.
Document, document, document. Document your plans, the decision you made as the site is built, and the specifics of how the site is created, which tools are used, and so on.
