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Web Design Tips for Non-Designers
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Having your own Web page has become, if not compulsory, then at least like having a date at the prom: You can go without one, but it's not much fun and you will feel left out. Before you start downloading authoring tools and buying web space, pend some time deciding what kind of website you actually need and what information you want to put on it.
The Basics
A good place to go for help is 12 Web Page Design Decisions Your Business or Organization Will Need to Make by Ralph Wilson. Of course, he would like you to sign up for his Web consulting service, but he doesn't pressure you and let's you print out your responses to the 12 common-sense questions and his automated comments.
Check With Your Web Hosting Service
Now that you've decided whether you want a high-powered Internet storefront for your multinational site or a personal home page to keep your family up-to-date on your first year at college, the first place to look for pointers is the hosting service you intend to use. For example, Earthlink's page for members contains valuable tips and links to download sites for authoring tools. Some Web hosts demand you use a certain software package or file-name convention, so you should find out before you start coding.
Presentation is Everything
Once you know what information you want to publish on your site, you then need to decide how to present it. Squishy's Crash Course in Information Architecture is a thorough discussion of site structure creation which is useful for business sites. Designing Site Navigation from Dimitri's Design Lab is a readable guide to the basics of arranging content and is a good place for the absolute beginner.
Before you get carried away with all the bells and whistles for your home page, check out Crafting A Nifty Personal Web Site. Written in an informal style, the site focuses on "how not to be annoying." The Design Café also offers an easy-to-understand Six Step Guide to Web design.
Build a Business Site
If you are building a site for business, check out Ten Fatal Web Design Mistakes (in the interest of full disclosure, I wrote it) and Internet storefront hosts such as PSINet and Yahoo! Store's 10 Secrets To Selling Online.
Pay Attention to Details
Now that you have the basic idea, make sure your site is accessible to as many users as possible. The University of Hawaii Good HTML Guide has some useful notes on Optimizing for Slow Connections. Webmonkey's advice on Degrading Web Pages will help you design for the most up-to-date technology, without alienating users with older browsers.
Before launching your website, it is always a good idea to have someone else look it over to make sure the navigation plan you came up with is comprehensible to a first-time user. It may also be worthwhile to have your site checked over by a professional. The following sites offer free evaluation:
Site Inspector
WebLint
Web Site Garage
Doctor HTML
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