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The Benefits of Redundancy in Web Design
The Benefits of Redundancy in Web Design
The word ‘redundant’ has a largely negative connotation. A lot of people view redundancy as unnecessary, and in fact, Merriam Webster defines the word as “exceeding what is necessary or normal”, or “superfluous”.
In an era where conciseness is highly praised, it may seem paradoxical to say that redundancy can be a great thing, but it can. Allow me to illustrate.
Redundant Layouts
Keeping a similar layout and design across a website allows users to navigate with ease. In the same sense, using a similar content template for articles, or other important content allows users to quickly recognize the type of content and its value.
...
The Importance of Visual Feedback
There is no doubt that the web has evolved very quickly, and we as web professionals have the power to create sites and applications with increasingly more attractive and user-friendly designs. In this ever-evolving field, however, there are some relatively simple considerations that are often overlooked, and most of these considerations play an integral role in the success of interactive media in terms of user experience. One such consideration is planning, designing, and developing for visual feedback. Below, I’ve outlined some quick items that all web professionals should pay attention to in order to make their projects more successful.
Provide Feedback for Link States
Every link, even an image link, has four states: default, hover, active, and...
The New Web Usability Rule: Don’t Count Clicks
The number of clicks required to reach information on a website has long been touted as a rule that every good User Experience Designer needs to follow. We’ve been told that information should be reachable within just three clicks. Well, here’s an alternate view: maybe counting clicks doesn’t matter that much after all.
Rather than spending so much time and energy abiding by the old “3-Click Rule”, I propose that we modernize this theory a bit. UX Designers and other web professionals should begin to focus more on something called “...
On My Soapbox
A Personal Perspective on the Design Process
Every new client gets the opportunity to witness me on my soapbox, expounding on my views about process based on my years of experience as a motion designer. I like to share my personal biases with clients out of my deep commitment to provide them with useful, practical designs that endure -- work that is a foundation for future projects. Like all my colleagues here at Marker Seven, I’m a big picture person and I think long term. That’s why I want clients to understand that it’s not “What can we at Marker Seven do for you today?” but rather “What can we do for you forever?”
When I engage with a client, I start by asking...
How to Determine Goal Page Values
What's an Inbound Lead Worth?
Creating "goal" page values is challenging for some Websites because not all goals are tangible. If you're selling widgets at $20 each, your goal page will be the “thanks for purchasing” page; the goal value is the amount of each purchase. That’s an easy e-commerce scenario.
However, if the goal of your site is to capture inbound leads, it’s far more challenging to determine the value of each lead. Such cases include:
- Newsletter subscription: "Thanks for Subscribing" page
- Contact us: "Thanks for Your Inquiry" page
- Other intangible goals: site engagement, visit depth, visit duration, etc.
...
Saying goodbye to Internet Explorer 6
Anyone involved in a web project in the last few years can tell you the frustration that erupts as soon as Internet Explorer 6 is mentioned. Released in August of 2001, IE6 has plagued developers and users alike with a plethora of bugs and security issues. It is now nearly nine years later, so why are people still running this outdated browser? For many it is corporate policy, for others an outdated computer, and some just don't know better. Fortunately, these numbers are finally dwindling, and some of the big players are stepping up to shut down IE6 once and for all.
While IE6's flaws are frustrating, with patience they can be worked around. However, the web is evolving; new features in modern browsers such as CSS3 and HTML5 can help build...
Online Marketing Blind Spots
Most companies are doing a good job setting and reaching their online goals, monitoring Web traffic and making any necessary mid course program corrections. Still “blind spots” may be keeping you from getting precise read on your traffic. If you aren’t looking to the left and right in your heavy Web traffic, you may be losing important competitive ground. Here are the most commonly overlooked online marketing blind spots.
Web Analytics: You most likely have Web log or traffic tracking on you site, but are you checking if often enough? Key marketing decision makers need to receive via automated email distribution Web...
User Experience: Is Your Web Site Worth It?
At one time or another we’ve all unexpectedly come to a dead end. Whether it’s in your car, in a voicemail tree or on a Web site. Fortunately for Web surfers -- and the sites they visit – the discipline of interactive User Experience (UX) is dedicated to helping users easily find information, intuitively conduct transactions, and never, ever come to a virtual dead end.
So why are some Web sites more difficult to use than others? The most obvious answer is that a User Experience team probably wasn’t involved in the project. And that creates a myriad of pitfalls that can lead to frustrated users, negative brand perception, lost business and long-term cost overruns.
User Experience Benefits
User Experience is responsible for understanding...
How to Make Sure Your Website Works for You
If this hasn’t happened to you, it most likely has happened to some company you know. You are halfway though the design and development of your new website and it’s not what you want. Or the finished project comes in over way over budget and late. How much of this is the failure of the web firm will depend on its level of experience and knowing how to ask the right questions. But even the most qualified firm can only work with the information they get from you. If you don’t know what you want or what your site needs to achieve, expect delays and possibly additional cost.
Designing and building a website is not unlike designing and building a house. You need a blueprint and that comes from a comprehensive process that includes a discovery phase during which...
