The Anatomy of an Effective Web Design

The Anatomy of an Effective Web Design fig. 1 (Web Design Elements) Color Scheme Solid Layout Your color scheme should be applicable to your target audience. Less color can work in your favor in many cases. Most sites only have 2 colors in their palette. a. Mock up wireframes of site b. White space is necessary to separate units of information and create balance Visited Link State a. Color change of visited links helps the visitor to know which links they've clicked on Usability and Utility Design Elements a. Success or failure of site depends usability and function Effective Typography a. Attribute to the overall mood of site a. Use color, size, and weight variation for titles and subtitles b. Efficient user experience is b. Keep elements consistent easy to navigate and promotes returning visits C. Attention to detail often makes larger impact b. Maintain legibility with d. Less is more correct line, letter, and word spacing C. Line height should be 1.5 times your font size fig. 2 (Attracting & Maintaining Audience) Test Before Launch, Test Often Have multiple outside parties test your site for bugs/user experience flaws Don't test your own code: test on multiple browsers/computers 4 Answer the Question Make sure the purpose of the site is clear to the user and fulfills their reason for visiting Use Conventional Layouts Layouts are familiar to user so they know how to navigate Promotes trust in site Create Interest/Flow Highlight site features: make navigation elements prominent Use effective writing, scannable layouts, and concise phrases Do not includes PDF files. PDFs break user's flow Eliminate Friction for Users Use clear structure and recognizable visual clues Don't require too much of the user Let users experience the site features before sign up Focus attention by providing pathway from point A to point B Design Industry Statistics (Popular Industries & Salaries) (Male & Female Designers) 70k 60k 50k 60% Male 40k 40% Female 30k 20k Marketing, Advertising, Media Education, College Graphic Arts, Design Advertising Agency Web Development Management (Male & Female Salary Comparison) (Years of Experience) 70k 60k $33,273-$50,064 50k 40k 30k $32,235-$48,934 20k Male Female (Web Designer Salary Range) Less than 1 year: 5% 10-19 years: 12% 1-4 years: 55% 20+ years: 1% 5-9 years: 27% $23,786 $64,171 (Common Past Jobs/Salaries for a Web Designer) 5k 10k 15k 20k 25k 30k 35k 40k 45k 50k 55k 60k 65k 70k 75k 80k 85k 90k 95k Graphic Artist/Designer: $23,694 - $55,475 Graphic Designer: $24,967 - $55,886 Waiter/Waitress: $7,792 - $36,886 (Common Future Jobs/Salaries fora Web Designer) 5k 10k 15k 20k 25k 30k 35k 40k 45k 50k 55k 60k 65k 70k 75k 80k 85k 90k 95k Web Designer & Developer: $27,683 - $75,422 Senior Web Designer: $40,266 - $94,325 Graphic Designer, Web: $25,795 - $63,084 sources: WDL CREDITLOAN° http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/31/10-principles-of-effective-web-design/ http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html webdesignledger.com http://webdesignledger.com/tips/the-four-key-components-of-a-great-web-design http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Web_Designer/Salary REAL ANSWERS. REAL SOLUTIONS.