8 Must-know rules for any Web Designer

8 Must-know rules for any Web Designer

Rule: YOU are NOT the USER.

What you understand is not what a user will understand. As a designer, you have intimate knowledge of a Web site. You understand where information is. You understand how to install plug-ins. You have the optimal screen resolution, browser setup, and so on. When you build your site around your own visual characteristics and skill levels, you often will confuse the actual users of the site. You must accept the fact that many users will not necessarily have intimate knowledge of the site you have so carefully crafted. They may not even have the same interests as you.

Given the importance of the users’ interests and desires, it might seem appropriate to simply ask the users to design the site the way they want. This seems to be a good idea until you consider another basic Web design tenet:

Rule: USERS are NOT DESIGNERS.

Not everyone is or should be a Web designer. Just as it would seem foolish to let moviegoers attempt to direct a major motion picture on the basis of their having viewed numerous movies, we should not expect users to be able to design Web sites just because they have browsed a multitude of sites. Users often have unrealistic requirements and expectations for sites. Users will not think carefully about the individual components of a Web site. In summary, users are not going to have the sophisticated understanding of the Web that a designer will have.

That said, the key to successful, usable Web site design is always trying to think from the point of view of the user. User-centered design is the term given to design that always puts the user first. But what can we say about users? Is there a typical user?

Does a “Joe Average Internet” exist that we should design our sites for? Probably not, but we certainly should consider certain traits, such as reaction times, memory, and other cognitive or physical abilities, as we design sites. An overview of cognitive science helps us understand basic user capabilities. Remember, however, that while users may have similar basic characteristics, they are also individuals. What may seem easy to one user will be hard for another. Sites that are built for a “common” user may not meet the needs of all users. Power users may find a site restrictive, while novice users find it too difficult.

Users are individuals with certain shared capacities and characteristics. Sites should take account of the relevant differences while focusing on the commonalities, as stated by the following Web design tenet:

Rule: Design for the common user, but account for differences.

Lastly, we can see that the differing needs of the user and the designer raise an issue of control. Control over a visit to a site is an unwritten contract between the designer and the visitor to how the experience will unfold. Often, sites provide little user control, forcing the user to view content in a predetermined order with little control over presentation or technology. Rarely do we find the exact opposite occurs, where the site gives users ultimate control over visitation, allowing them to choose what to see and how to see it and even allowing them to add to or modify the site’s contents. However, most sites do allow the user some choices and the ability to control experience, but always under the influence of the designer’s requirements.

Rule: Make sure the visual form of a site relates to its function.

It is likely that there will be a continual struggle between form and function, despite the fact that in nearly all cases the only side the designers should be on is that of their users. In fact, there really need be no disagreement. Form and function do not always have to fight; they complement each other nearly all of the time. A nice-looking design makes a functional site much better, while great functionality will make up for a deficiency in “look and feel” over time.

Seasoned designers understand this balance and practice the idea of holistic design by following the rule that the correct execution and integration of all facets of the site will outweigh the value of a single component. In fact, the real difference between a Web designer and a mere Web builder is that the former is capable of not only executing the individual parts of a site correctly but can also breathe extra “life” into the project as a whole.

Rule: A site’s execution must be close to flawless.

Why are execution problems rampant in Web sites? Simple: this is a young industry with changing standards. Consider state-of-the-art Web design from a few years ago and you’ll see the difference. Further, most Web professionals often didn’t have the background in computer science, networking, hypertext theory, cognitive science, and all the other disciplines that might affect the quality of the produced site. Some naïve designers even ignore the inherent differences in the emerging Web medium by not addressing problems of varying resolutions, color reproduction, bandwidth limitations, and so on. A Web designer who overlooks these types of technical characteristics of the Web is like the print designer who will not admit that ink bleeds on paper—great Web designers must know and respect the medium, which includes everything from browsers and bandwidth to programming and protocols.

Rule: Know and respect the Web and Internet medium constraints.

So, given the environment of Web design, we end up with today’s assortment of sites, from those that are standards-compliant, lightweight, user-friendly, informational, and task-rich to those that are browser-specific, unusable, or multimedia bandwidth hogs touted as “next generation” designs. Yet does this comparison suggest that all good sites are the same? Not necessarily.

Rule: Appropriately respect GUI and Web interface conventions.

All these general “designing theories” set the stage for learning Web design, but when you apply them to a real site the theories will become much more specific. In short, we have a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get started.

Rule: There is no form of “correct” Web design that fits every site.

As you read this, you’ll notice that various rules and suggestions are presented. These are fairly safe and well thought out, but their real value comes from understanding the motivation for them, not from blindly applying them. The importance of this distinction will become apparent once you see that many of the “rules” seem at odds with other rules. Exhibiting good judgment that strikes a balance between conflicts is a key attribute of a great Web designer.

Yet do not fall into the trap of becoming a professional critic. Certainly it is important to point out what not to do by finding flaws in sites or criticizing what is bad, but spending too much time discussing bad Web design may not be fruitful, particularly when you consider that there is no accounting for poor taste. It is easy to criticize, but it is much more difficult to take your acquired knowledge and apply it to a site of your own.

In the final analysis, the best approach to learning Web design is obviously by doing. Reading about site design theory or reviewing sites simply isn’t a replacement for building sites of your own. Yet before you set out constructing a site, learn the core principles of Web design as well as the building and evaluation procedures that will help you construct your Web sites well.

Summary

Pinning down exactly what is meant by the term Web design can be difficult. At best we can see that Web design is a multidisciplinary pursuit that consists of five primary components: content, visuals, technology, delivery, and purpose. However, theories of exactly how these components should mix together vary from person to person as well as project to project. Striking a fine balance between form and function, user and designer, content and task, and convention and innovation is the lofty goal of the Web.

Here is a quick review of these 8 rules:

1.   Rule: YOU are NOT the USER.

2.   Rule: USERS are NOT DESIGNERS.

3.   Rule: Design for the common user, but account for differences.

4.   Rule: Make sure the visual form of a site relates to its function.

5.   Rule: A site’s execution must be close to flawless.

6.   Rule: Know and respect the Web and Internet medium constraints.

7.   Rule: Appropriately respect GUI and Web interface conventions.

8.   Rule: There is no form of “correct” Web design that fits every site.