WEB PAGE LITMUS TESTS
Does Your Own Web Site Measure Up to the Tough Standards You Place on Others? Maybe it's Time to Take an Inventory.
By Stefene Russell
We all have myopia when it comes to our own projects, and web sites are no different. Why use rainbow fun fonts, neon wallpaper, and spastic animated GIFs when you find them highly obnoxious on other sites? The cause may be the mystery of human nature, but the answer is pretty simple--take a fearless inventory.
The next time you get ambitious and decide to revamp your site, try this little exercise. Sit down and surf--but bring a notebook and an pen. Write down anything that elicits an emotional response, even if it's just slight annoyance. For example: "Pixelated-looking unicorn image with rainbow mane, blinking title that I can't read, and text pushed all the way down at the bottom of the page. Felt very grouchy...and left the site ASAP." Chances are, the things that turn you off are things that turn everyone off.
So make a nice long list. Okay? Now go back, and turn an objective eye to your own site. See what mistakes you're making and try to correct them. Some common web site issues include:
1. Coding Problems--If your text is wrapping this way and that, or your images are stretched or distorted, you may need to go in and directly edit the HTML to correct it. If you don't know how to do it, find someone who does. It's worth it.2. Copy Problems--This includes awkward, confusing sentences, as well as spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. Lack of consistency in the text is also a problem. Use a consistent writing tone, and use the same font face throughout. Make sure all your titles and headers are the same size, and that your text colors aren't mysteriously changing from green to blue to black for no particular reason.
3. Design Problems--Don't try to cram everything on one page--infinite scrolling will not endear you to your users. Ditto with too many images, or huge, hard-to-download images. Clean and simple is a good rule--baroque may have worked for Bach, but it doesn't work on the web, period.
4. Organizational Problems--If users can't figure out how to get to the relevant information, or even worse, can't even figure out what the topic of the page is supposed to be, you're in trouble.
Another quick litmus test is to remember who your audience is. If this is a business web site, then treat it that way. You wouldn't print your resume on shocking pink paper, using some goofy font, and you wouldn't show up to a job interview in acid green trousers and clown shoes. Though there's a little more leeway in web site design, you still want to come across as competent and professional. That means purging your site of all copy errors, using clean, legible images and fixing any strange coding quirk as soon as you see it. After all, how is a customer supposed to trust you with a product if your website is a mess?
As for acid green, well, I think the jury's still out on that one--if you do decide to use it, use it wisely!
Stefene Russell is a freelance writer living in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has worked as a print journalist and as Senior Content Producer for citysearch.com. She is currently Dr. Kevin Nunley's in-house website expert, providing site analysis to e-business. You may contact Stefene at:
Nunley Associates 10 West Broadway, Ste. 612 Salt Lake City, UT 84102 (801) 328-9006 stefene@drnunley.com http://www.fixmywebsite.com
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