Designing Your Site.
Some people argue that "Content is King" and websites are not designed but written. While we agree that content is indeed very important, the writers would have considered some or all of the following points, which are design considerations:
Category:
What is the site about? What is the visitor expecting to find? Our site fits in a "Tutorials", "Helpware" or "Beginners Guides" category. All pages on this site deal with sub-topics of the subject
Look & Feel:
Pick a look (a theme if you like) and use it consistently throughout the site. Our site uses the same colour scheme and general layout on all pages. The site title and menu are shown in the same location on each page. Backgrounds are consistent and we use the same font throughout the site. Each page shows the copyright message and standards compliance logos at the bottom.
Navigation:
Make it easy to navigate the site and keep it consistent so visitors do not get lost. Our site has Menu buttons on the left hand side on every page, including the search pages (which are actually generated by a third party). You can get back to the entrance at any time via the "Home" button. The button for the page you are looking does not have a link and has a different colour.
Language:
Will the site be written in English? Another language? Multiple languages? Our site is presented in English only at this stage as it is the most understood language around the world (and our own language). We are thinking of presenting it in different languages at some time in the future, if we can find volunteers to take care of this aspect.
The volunteers will be given credit for their work (on the front page of the translated site). Subject to some conditions, they may also link back to their site. If you are interested in taking this on, please contact us.
Once you have decided how to tackle these four considerations, you are well on your way to developing a quality web site.
Have we broken our own rules?
We try to practice what we preach but it's always possible that we made a mistake (we are human too). If you have spotted a mistake, please contact us.
