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Improving Your Web Site’s Appeal

Improving Your Web Site’s Appeal. Kevin Campbell Duke University/Grouchyboy.com. Why Do I Care?. Because users do! Every website has a function, is yours clear AND easily accomplished?. I mean, it works, doesn’t it?! If you build it they will come…SORRY!. The Three Core “Abilities”.

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Improving Your Web Site’s Appeal

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  1. Improving Your Web Site’s Appeal Kevin Campbell Duke University/Grouchyboy.com

  2. Why Do I Care? • Because users do! • Every website has a function, is yours clear AND easily accomplished? • I mean, it works, doesn’t it?! • If you build it they will come…SORRY!

  3. The Three Core “Abilities” • Navigability • Where do I go? What can I do? • Readability • Not just readable…retainable • Credibility • Are you trustworthy?

  4. Navigation

  5. Where Am I? Where Do I Go? What Can I Do? • The web has started to “settle out” • Consistent design elements – • Look the same. Don’t move.

  6. Color Used as a Navigation Tool • Color can help our brains establish relationships quickly. * Don’t make the user re-learn the navigation!

  7. Oh the places you’ll go! • What can I do here? • Where can I go?

  8. Consistent, consistent, CoNsIsTeNt! • Adequate signage • Primary navigation on every page • The breadcrumbs had better lead out of the forest • Think about structure FIRST • Halls lead to bedrooms…bedrooms have bathrooms and closet space…there is a door from the garage to the house… • Link text does matter • Simplify, man! • Don’t obfuscate in an attempt to impress or WOW people

  9. Readability

  10. Make it Scanable! • No serifs • Bullets, subheadings • Short paragraphs

  11. Help Me Scan, please. • Boldimportantpoints • Contrasting colors • Links need to look like links

  12. Don’t Make Me Squint! • Line Length • Arc of our visual field is only a few inches • As line length increases, reading slows and retention falls • About 12 words per line • Source – Max Design [http://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/em]

  13. Credibility

  14. Do You Have Street Cred?(You’d better…) • UCLA study: Only 52.8% of web users think online information is credible

  15. Look Within • Get inside the heads of your users: • What is the purpose of this organization? • How much does it cost? • What happens if…?

  16. How to Get Cred • Prove there’s an actual organization: • Link to external references • Staff bios and pictures • Make contacting you easy • Look professional (design AND structure) • Free stuff or dynamic content • No dead links • Auto-email confirmation

  17. Final Thoughts (Conceptual) • Don’t make assumptions • “Our site meets our organization’s goals.” • What you think matters less than what your users think. • “Our site has all the info our users need.” • Let them tell YOU. Users come first. • “Our site is just as good as our competitor’s.” • Very risky. What if their site sucks?

  18. Final Thoughts (Technical) • Fancy graphics do not a good site make • Large graphics=increased download time • Use a web speed analyzer (http://www.websiteoptimization.com) • Search function is now standard • Frames are bad • Can make pages unprintable • Pages cannot be bookmarked • Fancy navigations used sparingly

  19. References • Max Design • http://www.maxdesign.com.au/ • Webcredible • http://www.webcredible.co.uk • Webmonkey • http://www.webmonkey.com

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