If you have a question, “What is the best web design?”, then you probably have already faced the problem of choosing the right web design for your site.

However, before we answer this question, let’s analyze what you mean by the best web design.

What are the criteria for its definition?

Many people saying about the best web design, mean its “prettiness”, and measure it by the quantity of pictures and cool animation.

Yes, this view may be true, though only if it is a personal website of a specialist in the field of special effects.

While plenty of flashing, blinking or darting little animals on site for a serious site devoted to serious business – is, well, not quite appropriate.

So the first rule of the best design is not to overdo with graphics and animation.

Important criteria for good web design have always been and are its ease and clarity.

Therefore, creating a website, do not forget about users who should not writhe in hysterics, and spend hours trying to find necessary information on your site.

Such concepts as usability and usability testing exist among web developers.

Usability means ease of use.

Usability testing means the testing of this ease respectively.

Typically for such testing, people are invited, whose task is to analyze usability and accessibility of site interface.

Thus, the second rule is to keep in mind the importance of ease of your web design to users.

Speaking of usability, we should also mention about site display on the monitors of your visitors.

As you know, not only conventional monitors 4:3 with a diagonal 17 or 19 inches monitors, large-format (e.g., 16:9, 16:10) with 19 inches and larger diagonals.

Very often a site correctly displayed on the seventeen-inch screen can “move out” to the side on a wide-screen monitor, text boxes, table cells etc can be displaced.

So now you can hear the term “rubber” and “hard” design.

“Hard” design provides a fixed size of all elements of design, while “rubber” – a percentage-wise size to width and height of the screen.

So here is the third rule – consider these nuances:

* If the information is more important, than how the user will see it on his monitor, and if there is quite a lot of such information – then choose “rubber” web design;
* If the amount of information on each page is limited and it is very important that the user saw it exactly as the developers wanted, your choice is “hard” web design;

You can also combine these designs – that is one part of the elements will be fixed, and another – flexible.

It should be born in mind that rush is not the best assistant in creating the best web design. According to a famous proverb: “haste makes waste”.

It is better to spend a little more time and “polish” your site than kick yourself, observing the appearing failures.

Therefore, the next best rule of web design is never take any hasty decisions.

Do not forget about the financial problem!

If you liked the site very much, then it may be very very expensive.

It makes sense to regulate your desires with your financial capabilities – to spend all company’s money is not the best solution.

So, the fifth rule is that your website should correspond your financial resources.

If you need a website to advertise your products and services, focus the users’ attention on these products.

For this purpose, it is not necessary to “hang out” a flashing banner with lots of special effects next to each product.

It will be better to provide useful information about your products and services than “shout” “THIS PRODUCT IS THE BEST!” three times. Hence the rule – use facts and not empty statements.

Finally, remember – you create a website not only for you, but primarily for the visitors.

For example, an educational portal for teachers of Russian language created by you is unlikely to be good enough, if it is full of slang expressions and “hot” girls.

Consider the characteristics of your target audience – this will help you to avoid misunderstanding.

Let’s summarize. Despite all these rules, the concept of the best web design is very subjective. There is no universal recipe – you will understand every thing with the help of cut and try.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 at 12:40 pm and is filed under Useful. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.