Evaluate Your Web Site Design For Common Mistakes

3. Are graphics used effectively? They should be used sparingly, and should be small. Graphics should generally be used for illustrations and not for navigation or just to "jazz-up" the page. A good use of graphics is to bring your attention to a news item and draw you into the story.

4. Are important items where users expect them to be? Users look for major page elements in typical locations:

• The logo and the "Home" button in the upper left of the page.
• High-level links at the top of the page or the left side
• Persistent tools at the top of the page
• Internal links on the left of the page
• External links on the right of the page
• Advertising at the top or right of the page
• The main page content in the center of the page

5. Does the hierarchy of navigation elements follow users' expectations? They will look for links first in the content, then to the left of the page, then at the top of the page. If the design doesn't follow this hierarchy, or if any of these elements are not visible on your printout, it may be a problem.

6. (For public sites) - Does the design present a professional image that is consistent with other company marketing? This is important, because users should always know that they are at your site, and the "look" of your site communicates this. This item is at the bottom of the list because a web site is, first and foremost, an application that has to be very usable in order to be useful.

Each of these questions tests whether or not the proposed design will meet user expectations. Asking these questions lets you quickly identify potential problems with the designs. You'll note that most of these items relate to the visual treatment of the organization of your site. That's because visual treatments can have a dramatic effect on how easy it is to find elements within a page.

These guidelines should help you determine if your site meets the expectations of web customers. There may be times when you will want to deviate from these guidelines; but, if you do, make sure that you have a good reason for doing so.

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