Professional Web Design: Techniques and Templates, Fourth Edition

Understanding Three Web-Design Philosophies 9
3. Consistent Web terminology and metaphors, such as the shopping cart
system, should be used (unless there is a valid reason for an exception).
4. Writing should be clear and concise to expedite use.
5. Sites should always be tested by a variety of users in a variety of browser
environments.
6. Accessibility for users with disabilities should be accounted for.
Anyone who has surfed the Internet would agree that finding information
should be easy as possible. No one likes to spend valuable time clicking all over a
site to find a phone number or waste time with hyperlinks that do not go
anywhere. This basis of the usability philosophy cannot be disputed for
99.9 percent of the world’s sites.
One of the perceptions of usability is to appeal to everyone. This is simply not
true. The sixth rule of Web design is that it is impossible to please everyone. As
the number of users increases, a design quickly becomes ‘‘too complicated,’’
‘‘too simple,’’ ‘‘too colorful,’’ ‘‘too short,’’ ‘‘too long,’’ ‘‘too wild,’’ or ‘‘too
conservative,’’ depending on the user.
This philosophy advocates limiting graphics to increase mass appeal. Graphics,
however, often increase the usability of a site in four ways:
1. The impression of a site, thus the identity of a business or individual, is
first judged visually. Most people form an immediate opinion when first
coming to a site, if nothing more than at the subconscious level. If the site
appears to be a five-minute design by an amateur, a user is going to question
the professionalism and credibility of the business or individual and
will very likely leave the site. The designer in Figure 1.5 valued aesthetics
more than the designer of the site in Figure 1.4. Granted, the concept
behind the site in Figure 1.4 is simplicity; however, the designer could have
been more creative and used at least a couple of small 5KB to 10KB images
to drastically improve the look of the site without noticeably increasing the
download time.
2. The brain processes images quicker than text. Many traffic signs, called
ideograms, are designed for quick, initial recognition of motor vehicle
warnings, laws, and conditions. The reason is that the brain can process a