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Mike
Serres/KUAT presented this informative session at NETA 2001.
Here's a recap of his notes:
|
My ten do's and
don'ts for designing a website... |
| DO |
|
| 1. |
DO promote your site and make it easy
to find (http://w3.arizona.edu/~kuat vs. kuat.org). Submit it to search
engines, put the URL on all printed material, mention it in broadcast sessions, etc. The
site is no good if no one knows about it. |
| 2. |
DO make it easy to load (no big
graphics, animations, FLASH or other things that get in the way of your CUSTOMER from
getting to the information they need |
| 3. |
DO clean up your act. Organize the site
in a simple, friendly (but professional) way that makes it easy for visitors to find what
they need. |
| 4. |
DO make it easy to navigate (with
consistent navigation - whenever possible - on all your pages. |
| 5. |
DO optimize all your graphics (so they
load quickly on the slowest of modems!) |
| 6. |
DO test your pages before you put them
up so that you are aware of any problems with graphics, links, programming etc. before
your visitor finds it. (Test them with multiple browsers and versions to ensure a
universal fit!) |
| 7. |
DO include "home" and
"contact" link on all your web pages. |
| 8. |
DO use bells & whistles when
appropriate, but make sure you give visitors an option to pass. |
| 9. |
DO keep important/critical information
one click away. |
| 10. |
DO steal good ideas from other web
sites (you don't have to reinvent the wheel!) |
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| 1. |
DON'T make your web visitor work. If they have to
download and install a piece of software in order to view your site, they are more than
likely to go away and not come back! |
| 2. |
DON'T clutter up your site with useless material
that detracts from the main purpose which is to communicate information clearly to your
visitor. |
| 3. |
DON'T forget to freshen your site regulary or kiss
repeat visitors goodbye. |
| 4. |
DON'T ignore customer feedback/comments. Respond
quickly, but consider their ideas, complaints, etc. They are your customers. The site is
for them, therefore their comments are valid. |
| 5. |
DON'T try to do it all by yourself. Like
broadcasting, the web is a collabortaive medium. It's a station site, and material needs
to come from all areas. Seek suggestions, input, constructive criticism and content from
your station colleagues.
Include others in your station in brainstorming, planning and implementation of web
initiatives. |
| 6. |
DON'T forget to check your usage logs to see who's
using your site and which pages get the most traffic. |
| 7. |
DON'T count hits. It's pretty much useless
information |
| 8. |
DON'T forget to backup your site. |
| 9. |
DON'T use copyrighted material without
permission....duh! |
| 10. |
DON'T forget who you're doing the site for. You
won't please everyone all the time, but it's important to make the site as accessible as
possible to your customer/visitor. You're not (usually) creating a site to win high-tech
awards, but to convey information. |
Onward to Mike's
"Cool Sites and Web Tools List."
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