There are generally two main types of webpages. Those that are pretty, complex, and win awards, but are generally useless, or those that are relatively plain, yet full of information. While not all pages fall neatly into either category, there are basic points that make a webpage easy to use for the average 'net user.
A quote from Vincent Flanders, author of WebpagesThatSuck helps summarize the ultimate goal of a well designed webpage.
"To put it bluntly, the web is "Wham. Bam. Thank you Ma'am." People don't need to be enticed or put in the mood when they visit your site. They're there for a particular reason and the sooner you give them what they came looking for, the better. They don't need Splash pages, Flash pages, Mystery Meat Navigation, or whatever silliness you think will put them "in the mood." They want what they want NOW. "Give me your information. Sell me your product. Thank you, ma'am." ...web design is about getting people what they want as quickly as possible in a way that they'll buy your product, your service, or contribute to your cause."
There are exceptions, as always. It is entirely possible to make a flashy site with animation and sound, yet still have an obvious enough navigation scheme.
Petmarket - This is an example of a well done Flash interface (at least in my opinon.)At all times the user can find their way back to the starting page. There is little to no scrolling involved, as the majority information can be viewed all at once. The page takes little time to load, though this may be longer on a slower connection. It is fairly obvious that something is happening, as the page tells the reader what part is being loaded next...
My only complaint is that the page isn't formatted for a standard resolution (640x480, or 800x600) forcing the reader to scroll sideways to see the "shopping cart".
Presstube - At first glance I'm not exactly sure what is going on here, or what to click on. Then, when I click on one of the circles, a black something comes up. Only when I notice "Loading" in small gray letters to the left do I realize what is going on.
While I realize this is supposed to be an "Art" site, the interface is too confusing for anyone not well versed in this type of art. If someone were looking for artwork of this type to purchase or find more information about, they probably would leave the site within a few minutes.
This website was featured by WebsitesThatSuck as a "daily sucker". What "rules" does this site break and how would you correct them?
The North Royalton Police Department
Posted by Ed Lohr at March 8, 2004 12:16 PMThis presentation was really helpful. I wonder though about my Shakespeare Website. I'll give the website next time I see you.
I wonder now if it should be on the worst websites list. I now have a clearer idea of what my next website should look like. Hopefully,
more people will view your blog and take a few hints for their own personal use. Nice job. Maybe take a look at my website and tell me your opinion, and what I could do to improve it.
Hay Ed. I was interested in this blog because back in my freshman year in "topics in online jounralism" we discussed what makes a website good and bad and also how to tell certain things about the site. I gave a presenation on "Sony"'s website discussing how you can tell they have deal with "shockwave" since there software is required to use the site. Other things I noted that you mentioned here in your blog make me rethink that Sony had a bad site. Granted it was fun and interactive, but not praticall. It was difficult to navigatie through the site to find what you wanted. Your presentation and blog showed me that even though the site looked and felt cool at the the time, now I see that it was just another pretty (annoying) website. Thanks.
Posted by: Brendan Meany at March 16, 2004 8:56 PM