Website Design – Why did you put that there?

Website Design – Why did you put that there?

When building a website there are lots of issues to consider. So many in fact it almost boggles the mind – if done right. Things like: goals, functionality, placement of things, copy, images, size, design, color, speed, security, accessibility, formats etc.

Some items are subjective, like should that button be blue or dark blue or perhaps that image would look better if it were a little bigger. But have you ever noticed that a lot (not all) websites have a similar look and feel? To give you an example, have you ever noticed that Navigation Menus generally either go horizontally along the top or vertically down the left side of the page?

Just look at some big companies websites.

Apple.com, CNN.com, Microsoft,  – Navigation along the top (sometimes more submenus)

Google Venture, Time Magazine, MacDonalds – Navigation along the left hand side.

So why did someone put the navigation menus there? Why not on the right hand side? or in the middle? The answer is likely that someone used their sense of design combined with fact based science.

What do you mean “fact based science?” Various eye tracking studies have shown than when people look at a website there is a natural flow of where people look first, then next, then next etc.

It forms whats called a natural F-pattern. (as seen in the diagram below)

This is just one example of using science to help make decisions on things like design. There are tonnes of other studies on lots of different topics that can be used to help make decisions about your website – to make it as effective as possible.

An interesting and fun website tests one small change to see its effect on clicks WhichTestWon

From time to time a client will give guidance or advice on elements about their website and it is up to the webdesigner to help the client understand why a certain element is located where it is. Maybe it’s based on research – or maybe it was a subjective decision.

The most successful websites are ones in which the client and web designer work together to create a great website. A knowledgable web professional can bring expertise on design and functionality and the client brings with them a huge bank of knowledge about their business and their customers.