With the millions of websites audiences have available to explore, it comes as no surprise that in order to meet expectations, web design and UX is imperative. Here is a brief overview of key learnings I have taken away from this topic of study.
Navigation
Clear and simple navigation labels, keeping the menu items to seven or less, and logical internal linking helps users to quickly find what they are looking for. “A person of average (or even below average) ability and experience can figure out how to use the thing to accomplish something without it being more trouble than it’s worth.” — Steve Krug (Eva, 2021).
Consistency
Language, colours, icon and style guides can combine to generate a recognizable style that creates a cohesive experience.
White Space
Incorporating white space is visually more pleasing and encourages visitors to stay a while as opposed to an overcrowded site which may leave users overwhelmed (Crazy Egg, 2021).
Mobile Optimized Design
Modern web design will accommodate mobile first design (eg hamburger menus) adapting to different screen sizes without compromising usability and UX. Responsive design resizes images and rearranges content to suit various screen sizes and browsers (Xiao, 2021).
Page Speed
According to Hubspot, if loading times jumps from one to three seconds, the likelihood of a bounce (the visitor leaving) increases by 32 percent (Duo, 2022). With plummeting visitor attention spans, sluggish loading speeds are off-putting. Crazy Egg state that the best way to reduce load time is compressing images, recommending WP Smush (WP Business Plan required) to achieve this.
References
Crazy Egg (2021) ‘The Beginners Guide To Website Design Best Practices’ [Online] Available at: https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/website-design-best-practices/ Accessed at 28/01/23
Duo, M. (2022) ‘9 Quick Ways To Improve Loading Speed’ Hubspot. [Online] Available at: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-reduce-your-websites-page-speed Accessed at 30/01/23
Eva, V. (2021) ‘7 Key Elements Of Great UX Design’ UX Planet [Online] Available at: https://uxplanet.org/7-key-elements-that-great-ux-design-must-have-ad1f121e4038 Accessed 28/01/23
Xiao, L. (2021) ‘The principles of good website design’ Shaping Design [Online] Available at: https://www.editorx.com/shaping-design/article/good-website-design Accessed 1/02/23
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