Research Steps for Web Design
Designing an effective and attractive website requires upfront research before you create the first graphic, pick a color scheme or number the pages for the site. "Usability" is the supreme watchword for a good website, and research into what constitutes a user-friendly site is important. According to Web design expert Jakob Nielsen, most websites, even some of the most popular, score poorly for usability, which reduces the site's ultimate effectiveness and outreach. Research usability and other possibilities thoroughly before you begin and let this information guide your design process.
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Research Basic Usability
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Find out what constitutes high usability according to design experts. For example, Jakob Nielsen offers tips on his website, as well as a free monthly e-newsletter by subscription. Nielsen's top usability "picks" and past newsletters are archived on his site. Carefully study usability topics and memorize the top "dos" and "don'ts" the experts recommend. Familiarize yourself with the various studies backing up this advice before you meet with your client or start your own design process. What you learn will shape the design and development course of your work.
Conduct Usability Tests
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Conduct some tests of usability of your own. Create several test Web pages with the same content, but applied to various test layouts according to the "dos" and "don'ts" discovered in your research on usability. Ask friends, associates and even strangers to look at the test pages and react to what they see. A sample of 25 test viewers will reveal a lot, but an even larger pool of 50 or more viewers is more reliable statistically. Research through testing is better than merely guessing what "looks good" or what "works" for future viewers or users of the website.
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Study the Greats
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Study the characteristics of some of the best-designed websites on the Internet. Conduct a search on the terms "award winning websites" and see which design elements the top sites all have in common. High usability combined with a sense of artistic aesthetic usually mark an excellent, and successful, website. Research the websites of your client's competitors or sites you want to emulate. What makes a shopping site like Overstock.com or Amazon.com successful? What makes a blog site like The Drudge Report or The Onion click with so many viewers? How can you achieve that kind of success?
Research Client Needs and Goals
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Spend time gathering information from and about your client and pinpoint what the client really needs or wants from the website. If the client is you, think about your own true wants and needs. Some clients do not really know what they "want" or "need," and this research step will be very helpful to everyone. Other clients have very unrealistic goals and it is best to know -- and try to correct that problem -- now. Knowing what is really important will save a lot of lost time in "going back to the drawing board" when a design proposal fails to make the grade.
Determine Client Abilities
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Research the client's, or your, capabilities in technically being able to keep up with the website. Websites are notorious for being "needy." You must update them frequently to keep them fresh. Blogs in particular have a ravenous hunger for more new content on a daily basis. Research whether your client has the staff or skills to meet this need, or think about whether you will be able to "feed the baby" yourself once you launch the website. Tailor your ultimate design to these factors.
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