Overloaded, Cluttered, or Just Plain Ugly Websites
Our presenter from the Art Institute, Lisa Saulnier, mentioned ugly websites and an online listing of them. I did some searching and came up with some winners (losers?) for you. Don’t let this happen to your website!
Gordon Wayne Watts Research Page
These sites are confusing to navigate or are way over-loaded with links, photos, and information.
You can be creative but just make sure you have organized your content well! Think about how someone will navigate your website to find what he/she needs. Consider how it looks visually and how content is laid out on the page.
Now it’s your turn- we talked earlier in the month about websites we liked such as Google and YouTube either for how they look or for their content. Let’s do the opposite and find sites that you don’t like. Maybe it’s confusing to find what you’re looking for or it’s just plain ugly. Please find three different sites you don’t like and give the reasons why. What would make these sites better?
What About Domain Names?
Think long and hard about what you want your domain name to be before you buy it.
Some bad examples:
http://www.childrenswear.co.uk/
Best Practices for Web Design
Here is a good list of things to keep in mind when designing your website
Also- 9 Essential Principals for Good Web Design
Things to consider: visual layout, menu system, use of headlines and other content dividers, image placement, etc.
Also see- Top Ten Web Design Mistakes and Top 9 Usability Mistakes