Web page construction

• Using Frames
  • Splitting a page into frames is very confusing since frames break the fundamental user model of the web page. You cannot bookmark the current page and return to it (the bookmark points to another version of the frameset), URLs stop working, and printouts become difficult. Even worse, the predictability of user action results goes out the door.
• Gratuitous Use of Bleeding-Edge Technology
  • Don't try to attract users to your site by use of the latest web technology. You may get a few nerds, but mainstream users will care more about useful content and your ability to offer a good interface. Using the latest and greatest before it is even out of beta is a sure way to discourage users: if their system crashes while visiting your site, you can bet that many of them will not be back. [Top]
• Scrolling Text, Marquees, and Constantly Running Animations
  • Never include page elements that move incessantly. Moving images have an overpowering effect on the human peripheral vision with a constant attack on the human senses. <blink> is simply evil.
• Complex URLs
  • Even though machine-level addressing like the URL should never have been exposed in the user interface, it is there and users actually try to decode the URLs of pages to infer the structure of web sites. Users do this because of the horrifying lack of support for navigation and sense of location in current web browsers. Thus, a URL should contain human-readable directory and file names that reflect the nature of the information space. Aeries sometimes type in a URL. Minimize the risk of typographical errors by using short names with all lower-case characters and no special characters (a ~). [Top]
• Orphan Pages
  • Make sure that all pages include a clear indication of what web site they belong to since users may access pages directly without coming in through your home page. For the same reason, every page should have a link up to your home page as well as some indication of where they fit within the structure of your information space.
• Long Scrolling Pages
  • Only 10% of users scroll beyond the information that is visible on the screen when a page comes up. All critical content and navigation options should be on the top part of the page. [Top]
• Lack of Navigation Support
  • Don't assume that users know as much about your site as you do. They always have difficulty finding information, so they need support in the form of a strong sense of structure and place. Start your design with a good understanding of the structure of the information space and communicate this structure explicitly to the user. Provide a site map and let users know where they are and where they can go
• Nonstandard Link Colors
  • Links to pages that have not been seen by the user are blue; links to previously seen pages are purple or red. Don't mess with these colors since the ability to understand what links have been followed is one of the few navigational aides that is standard in most web browsers. Consistency is key to teaching users what the link colors mean. [Top]
• Outdated Information
  • Maintenance is a cheap way of enhancing the content on your website since many old pages keep their relevance and should be linked into the new pages. Of course, some pages are better off being removed completely from the server after their expiration date.
• Overly Long Download Times
  • Traditional human factors guidelines indicate 10 seconds as the maximum response time before users lose interest. On the web, users have been trained to endure so much suffering that it may be acceptable to increase this limit to 15 seconds for a few pages.
• No Mailing Address Or Phone Number -- Anywhere
  • Simple, but many sites don't include a contact address or telephone number anywhere nor do they answer e-mail in a timely fashion.
• Content-Free Intro Pages
  • Every page in your site should be designed to do a job. If it doesn't pull its weight, it is a hindrance to conveying your site's messages and it ought to be eliminated. an infroductory page initiates the user's perceptions of your site: this "first site" gives it a major role in your presentation. [Top]
• Backgrounds from Hell
  • The examples of this are legion. The most common problem is colored text against a dark background. This is a symptom of inadequate page checking. Colors are tricky because even standard palettes don't appear the same on every system. Macs and PCs also render colors differently, as do some browsers, and most monitors have never been color corrected. Something can look fine on your system and be blinding on others. Check pages on a variety of systems with different browsers.
• Automatic Music
  • This is an example of the "we-should-do-it-because-we-can" school of Web design. You call up the page, it opens (eventually) and you get instant background music. If you're going to use music, let the user click on a button to start and stop it.
• Spelling And Grammar (Not Grammer!) Mistakes
  • In this day of running spelling checkers on everything, it is absurd to misspell common words on your Web site. But people do it all the time. Don't assume that because your spelling checker didn't complain you're home free. Informed proofreading is the only defense against making yourself look foolish

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