Like others in this class I fired up Google and searched for “good webpage design” and found some of the same information. I believe it was in Kevin’s’ blog he quoted one source as “experts feel that original/unique content, interactivity, and good organization are important elements of effective website design.”
I do agree with what Kevin found. When I think of good webpage design I tend to approach it from a utilitarian frame of mind. Yes the page has to look good and it needs to keep your attention. If it doesn’t have any usefulness to it then it will quickly fade away once the flash and beauty wear off. There are other aspects to consider.
Your audience: If you are a multimedia company then yes you will have to be a little flashier in your website. After all if is an example of what you can do. If you are creating a site for kids then you also have to design accordingly.
Is your site handicap friendly? One of the customers I support at JMU is a blind gentleman. He uses a website reader. After working with him I really could see the importance of making pages handicap friendly. Something as simple as putting in alt text for pictures is very important. Also keep in mind that your audience may have vision or hearing problems.
Ease of use: Nothing bothers me more than going to a site that the information is buried 10 layers deep in the site. About a year ago I purchased a third party data cable for my cell phone. The driver shipped with the cable was not the correct one. After fighting their site for days I finally gave up and sent the cable back. The poor design of the site cost them a sale.
KISS approach: I am a big fan of keeping a site simple. The average user should be able to go to your site and get the information they want without needing an engineering degree from MIT. Ease of use is very important.
Look: Keep the look of your pages consistent. I like pages that have some sense of consistency. This can be easily achieved by using templates for your pages. Whether they are prepackaged with an authoring tool or something you developed from scratch. What kind of image or attitude do you want to project about your organization?
The above characteristics are what I like to see or consider when evaluating websites. In the end I think it comes down to usefulness and does the site meet your needs.
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"Ease of use: Nothing bothers me more than going to a site that the information is buried 10 layers deep in the site."
I really have to agree with this statement. During Saturdays race in Richmond I had my picture taken and was directed to their website to retrieve my picture. There are a large amount of garbage to go through. What a waste of my time.
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