Understanding the essential elements of website design
As of 2003 the estimates of the number of “pages” on the Internet range from 4 – 6 billion with
Google search engine actually indexing over 3 billion. It is safe to assume that not all these
“pages” are well designed, as a matter of fact there are quite a few that are absolutely terrible!
Good website design is as much a science as an art. An emerging field of research called Human
Computer Interaction (HCI) is the study of how humans search, navigate, and locate information
on computers. Information Architecture (IA) is another new discipline that studies how users
prefer information organization and presentation. Considerable study has been done on
information design principles that are commonly accepted in the print industry and adaptations of
these principles are being transferred to website design.
As we learn more about these new sciences we find that the interactive nature of the Internet
requires that information be presented differently than we would for a printed publication. We find
that the ability to create hyperlinks allows us to offer multiple levels of detail for the website visitor
so they can choose anything from a quick overview (scan) to a detailed description of the
information presented on our website.
We want to make a good first and lasting impression to our new virtual visitors. This may be even
more important than a good first impression in person! I went to the grand opening of a newly
opened store in a small town. The sign on the front was hand-painted on a piece of paneling, the
display window was broken and duct taped, and the inside of the store was disorganized and very
dull. Some items had price tags, some didn’t. Items that should have been grouped logically
together were on opposite sides of the showroom floor. Needless to say, I wasn’t impressed.
Your website visitor’s first impression is at least as important as their first impression of your
physical store. There is a vast chasm between having the ability to design a website and
designing a good website. By identifying and avoiding some of the most common website design
mistakes we can greatly increase our chances of a successful Internet marketing campaign
As of 2003 the estimates of the number of “pages” on the Internet range from 4 – 6 billion with
Google search engine actually indexing over 3 billion. It is safe to assume that not all these
“pages” are well designed, as a matter of fact there are quite a few that are absolutely terrible!
Good website design is as much a science as an art. An emerging field of research called Human
Computer Interaction (HCI) is the study of how humans search, navigate, and locate information
on computers. Information Architecture (IA) is another new discipline that studies how users
prefer information organization and presentation. Considerable study has been done on
information design principles that are commonly accepted in the print industry and adaptations of
these principles are being transferred to website design.
As we learn more about these new sciences we find that the interactive nature of the Internet
requires that information be presented differently than we would for a printed publication. We find
that the ability to create hyperlinks allows us to offer multiple levels of detail for the website visitor
so they can choose anything from a quick overview (scan) to a detailed description of the
information presented on our website.
We want to make a good first and lasting impression to our new virtual visitors. This may be even
more important than a good first impression in person! I went to the grand opening of a newly
opened store in a small town. The sign on the front was hand-painted on a piece of paneling, the
display window was broken and duct taped, and the inside of the store was disorganized and very
dull. Some items had price tags, some didn’t. Items that should have been grouped logically
together were on opposite sides of the showroom floor. Needless to say, I wasn’t impressed.
Your website visitor’s first impression is at least as important as their first impression of your
physical store. There is a vast chasm between having the ability to design a website and
designing a good website. By identifying and avoiding some of the most common website design
mistakes we can greatly increase our chances of a successful Internet marketing campaign
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