Archive for November, 2007
published by Dan in Blogging | Website Design
Since I have previously stressed the importance of a professional looking blog design already discussed ways in which to address usability through navigation features I will focus on weblog’s looks or appearance. The way a blog looks reflects the professionalism of the blog and thus the blogger. This is the area where you will most benefit from the service of a professional web designer.
Most bloggers simply make do with their Wordpress or Blogger templates. While there is really nothing wrong with these templates and many of them are pretty enough if yours is a business blog you are better off with a customised look. Templates are the mark of a low budget blog and while it makes sense to hire cheap web designers you don’t want it to be obvious that you aren’t really putting any resources on your business’ blog. Web designers might give you templates too but the important thing is that their templates are the bare bones and that the end look is customised enough for your business’ needs. By hiring web design specialists to fix your blog design you can expect…
- better branding for your blog;
- a blog that looks and feels more like your own website or product and service does;
- a cleaner and professional look;
- better blog in terms of usability; and
- a stress-free time while having the blog design fixed.
published by Dan in Blogging | Usability | Website Design
Aside from the navigation features I mentioned in the last post such as the search box and use of categories there are other subtle but very useful ways to increase the searchability of blog posts. One of this ways is present right here on Doublespark’s blog.
If you notice, at the end of each blog entry you will find a short list of Similar Posts. The choice of similar posts are based on the category under which the entry is filed and also on the entry title. Displaying a list of similar posts are very useful for blog readers because they can simply click on the posts they are interested in. As an example, on the post entitled “Web Design Priorities” the list similar posts includes:
As you can see the similar posts are indeed useful helping the reader find entries on everything from code compluiance to blog design.
Aside from similar posts one other thing that helps blog navigation is the presence of popular/best posts on the sidebar. If you want to showcase your best posts for readers to see by putting them on the sidebar they will always be on display even though they might be really old posts. In the end ask your web designer how important these navigation elements are and if they are applicable to your blog.
published by Dan in Blogging | Usability | Website Design
Since I’ve stressed the importance of a professional weblog design let me give a few examples of web design aspects that often goes unnoticed in weblogs and so reduces its usability or at the least makes it look unprofessional.
Because blogs are updated very often and so has lots of content one of the biggest web design factors that should be addressed is the searchability of previous posts. One of the biggest blunders bloggers commit is that many do not offer ways to search for specific topics in blogs. Many offer no other way to navigate their blog other than through the next/previous posts found on the bottom of the page and through a calendar. Although a calendar is useful most readers wouldn’t really know when you wrote a specific post, especially if a new reader and would need to scan too many posts to find what they need. No one likes to do that. Instead make sure that your blog posts are categorised and that the categories are listed on the sidebar. This makes for easier topical search. Aside from this it is also a good idea to add a search box on the top of the blog so that readers can simply enter a specific search term to find posts about it. This is useful if your categories are really broad because readers might be trying to find more specific information.
Implementation of such design elements to improve navigation is easy and could be done even in a personal blog. On my next post I will be discussing more weblog design factors that should be present in your business blog.
published by Dan in Blogging | Website Design
More and more businesses are realising the potential of blogs to help promote their own websites and thus their products and services. Blogs are very useful for different reasons. In terms of SEO it helps provide fresh content for your website on a regular basis. In terms of reaching potential customers it’s a good way to showcase knowledge about your niche as well as great for getting feedback (through comments) about stuff related to your business. Blogs are also very helpful in building your reputation, and we know how much reputation matters when it comes to businesses.
Since blogs are an important part of the marketing strategy of many businesses it is surpising that there are many business blogs out there that do not have professional web designs. People tend to dismiss the importance of web design when it comes to blogs due to the usually more laid back feel of blogs. This is a mistake since the appearance and over all usability of your blog reflects on your business. Your blog should be treated as an extension of your website. Everyone knows the importance of a good website design and when you hire someone to do your website design for you insist that they fix your weblog’s design as well. By making your weblog professional looking it will add to your credibility and hopefully (if you provide good content) to your subscribers as well.
published by Dan in Blogging | Website Design
There’s no doubt about the popularity of weblogs. Blogging is popular for many reasons including it’s laid back feel. The problem with many weblogs nowadays though is that people tend to dismiss the fact that it IS still a form of a website and that most website design principles do apply to blogs. Aside from this, because of the blogs’ special characteristics they also pose special web design challenges that are also sometimes not addressed. Because of this blogs are often loaded with design issues that if addressed would make visiting the blog a whole lot better experience for its readers.
Personally, I believe that bloggers shouldn’t have to bother with the nitty gritty of web design. After all, one of the things that makes it so popular is that with all the blogging tools nowadays all you really need to do is write your entry, click a button, and publish the post. However, I also believe that this shouldn’t be an excuse to litter the internet with unsightly and unuseable blogs. Personal blogs might be excused but business blogs cannot. Since my two views seem opposing then the solution is simply to leave the design part of your business blog with a professional web designer. By hiring a web design service to design your blog for you, you can be free from nice but not unique templates. On my next post I will expound on the importance of having a professional weblog design for your business.
published by Dan in Usability | Website Design
In an article Sue Weekes of the Recruiter wrote a few days back she asked a question faced by all website owners nowadays, “How useable is your website?”. As a web designer the answer should obviously be “very useable”. However, Weekes was quite right when she asserted that with online recruitment sites you couldn’t bank on a website being that good in terms of usability. The reason for this is, as Stephen O’Donnell, founder and director of UK jobs portal, AlljobsUK.com, pointed out, that “Many employer sites don’t have a cohesive plan. They often fall down by having different people responsible for the recruitment section of the site, than from the main site. The very best employer’s sites manage to seamlessly integrate recruitment into their corporate website.” What this means for the recruitment sites is that they are put in the back burner and get low budget web designer services that lack expertise in usability.
The sad fact is that this is true not only for recruitment sites of many companies but even the main sites of some businesses. Not realising the importance of usability many clients fall for pretty web designs that are not entirely that useable. A perfect case of the “form over function” way of thinking. Aesthetically many fall for website designs that are indeed pretty to look at but not good at all when it comes to usability. As a web designer make sure that all the web pages you design prioritises usability, after all I can never stress enough the importance of usability.
published by Dan in Accessibility | Tools & Resources | Web Technology | Website Design | Website Standards
Last time I posted about the importance of web accessibility. I mentioned how other users, aside from the disabled and partially disabled, could benefit from web accessibility. As a web designer though that is not very familiar with web accessibility you should realize that there is a pretty wide range of disabilities to address including:
- visual impairments - whether full or partial blindness or colour blindness
- motor disabilities - for those with problems with fine muscle control due to certain conditions like Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, etc.
- auditory problems - whether full or partial deafness
- seizures - epilepsy is sometimes triggered when the screen frequency is between 2 to 55Hz
- cognitive/intellectually impairments - users with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, has poor memory and problem solving skills, etc.
Looking at the list above can be daunting. However, a web design provider really needs to address these issues especially if under the jurisdiction of countries that legally require web accessibility. As mentioned in the previous post though, the Web Accessibility Initiative is a good place to start informing yourself about the issue. There you will find everything from guidelines and techniques to evaluation tools.
As a web designer note though that your job is really only to follow the guidelines set by the W3C. You do not have to worry about the hardware part and other assistive technologies that will help the disabled in web browsing. By following the guidelines you can be assured that the website you have designed can be easily read by assistive technologies such as screen readers. Of course, since technology constantly gives better (or at least newer) solutions then it is important that you keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments in web accessibility.
published by Dan in Accessibility | Website Design | Website Standards
What is Web Accessibility? It means a design that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate and interact with the web in the same way that web users without disabilities do. Web accessibility also helps people with diminished capabilities such as old people.
As a web design service provider, it is important that you have adept knowledge for implementing an accessible website design. There more than enough reasons for some of your clients to specify accessibility as an integral part of the desired web site design. Incorporating web accessibility in web designs lets people with disabilities use your final web site design implementation with ease and convenience. An accessible web site design however, goes beyond disabilities: by making an accessible design, other groups of user also benefit from your design, including, but not limited to the following:
-users accessing the internet other than the computer (mobile devices, web-tv)
-users with low and limited bandwidth
-users with different learning styles
According to statistics, around 20% to 30% of internet users in most counties are disabled. This means that a web design that is accessible opens up your client’s web site to a larger audience and potential market.
For certain types of web sites, such as government sites, the countries or organisations may have policies that sets accessibility as a requirement. You can get more information about accessibility in some countries, you can visit the W3C page on policies relating to web accessibility. For even more information on implementing accessible web designs, you can visit the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI ).
published by Dan in CSS | Tools & Resources | Web Development | Website Design
When you’re offering web design services, it’s not uncommon to have similar design specifications even from different clients. Although ultimately the content will be different and there may be special cases for each client, it is important to note that for most of your web design work, you’re actually repeating design elements. This is where CSS frameworks come in. CSS frameworks, much like an application or development code framework, serves as a basis for your design implementations that share fairly common and core elements. For example, the header, the sidebar, navigation lists, and footer. CSS frameworks gets you started rather easily so that you can quickly prototype your project, spend less time on design parts that are usually repeated, and focus on those special cases where the clients have a particular preference. There are many resources that you can find about CSS frameworks: Blueprint was one of the first css frameworks. Tripoli is another one. In fact a simple Google search for CSS frameworks will give you results on different frameworks and articles about them.
CSS framework really simplifies your work flow but it shouldn’t be seen as a crutch for the lack of a solid CSS knowledge. Frameworks must be understood fully and used properly or else, when used improperly, it will bite back when your design gets messed up and you’re left wondering why. Use CSS frameworks when your design specification fits with what the framework offers. If used right, CSS frameworks is a big help to get you started with your web design project.
published by Dan in Website Design
Many web design firms and their clients engage in business with a very vague written contract or even just a simple verbal agreement. When problems arise it becomes clear just how vague the terms are making dealing with the problem even more problematic. This is why it is very important both for those that commission web design services and those offering them to have a solid and very detailed contract.
In the web design business the contract is often the responsibility of the web design firm. The offer to the client can serve as the contract. This is why a professional web design firm will spend time and energy in drafting the offer. Some of the important details that should be spelled out in the offer include:
- The scope of work - This is where you layout just what exactly you will do for your clients. This means that this part of the offer should be really customised for each client.
- Payment issues - This should include not only the amount you agree on but should also address the issue of additional payment in case the client wants additional work or changes in the original cope of work. This should also adress issues of what happens if the web design firm does not deliver as promised (time and quality-wise).
- Copyrights issues - This part is very important. There should be clear agreement between client and the web design service provider as to who holds the copyright to design elements used in the website.
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