Why Attractive Websites Work Better

Please read this long, but highly interesting, article titled "Visual Decision Making" on how "beauty enhances usability" when it comes to people visiting your website. Here is a short quote from the article:

[R]esearch shows that website users are powerfully influenced by aesthetics, and that positive perceptions of order, beauty, novelty, and creativity increase the user’s confidence in a site’s trustworthiness and usability. Recent design writing and interface research illustrate how visual design and user research can work together to create better user experiences on the web: experiences that balance the practicalities of navigation with aesthetic interfaces that delight the eye and brain. In short: there’s lots of evidence that beauty enhances usability.

The author of the article goes into various theories about why attractive websites have better reception by visitors, but the bottom line is that looking good is as important as functioning well.

Read the whole thing here.

The Evolution of a Website

On the left is a stock image that the designer used to create the final image on the right

Website design is a long process. It starts with the clients, who have some ideas at hand, but more often than not depend on the designer to produce something that resembles their ideas.

The beginning is truly intuitive, starting with ideas, then going onto more concrete things like colours, fonts, graphics, photos, and of course the text or content of the site.

The designer from Thinkvitamin.com had two days to design an events website with simply the briefing: "To design and build a site to promote [the] new Stack Overflow DevDays event that’s happening this October." Stack Overflow is a programming Q & A site.

It doesn't really matter who or what Stack Overflow is, the interesting part is how the designer worked with:

- Stock image of a globe
- Unique way to display event cities on the globe
- Change of direction from pastel-coloured images and icons to a more line and colour design
- Adding photos instead of just graphics
- Borrowing ideas for elongated fonts from another graphic designer
- Changing the colour scheme to bold grays and reds

The designer spends about half the time thinking and experimenting with his ideas. He pools from his own creative resources, as well as using samples and examples from other web and graphic designers.

Finally, he consults with his client to get their feed back.

Go through a simple visual journey of the design process here.

The Stack Overflow DevDays Event website is now up and running.

Job well done.

Advertising Your Website With Original Business Cards

From Another Blooming Designer. Business card as houseplant.

A website is part of your advertisement. It is a place where people can learn about your business, who you are, what you sell, what your specials of the month are, and any other information that can get them to use your services. 

But just because you have an online presence doesn't mean that people are automatically going to come to your website. Your website, which is an advertisement for your services, also needs it own publicity! Yes, we have to advertise our websites so that people can access them to see what our services are.

There are many unusual and original ways for you to get people to pay attention to your website based on a loose concept of business cards. Ordinary business cards are 3.5"x2" cards with a 15pt thickness, where you put your pertinent information. But now they have become much more imaginative and interesting. I have blogged about this, and written an article on it (please refer to my main website for information about my articles).

Below are some examples of business cards taken to another level. You can wear, hand out, send these "cards", or find any number of ways to get them out to your potential customers. You can put them at the counter in your store (and even sell some of them), you can leave them in other stores or community centers, you can get your kids to wear them around town (t-shirts would be a good one), and the rest is up to your imagination!

Here are some imaginative examples:

- Stickers and fridge magnets

- Small pins

- Matches

- Holiday ornaments 

- Small toys

- Functional things like pens, pencils, key chains, coasters

- Fun shapes and objects

- Games such as playing cards

- Mimic your store - if yours is a bakery, make some shapes that resemble breads or pies

- Make something crafty - like a hand-sewn sachet

- And more...

You can read more at this site. The great thing is that once you start using your imagination, all kinds of ideas start popping up.

Getting Stock Photos for Free

If you are adding photos to your website which are related to personal (or unique) posts, that only your own photos can enhance, I recommend getting a simple digital camera, and with no worries about film and extra costs (make sure you get the re-loadable batteries). You can then just shoot away.

But, other times, the perfect picture can be elusive, or you don't have sufficient training or a good enough camera that can deliver. That is why online stock photos are so useful. Some will charge you some money - very minimal unless you plan to use them for print editions or commercial ventures. Many are free. Make sure you read the terms and conditions just to be on the safe side.

Here at Tutorial Blog, you can find "25 Places to Find Awesome Stock Photos — Free and Cheap!", as describe by the post editor. Each option comes with a review.

Some commentators at the bottom have added a couple of other sites. Make sure to scroll down to get their links also.

Why Typography Counts

In my last post, I talked about the importance of writing for the web. Now I will talk about a more visual aspect of writing, which is typography.

Just as we spend time on the colour, layout and other design elements of a web page, the type of font (size, style, colour etc.) is equally important.

There are limitations, of course, as I demonstrated in this blog post. For example, back ground colours and font colours should be carefully chosen to allow maximum legibility.

A blog dedicated to typography called I Love Typography, gives you all the ins and outs about how to make a font, the winning fonts (for 2008), a history of typography, and much more.

I especially recommend the post: On choosing Type.

Browse through this little blog, it has a wealth of information.

The Importance of Writing

Websites have to juggle many things to make their sites successful. Technology is one which we of course cannot avoid - blogs, videos, slide shows, animations, interactive sites, and the list goes on.

How good your website looks - colour, layout, where your items are positioned and overall design also makes a difference.

But, I have seen very few people address writing.

A techy web designer from Particletree advocates the power of writing. He is trying to learn a new skill, and in the process found for us a good list of places to go.

This is what he says about writing, which he also calls communication, quoting from another blog Writing clear and simple:

The words you use, either written or spoken, can have powerful effects on your audience‚—if you use them carefully and skillfully. Whether your goal is to inform, to persuade, to call for action, or to entertain, your words and your stories can be powerful. They can be powerful, because language is software for the mind.

Here are some of the links he gives to help with writing skills:

• Elements of Style
  

• Poynter.org
  

• The New York Times - Grammar and Usage

• The Economist Style Guide
  

• Guide to Grammar and Style
  

• Guide to Grammar & Writing
  

Writing for the web is also a special skill. After honing some good preliminary writing rules and skills, it is still important to gear your writing for the web rather than for print. People read differently on the web.

I have written a blog and an article about this which you can preview here.

Free and Stock Icons

A new website called Icon Dock has launched affordable (and a few free) icons for use on websites. Many people don't have time to design a full-fledged icon for simple functions like:

- forward and back buttons
- links to different pages
- visual guides to page and topic headings

Icon Dock makes this much easier by providing appropriate (adjustable) icons.

Here are more reasons why Icon Dock thinks their stock icons would be of use to you:

Affordable

Buy only what you need. There is no minimum quantity. You can buy Icons individually or buy a complete set for better savings.

Flexible

Our vector icons are scalable, so you can export them to any size for web purposes or high resolution print materials like brochures and advertising.

Editable

Edit icons with any vector software (such as Adobe Illustrator) – easily change the gradient and stroke color to fit your designs.

Combinable

Create your own icon by combining a few of ours. Try combining the “page icon” with the “plus icon” to get a “create new page” icon. The possibilities are endless.

They are just starting out, so their choices are limited. But, according to their terms of use, icons you download are flexible in a number of ways (as explained above), which gives you more options than just what they have provided.

Make sure to check their blog for news, and also for new icons (both free and stock).

A good idea that goes just a little further than the clip arts of yonder years.

Original Navigation Menus

A unique navigation menu makes your website that much more interesting.

You have to be careful, though, that the theme of the navigation menu fits the theme and overall design of your website. Being too original can also distract your visitors from going through the information on your website and finding what they want.

For example, don't make the navigation menus:
- Too complicated
- Have too much information
- Take up too much space
- Have too many unnecessary links (cut down as much as possible)

Navigation menus are tools for...navigation. That should be their primary purpose.

Here are some suggestions for original and successful menus from Smashing Magazine.

I agree with the authors on the majority of their suggestions (they have written helpful blurbs on each choice, and provided links to the actual websites), but I still think some of the designs could have gone a little further with the ideas.

For example, when hovering over a link on a menu, it would be useful to have some visual cues as well. Like the hover produces a different colour, or a different script, just to indicate that the link is "active".

Another suggestion would be, why not take the design to its logical conclusion?

Here is a navigation menu which look like piano keys (not quite, but that is the impression I got when I first saw this design.) It is the second example on the list at Smashing Magazine.

The original design just lets you click on each link, without changing anything. See the original design at the website, or here below.

Original design, with no interaction

Why not add a "sliding" component when you hover over each link, and change the colour as well? This fits in with the overall design, isn't too overwhelming, helps isolate that particular link and shows it is active. And it adds an interesting interaction for the visitor.

I have redesigned (using Flash) this menu. I've changed only the "About" link just as a demonstration. You can view it here below.

Click on the "About" link to see it sliding forward and changing colour. This feature is not on the original, and I think it makes their design better (more interesting and more functional.)

Redesigned "About" link to add more interactivity

I think many of the examples the authors gave could have gone just this extra mile (or inch.)

5 options when website budgets get slashed

Here is an excellent site with pragmatic solutions on how to design or redesign a website if your "internet" funds have been reduced.

I have made a short summary of each of the five points, but reading the whole article is worthwhile.

1. Realign rather than redesign
One good point this web article makes is that a complete overhaul of your site may actually confuse your loyal visitors. Rather than make colour or layout changes, why not look at what the site is actually doing - is it providing the appropriate information, is it preventing viewers from getting that information quickly and efficiently? Then "realign" accordingly.

2. Simplify
Instead of adding content, links and other features, why not reduce or remove? Careful analysis of traffic to the website will indicate which features are popular, and which aren't.

3. Prioritize and phase development
Make changes on an incremental basis. Have the core of the website ready, but make new additions over time. This works well, for example, with content rich material such as photos and videos. Have the space available for them, but install them over time, or when they're ready.

4. Reuse and recycle
This is really a variation of the first point. Use, for example, the already constructed Google maps, rather than designing your own interactive map. Or Youtube and Flicker to add video and photo content, rather than designing custom video and photo galleries.

5. Move beyond the website
This relates to my post of about two weeks ago where I said "Blogs are the new websites". Why not open a Facebook or a Myspace account? You can post pictures and videos on both, and update your readers on various activities. There is room for short biographies and other content (even if you are selling things). You can open these sites for free, and many blogging sites are either free or of minimal cost.

Web Design Trends for 2009

Here is an interesting website describing web design trends for 2009. I have posted some of the more functional ones.

- Multi-page layouts: This is a blog style layout, where the middle section (often with the changing content) is competing with the left and right margins - which are filled with links, and other more permanent information.

- Huge illustrations and vibrant graphics : This would be good for artists' sites, or for sites which want to have a pictorial representation of the website - such as restaurants and retail stores.

- More white space: This kind of website avoids the clutter of too much colour, text or images.

- "Speaking" navigation: We have often been confused by navigation buttons which don't give us enough information (or are just icons for us to decipher). Giving enough space to be more descriptive about navigation buttons can help web browsers get where they need to quicker.

- More creative layouts: The trend has been to follow set rules and structures for web layout. Part of the reason is that people will have an easier time following what they are familiar with. But, websites have been around for while now, and web browsers are getting more comfortable with unusual or more creative layouts. In fact, this could be the driving force for them to visit your website.

Do continue to read these trends at Smashingmagazing.com.

Blogs are the new websites

Yes, your website can be a blog!

New software such as Movabletype and Typepad are progressively making their blog software look more and more like websites.

For example, they are making it easier to add (with a little help) special navigational features such as "About", "Home", "Specials" and any other menus that you wish.

Of course, the main part of your website will then be blogging. But, for updating your clients and visitors about your latest activity, even on a daily basis, this could be the route to take.

It also adds a slightly less formal aspect to your website, where you appear to be conversing or chatting with your "visitors".

You can even activate the comments section, and let people drop in their views, questions and suggestions.

This actually means that you don't have to depend on your designer 24/7 to update some aspects of your website - specifically your latest activities. You can manage parts of your content yourself.

An Attractive Website Is To Your Advantage

There are a million and one websites to click through. Many focus their attraction quotient on their product. Some on their marketing ability. Others on bells and whistles. And still others on their interactivity.

There is no question that all these are important points to consider in the overall design. But, I have seen very few websites which genuinely consider how good they look as one of their selling points.

Part of the reason is that many websites are designed by "techies". People who love to fiddle with codes, scripts, and other structural aspects of websites. Even amongst a team, the person who's considered the "designer" often has no formal background in color, composition, graphics or typography.

Quite frankly, most people can build their own basic website. Some of the technical components are not so complicated anymore. You can choose from thousands of software to do the rudimentaries. Of course the trained web designer will be able to narrow in on the appropriate, cost-effective and most reliable software in very short notice, saving you both time and money.

But, a trained graphic designer, with an eye out for aesthetics, is hard to find. As are those especially attractive websites. One of your criteria for your website should be how good it looks. And spend some time finding the designer who can do that for you.