Web & graphic design notes

Choosing the web interface

It is almost impossible to get a solid view and efficiency of the website and in most cases it is not necessary either. Usually people differentiate between two types of websites: websites which are regularly visited and websites which are visited pretty seldom. Therefore, users’ needs for these websites are essentially different.

The website layout of regularly visited websites should be optimized to get the maximum efficiency use. That’s why it is quite possible to sacrifice clearness on this stage within reasonable limits, because when users accommodate to the interface, they will learn how to use it.

The website layout for the small and seldom visited websites could be uncomfortable and not so efficient but the most important thing is that this layout be amenable to immediate understanding.

So the question is what type of layout to choose? Most developers do testing. Just ask someone to test your interface, make a list of several tasks you want him to do (for example, to register at the website, to find something, etc). After that, just listen to their opinions and comments, it will eliminate a big amount of errors. Anyway, even the most creative layout will be useless if the website is not interesting. On the other hand a useful website won’t reach high popularity if the necessary information can not be found.