Redesign of the World's Worst Website
Here are some things to keep in mind when you are creating a website:
- Make sure that you have navigation and that it is easy to use. Important information should never be more
than 2 clicks away.
- Have contrast between the background color and the text color.
- Keep your backgrounds simple. White or light colors usually work best. Your background should not compete
with the content of the page for the users attention. If you would like to use a background picture, select a
picture that uses muted colors or format your picture as a watermark. Select text colors which will contrast
well with the background picture.
- There should be no more than one animated object in your view at any time.
- Do not have excessive advertisements. They make your site difficult to use and bury your message in a sea
of clutter.
- It is better to not have music playing on your website, but if you do, make sure you provide a way for your
visitors to turn it off if they wish.
- Avoid excessive or exclusive use of java script menus. They require a long download and don't offer a
'skip into' option.
- Make sure that you spell your words correctly and use proper punctuation
- Do not enclose blocks of text within borders because it breaks up the flow of the page and causes unnecessary
distractions.
- Make sure that your pictures load properly on your page.
- Do not have orphan pages. Make sure there is a way to get back to the originating page.
- Click through all your links often and update them regularly.
- Make all hyperlinks one common color.
- Do not use overly long hyperlinks.
- Make sure you links go to the right place.
- Different browsers may display your page very differently. Check your website in as many different browsers
as possible. Check it in both 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768 screen resolutions. Using tables may help control the
layout. Avoid components which only render properly in specific browsers.
- Updated your information on a regular basis
- Make your download time as short as possible. Most web surfers will not wait for moe than 10-15 seconds for
your page to load before they move on. Use pictures sparingly or use thumbnail images. Be sure to save images in
.jpg or .gif format.
- There should always be a link somewhere on your page for users to contact you if need be. Provide an email
link at the bottom of the page.
