Why choosing form over function kills your site

Written by Jamie Kiley


Never put form over function. Why? Because it's crucial that visitors actually be able to USE your site. Everything you do must be designed to be as easy forrepparttar visitor to understand as possible. Everything should be functional first.

If you put form before function, you sacrifice your visitor's best interest for your own preferences. By definition, putting form over function means you sacrifice function--you make it harder to perform whatever task is supposed to be performed. You give up ease of use or simplicity in order to make it look nicer. Basically, you wind up with a lot of icing and no cake.

Don't get me wrong--form often accentuates function, just like icing accentuates a cake. Something that is visually pleasing often increasesrepparttar 134460 usability by making it more attractive or by using visual elements to increase understanding. Creative design can often be used to make a task easier to perform. It can enticerepparttar 134461 visitor to take whatever action you want them to take.

However, onrepparttar 134462 web, there are frequently contests between form and function. Designers make choices between whether to make something look nicer or make it simpler and easier to use. For example, these are common ways of sacrificing function:

- Using an uncommon style of links that makes it hard to recognizerepparttar 134463 links.

- Putting a textured background behindrepparttar 134464 copy, even though it will makerepparttar 134465 text harder to read.

- Choosing a font color that doesn't have enough contrast withrepparttar 134466 background color.

- Using a font face that is difficult to read.

- Using an uncommon name for a common link. For example, "Talk" instead of "Contact us".

How to Create an Effective Navigation Structure for Your Site - Part 1

Written by Herman Drost


A ship captain traversingrepparttar open seas without a good navigation system will surely get lost. Maybe he'll strike sharp rocks and his ship will sink. A visitor who arrives at your site and can't navigate it forrepparttar 134459 information they seek, will surely get lost also and leave in frustration. Your ship (your web site) will also sink if this continues to happen.

Good site design means a good navigation structure for your web site. This meansrepparttar 134460 visitor can findrepparttar 134461 information with ease. Put yourself inrepparttar 134462 shoes of your Grandmother. Would she quickly and effortlessly be able to findrepparttar 134463 information she wants, or know what to click on to makerepparttar 134464 purchase? Don't think that just because it is easy for you, it will be easy for others.

Visitors should not need to click more than three times during their navigation, to findrepparttar 134465 information they are searching for.

1. Navigation Styles These can range from navigation buttons, navigation bars, plain text links, fancy animated graphics or drop-down select menus. You can also use illustrations, photographs or graphic images to show your visitor around. For example, an image map contains one graphic with different "hot spots"(invisible buttons) that link to other pages.

2. Primary and Secondary Navigation Primary navigation consists ofrepparttar 134466 navigation elements that are accessible from most locations withinrepparttar 134467 site.

Secondary navigation elements allowrepparttar 134468 user to navigate within a specific location. For example, many sites have a page that offers information aboutrepparttar 134469 company. The primary navigation element may be an About Us link.

Oncerepparttar 134470 user arrives onrepparttar 134471 About Us page, there will be other links (secondary links), which navigate withinrepparttar 134472 About Us page.

These could be links to Press Releases, Corporate Locations, Investor Information and so on. These links are secondary navigation elements because they are relevant torepparttar 134473 About Us page but notrepparttar 134474 other pages ofrepparttar 134475 site. Therefore, these links will not be found in other areas ofrepparttar 134476 site.

3. Guided Navigation This is a popular technique, in which you guiderepparttar 134477 visitor through your site. Links are provided forrepparttar 134478 next step and establishing links that keeprepparttar 134479 users on track continues repparttar 134480 process. These links should supplyrepparttar 134481 necessary information, as well as an alternate course clearly marked to allowrepparttar 134482 visitor to exit. For example, an online purchase should leadrepparttar 134483 user through shipping information, then on to payment information, then to receipt information.

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