Creating A Quality Web Site Design

I will attempt to cover the basics of creating a great quality web design template for your site. Now it's a known fact that the layout or "eye candy" as I put it will determine whether your visitors will stay more than 15 seconds or they will just become another statistic.

That's right, if you don't catch your visitors attention right away, statistics shows us that your visitors will come and go within 15 seconds or less.

That doesn't leave you with a lot of time to grab someone's attention!

Some of you may be asking yourself:

Well why does this happen?

See when you think about it, 15 seconds to the "browsing eye" is like an eternity. In other words, it takes about 15 seconds for the average person to browse your main page and determine whether they will explore your site further!

So with that being said;

How do we grab your visitors attention?

Every new client of mine is asked to perform the same tasks. I ask them to explore their competitor’s web sites and look for specific triggers that would make them want to click on or buy right away. More times than none, my clients will notice specific "Headlines" or "Graphics" that really peek their interest. In doing this, you'll have 1st hand knowledge on what you expect your visitors will see and possibly expect themselves.

Step 2, I'll ask my clients to do one more process just like the previous one. I'll ask them to make a list of all the "eye candy" that really caught their attention and write me a little note as to why it caught their attention. In doing this, it will give your web designer a 1st hand knowledge on what to implement within your site!!!

With these great tasks, you've made your job and the job of your web designer a lot easier to target your audience.

Sites that sell "Web Site Templates" :

You may have seen some sites that sell your the right for a specific "Template Style". There are 100's of resources out there. I need to clarify something for you, these templates are targeted at web designers only!!! Reason being, the files that you receive will no doubt require some expensive and time consuming software just to open them.

Now being a designer, I’m not about to "knock" pre-made templates but there's a couple of things you may want to consider:

1) Although the templates you may encounter are very impressive, you will be sharing your layout template with 100's, maybe 1000's of other sites. The reason why they are so cheat is because those "specific templates" are sold and re-sold as much as possible!

2) I've noticed that many template examples out there on the web are extremely "Graphic Driven". This will result in "slow loading times". I'm sure we've all come across a site that seemed to take FOREVER to load!! How long did you actually wait for the site to load????

The best way to get a template is to have someone professional design your web site layout for you! This will ensure that your template is uniquely designed for your business. It will be easier for you to make changes in the future. Typically, a template may cost you between $0-$500 depending on the intensity and added features!

Now, we've talked about "Slow loading pages". I've found a good "norm" to stick with when it comes to size and speed: Web sites are compiled of 2 elements:

1) Graphics & Layouts

2) Programming & Pages

Both of them require memory from your computer when downloading them. If one or the other is too large then this may result in negative results for your visitors.

Here's a good norm to stick with, either you or your web designer should stick with these specs:

1) Graphic Design Layout: Should be no more than: 30-50K in size

2) Programming Pages: Shouldn't be more than: 10-30k in size

Giving your entire web page no more than 40k-80k in size. Anything drastically more will result in the loss of many visitors from slow downloading pages.

Animation: Last but not least, making "some" aspects of you page stand out by adding small size animations. PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT overkill your site with graphics and animation!!! I can't stress this enough, your visitors will most likely get a head ache from it and won't be coming back very soon.

Instead, try targeting specific promotions or services you wish to attract your visitors to right away! Many sites exchange "animated banners" with other sites to exchange traffic. I personally NEVER take part in adding ANY banners on my site. I honestly feel that banners only take away from the design, not add to it! A typical "Banner Dimensions" is 468px x 60px. There are many other sizes!

What I will usually take part in, if any, is smaller, more unique banners that are geared to complimenting an article or text with it. This is much more effective because study shows us that "Content (text)" accompanied by a "graphic image" is more likely to be read by our visitors than just text on its own.

Web Design Mistakes (5 Most Common)

As you're designing your new web site, you'll be tempted with web design ideas that could turn into fatal mistakes. This is especially true if your web site represents your business. Below are five of the most common mistakes to avoid at all costs...

1. Too Many Graphics

Having too many graphics (particularly large graphics), can cause your site to load entirely too slow. Visitors will get impatient and often times click out of your site -- never to return.

SOLUTION: When possible save your graphics as GIF files (.gif) rather than JPEG (.jpg). Also, reduce your graphic in actual size as much as you can without distorting the graphic or picture.

2. Counters

A visitor counter or hits counter should not be seen on your site unless you have trememdous traffic. The reason for this is visitors really don't want to know which visitor they are, especially if they're visitor number four. There's no benefit to your visitor, nor is there any benefit to you. The only way showing a counter is advantageous is if you've had millions of visitors and wish to display the popularity of your site or would like to attract advertisers with the large numbers. Otherwise, you can use this space for a benefit-packed headline that leads your visitor to another part of your site.

SOLUTION: Most web hosts offer web statistics that reveal daily visitors, hits, referrers, etc. This feature will let you know how many people are visiting your site without the whole world seeing the information. If you're just starting out, make sure your web host offers this free service.

3. Banners

Limit your banners to the bare necessities. Why? Because banners are graphics that can slow loading time and are a turn-off for many surfers on the internet. For most, "banner" is just another word for "ad" and they avoid clicking on them.

SOLUTION: If you do have a banner or two, place the banner at the very top or bottom of your page. Or you could place a small banner in your sidebar. Most people will look at the first picture they see and then start reading below the picture, so any writing or links that are above the banner may remain unnoticed. Also, the banners on your site should be related to your product or service. Remember, everything on your site should work together to benefit your target customer.

4. Scattered Web Site

When designing your site, make sure it has a pattern that leads your visitor. Get several people (friends or relatives) to visit your site and watch them as they navigate. Notice the places where they stop (as if they're finished) and also links that they click on. Organizing your site to lead visitors is very important whether you're leading them to buy something or just to click and go to another place in your site. Customers are silently begging to be led.

SOLUTION: Take a look at the flow of your site. Design it in a fashion that always continues like this...

Make sure that graphics don't get in the way of your lead. If the visitor stops in the middle of the home page to click on a graphic or banner before getting to your sales page, they may never return. You've got one chance to get the visitor's attention and keep it. Make the most of it.

5. Generalization

The most effective way of selling on the internet is to personalize your web site to reach your target audience. Many web sites are general and try to reach everybody. The reality is that you can't be everything to everybody. The business owners who are successful on the web normally have very specific products or services that target a niche market.

SOLUTION: Make your site as personal as possible. As you're writing, pretend that you are face to face with the customer. Present your web site in such a way that the visitor feels like he just walked into a store in his hometown. Also, stay focused on your target customer (one who would be interested in "your" product.)

These five mistakes should be avoided at all costs if you want to build an effective and successful web business. Design your site to sell!

Graet Websites Designing (8 Tips)

Square buttons, round buttons, flashy buttons … will they match my shoes, my handbag or my tie? Are you stuck in a maze of buttons, headings, bullets, sub-headings and colour schemes?

STOP!!!!

Take a deep breath and read some practical tips for professional looking websites.

1. Select a colour scheme and stick to it.

If your company has a logo or preferred colours on its stationery that’s a good start. For those of you starting from scratch, choose two or three complementary colours and stick with them – don’t change colours on every page.

The most common colour schemes include:

- Red, yellow and white
- Blue and white
- Red, grey and white
- Blue, orange and white
- Yellow, grey and white.

If you’re not sure what colour scheme to choose, surf the internet and find a website that you like. You can then model your colour scheme on what already exists.

2. Use templates.

Can’t find a website you really like? Another option is to choose a template. There are many templates or pre-set designs. These come as part of your web design software (such as FrontPage) or you can check out some websites that specialise in designing templates.

Visit:

www.web4business.com.au emplates1.htm
www.newtemps.com
www.website-templates-resale-rights.com
www.123webtemplatesandmore.com

3. Provide an easy to use navigation system.

This is one of the most important issues to consider when designing a website. You need to ensure your visitors can find what they are looking for easily. Most websites either display their navigation bar on the left or at the top. And since most people are used to this type of navigation, it’s best to stick with it.

It also helps to include your navigation bar at the bottom of each page to save your visitors from having to scroll back to the top.

4. Don’t go overboard on special effects

Whilst it is ok to have one or two special effects to jazz up your website, spinning graphics and logos often distract your visitor from the content, not to mention they can take too long to download. Your visitors may click away even before your spinning logo finishes loading.

5. Backgrounds

Ensure your visitors can read the text on the background, ie. no black writing on dark blue background or yellow on white. Also be careful that your links are visible before and after being visited. The default for links in most programs is blue (before being visited) and burgundy (after being visited), so if you have a dark background, ensure your links are light.

6. External Links

It is a good idea to open links to other websites in a new window. That way your visitors can easily return to your site when they are finished browsing the external link

7. Site Map & Search Feature

If you website is more than 15 pages, it is useful to have a site map or a “Search” feature to ensure your visitors can easily find what they’re looking for.

8. Content is King

While it is important that your website looks clean and professional, it is far more important that you concentrate your efforts on the content and promotion.

If you want a professional website, things to stay away from include:

1. Flash intros, revolving globes, bevelled line separators, animated mail boxes
2. Loads of pop up or pop under boxes
3. Autoplay music. Allow your customer to play music only if they choose.
4. Hit counters of the free variety, which say “you are 27th visitor”
5. Date and time stamps, unless your website is updated daily or weekly
6. Busy backgrounds.

Don’t sweat the small stuff and get yourself focussed on what to include on the website and the best way to promote it. We will cover these topics in future articles.

ISLAMIC PANAFLEX

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3D Graphics

3D modelers are used in a wide variety of industries. The medical industry uses them to create detailed models of organs. The movie industry uses them to create and manipulate characters and objects for animated and real-life motion pictures. The video game industry uses them to create assets for video games. The science sector uses them to create highly detailed models of chemical compounds. The architecture industry uses them to create models of proposed buildings and landscapes. The engineering community uses them to design new devices, vehicles and structures as well as a host of other uses. There are typically many stages in the "pipeline" that studios and manufacturers use to create 3D objects for film, games, and production of hard goods and structures

Web Design

Web design is the skill of creating presentations of content (usually hypertext or hypermedia) that is delivered to an end-user through the World Wide Web, by way of a Web browser or other Web-enabled software like Internet television clients, microblogging clients and RSS readers.

The intent of web design is to create a web site—a collection of electronic files that reside on a web server/servers and present content and interactive features/interfaces to the end user in form of Web pages once requested. Such elements as text, bit-mapped images (GIFs, JPEGs), forms can be placed on the page using HTML/XHTML/XML tags. Displaying more complex media (vector graphics, animations, videos, sounds) requires plug-ins such as Flash, QuickTime, Javarun-time environment, etc. Plug-ins are also embedded into web page by using HTML/XHTMLtags.

Improvements in browsers' compliance with W3C standards prompted a widespread acceptance and usage of XHTML/XML in conjunction with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to position and manipulate web page elements and objects. Latest standards and proposals aim at leading tobrowsers' ability to deliver a wide variety of media and accessibility options to the client possibly without employing plug-ins.

Typically web pages are classified as static or dynamic:

• Static pages don’t change content and layout with every request unless a human (webmaster/programmer) manually updates the page. A simple HTML page is an example of static content.
• Dynamic pages adapt their content and/or appearance depending on end-user’s input/interaction or changes in the computing environment (user, time, database modifications, etc.) Content can be changed on the client side (end-user's computer) by using client-side scripting languages (JavaScript, JScript, Actionscript, etc.) to alter DOM elements (DHTML). Dynamic content is often compiled on the server utilizing server-side scripting languages (Perl, PHP, ASP, JSP, ColdFusion, etc.). Both approaches are usually used in complex applications.

With growing specialization in the information technology field there is a strong tendency to draw a clear line between web design and web development.

Web design is a kind of graphic design intended for development and styling of objects of the Internet's information environment to provide them with high-end consumer features and aesthetic qualities. The offered definition separates web design from web programming, emphasizing the functional features of a web site, as well as positioning web design as a kind of graphic design.

Vector Graphics

Vector graphics formats are complementary to raster graphics, which is the representation of images as an array of pixels, as it is typically used for the representation of photographic images. There are instances when working with vector tools and formats is the best practice, and instances when working with raster tools and formats is the best practice. There are times when both formats come together. An understanding of the advantages and limitations of each technology and the relationship between them is most likely to result in efficient and effective use of tools.

Audio

"The main benefit of audio is that it provides a channel that is separate from that of the display. Speech can be used to offer commentary or help without obscuring information on the screen." [1] Audio can add music to your site, evoking a mood or giving you a sample of what something sounds like. It can promote an artist, add interest to a text site by humanizing the author, or teach you how to pronounce words in another language. If audio is included, it should be produced on the best quality sound equipment you can obtain. Reeves and Nass [2] found that people will put up with poor video but are very affected by poor audio.

Care must be taken not to overload the user with competing visual and audio information. People cannot read text and listen to spoken audio at the same time - their brains cannot process the competing signals without tuning one or the other out. [3]

Animation

Research about animations or motion in instructional materials states:

• "animation (motion) can lead to positive learning effects if it is a critical attribute of the concept(s) being presented
• animation (motion) can increase learning of a complex procedural task
• motion or action used primarily to enhance the realism of the presentation does not appear to have a significant effect on learning" [1, p. 766]

According to Nielsen [2], appropriate uses for animation include:

• showing continuity in transitions - "When something has two or more states, then changes between states will be much easier for users to understand if the transitions are animated instead of being instantaneous - ie proving the Pythagorean theorem by animating the movement of various squares and triangles as they move around to demonstrate that two areas are the same size"
• indicating dimensionality in transitions - animated arrows pointing left and right can indicate movement forward and back, zooming boxes can indicate one screen was enlarged from another
• illustrating change over time - showing population change by fading from one density map to the next over time
• multiplexing the display - showing more than one piece of information in the same location - ie, buttons which change color when the mouse rolls over them, help labels which appear when the cursor is on top, menus which pull down when you hold the mouse down
• enriching graphical representations - animated icons can give a better understanding of the function of the icon - ie. an eraser icon which erases pixels to explain its function

Moving images focus attention. A study by Reeves and Nass [3] using an EEG to measure brain waves showed that attention increased every time motion appeared on the screen. Needless to say, it is hard to concentrate on reading a message if your brain is attending to the spinning logo or the cycling advertisement at the top of the screen. Rieber states that "designers...must resist incorporating special effects, like animation when no rationale exists.

Using Graphics & Pictures

Research into static and dynamic illustrations in text and computer based instruction may give some guidelines as to how graphics are used and when they are useful or distracting in web design.

Proper Use of Graphics

static visual illustrations can facilitate the acquisition of knowledge when they are presented with text materials. However, the facilitative effects of illustrations are not present across all learning situations....

• illustrated visuals used in the context of learning to read are not very helpful
• illustrated visuals that contain text-redundant information can facilitate learning
• illustrated visuals that are not text-redundant neither help nor hinder learning
• illustration variables (cueing) such as size, page position, style, color, and degree of realism may direct attention but may not act as a significant aid in learning
• there is a curvilinear relationship between the degree of realism in illustrations and the subsequent learning that takes place .

Misanchuk, Schwier & Boling suggest that there are various issues which need to be addressed in considering how to use graphics or whether to use graphics at all. These issues include:

• Germaneness - Germaneness means that a picture is not only relevant to the discussion, but essential. It cannot be removed without harming comprehension.
• Realism - although it would seem evident that high quality, realistic pictures would be most effective, research has not verified this understanding. In many instances, "the detail of a photograph may also overwhelm the learner with irrelevant information so that instructionally salient features are difficult to discern" [Lowe, (1995) p. 294, as cited in . In many instances, simplified drawings will prove better instructional aids since they focus attention on the salient points under construction.
• Complexity/Simplicity - "The general rule of thumb is to use graphics that are as simple as possible. Complexity should be added only where absolutely required."
• Size - Reeves and Nass discovered that larger pictures caused more arousal, were better remembered and were better liked than smaller ones. Since larger pictures are more memorable, it would seem important to include the largest pictures you could possibly use on your page. As Misanchuk et al. (in press) point out, however, the larger the picture, the longer the download time and the more likelihood that your user will become frustrated and leave your site. It is necessary to balance the need to have a graphic which is large enough to be comprehensible with the need to have the page download quickly before users move on. It is also important that you design graphics which are not too large for the user's screen. Lynch and Horton have included recommendations for maximum width which would be viewable across platforms.
• Cultural factors - Since it is possible that users from other cultures will be viewing our sites, it is important that care is taken to ensure that the use of certain colors or graphics does not offend users from other cultures. Horton gives recommendations about using graphics in culturally sensitive ways.

They conclude:

Visuals that complement the text information being presented increase the likelihood for retention of that information, but visuals which are not related to the text have no effect on retention. When bandwidth is a problem, gratuitous visuals would seem to be unnecessary in page design.

Screen Resolution & Size

Many of the recommendations for layout in the section on screen design research pertain to fixed screen layout for CAI or multimedia. The web presents a unique challenge to designers for several reasons. Since the web can be used on multiple platforms, with varying screen resolutions (from 640 x 480 up to 1048 x 760) and with color depths varying from black and white all the way to 32 bit color, a designer needs to be very careful in the way they design their layout.

Recommendations:

1. Design for the smallest standard screen which is:
   • Macintosh size (Macintosh screen area is smaller than Wintel machines) 595 pixels wide by 295 pixels high
   • 14 inch monitor (640- x 480 pixel area)
   • 256 colors
2. Start your design in black and white to ensure readability for persons with color deficiency
3. Include ALT tags on all image files to ensure that people using text-only browsers or special readers (ie blind or sight deficient users) are still able to access the information provided in your pages .

Elements of Design: TEXTURE

Texture is the surface quality of an object. We experience texture when we touch objects and feel their roughness, smoothness or patterns. Texture is the artist's way of mapping these tactile impressions on to the two-dimensional picture. Texture is created by varying the pattern of light and dark areas on an object. Notice how the areas of light and dark give the impression of depth to the image below.

Elements of Design: COLOR

Color occurs when light in different wavelengths strikes our eyes. Objects have no color of their own, only the ability to reflect a certain wavelength of light back to our eyes. As you know, color can vary in differing circumstances. For example, grass can appear gray in the morning or evening or bright green at noon. Colors appear different depending on whether you view them under incandescent, florescent or natural sunlight. Colors also change according to their surroundings. You can see this by looking at the color squares below - the reddish outline box is the same color in all the examples.

Properties of Color

Hue

Hue refers to the color itself. Each different hue is a different reflected wavelength of light. White light broken in a prism has seven hues: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. White light occurs when all the wavelengths are reflected back to your eye, and black light occurs when no light is reflected to your eye. This is the physics of light.

When it comes to using color in art, things get quite messy. Looking at the color wheel above, when using color pigments, the three primary colors used are yellow, blue and red. These three colors are blended together to produce other colors, called secondary colors, such as green, orange and purple. Mix enough colors together, and you get black. Pretty strange, eh?

Intensity

Intensity, also called chroma or saturation, refers to the brightness of a color. A color is at full intensity when not mixed with black or white - a pure hue. You can change the intensity of a color, making it duller or more neutral by adding gray to the color. You can also change the intensity of a color by adding its complement (this is the color found directly opposite on the traditional color wheel). When changing colors this way, the color produced is called a tone.

When you mix complementary colors together, you produce a dull tone. However, when you put complementary colors side by side, you increase their intensity. This effect is called simultaneous contrast - each color simultaneously intensifies the visual brightness of the other color.

Below are some examples of how this works, using a program called Metacreations painter. As you can see, you choose a hue from the outer ring. Inside the triangle, you can vary the saturation of the hue (amount of color), the tint or the shade.

Color and Space

Certain colors have an advancing or receding quality, based on how our eye has to adjust to see them. Warm colors such as red, orange or yellow seem to come forward while cool colors such as blue and green seem to recede slightly. In the atmosphere, distant objects appear bluish and the further away an object appears, the less colorful and distinct it becomes. Artists use this to give an illusion of depth, by using more neutral and grayish colors in the background.

While monochromatic, analogous, complementary or triadic color schemes are considered to be harmonious, there are some color schemes considered dissonant. Discordant colors are visually disturbing - we say they clash. Colors that are widely separated on the color wheel (but not complementary or triadic) are considered to be discordant. Discordant colors can be eye-catching and are often used for attention-getting devices in advertising.