Web Design Basics, learning web site design

This section provides basic skills for web site design and designing good usable web pages, through insight insight into the core thinking that supports the design of effective and usable web sites.

Using web sites should be easy and pleasant, just like a great experience in a shop, hotel, or library.

I believe that the all Web sites can be made lovable - easy, rewarding and pleasurable to use.

Most web sites suck, even ones created by experienced and highly-paid web designers. They're either hard to navigate, confusing, cryptic, badly organised, badly written, stupid, obscure, rude, over-designed, under-designed, or simply don't give us what we want.

Too often we are left feeling either stupid, let down, frustrated, or angry. This situation is not okay any more.

These articles look at the web browsing experience (See: How people use web pages, People are impatient; No-one looks at the screen; Scanning, Other online factors).

Web design is a complex discipline, and there is a tension between designing for beauty and designing for function. However, you can make web sites both pleasurable and functional, appealing and usable. In fact, this should be your goal as a designer. (See: Web sites and buildings, Sphere of Design; Using your Ink)

Basics also include ways of approaching web design that help us create better sites. See: Conventions; Don't decorate, communicate!, Simplicity).

Process of creating web pages

How to make a web site: The absolute basic mechanics of how you go about making web pages and publishing them on the web.
Introduction to Search Engine Optimisation: A guide to the minimum that every web designer, producer, coder, or site owner should know about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).

Understanding web site design

No-one looks at the screen: Why no-one wants to look at the screen
Scanning - Why web users scan and what designers can do to help: Scanning - Why web users scan and what designers can do to help
Content: Design is all about content. Content is the designer's problem.
How people use web pages: How people really use web pages is different from the way designers think they do
People are impatient: Why we are impatient when using the web, and what designers can do to improve things
Other factors affecting the web browsing experience: Other factors affecting the web browsing experience
The Brain's strengths: Understanding what the human brain has evolved to do helps designers create better web pages

Principles of good web page design

Simplicity in web design: The principle of Simplicity in web design
Trusting the user: Why it's important to trust users when designing web sites and applications
Don't Decorate, Communicate!: Focus on the message you're communicating
Golden Rule of web design: My golden rule - a simple touchstone to help all design decisions
Conventions in web design: Understanding how to use conventions is a critical skill in design
Branding for web sites: Branding for web sites
The Sphere of Design: A conceptual tool for visualising the balance between functionality and aesthetics in visual design

Read it offline

Buy the entire Basics section as a PDF e-book on our Downloads page

Don't Make Me Think, 2nd edition

By Steve Krug

Level Introductory

This is the one must-read usability book for all web designer and developers.

Steve Krug's masterpice (now in its second edition) achieves the amazing feat of making very complex concepts simple enough for anyone to understand.

It's a very easy, lighthearted and quick read, thanks to great writing, smart page design and lots of pictures.

The second edition has several worthwhile additions over the classic original book, with 3 new chapters covering important stuff like accessibility.

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