Jump to content
Judge: web sites for health
 
2.0 How to design:
 
   

2.2 Principles of good design

Good Web site design covers the following issues:

  • accessibility;

  • usability;

  • appearance.

Plan out your design on paper first.

  • Think about what information you want to include in your site. The section in these guidelines on 'How to produce good quality information' will provide suggestions.

  • How will the different sections of information be logically connected to each other? This helps you to think how the site's navigation will be organised.

  • Look at the following pages in this 'How to design good quality Web sites' section.
    (a) Some of the pages give quite detailed advice for people with more computer expertise who are producing their own sites.
    (b) Also look at the other guides to Web design listed below for further details.
    (c) If someone else is producing the Web site for you, these pages will help you discuss the design requirements with them.

  • A Web site can be built up gradually, as long as you leave places in your design to build in future sections

When planning the design of your site, think about your users and make it simple, obvious, and helpful.

Look at other Web sites. What do you think is good about them? What is unhelpful or poor?

There are many sites that provide advice on good Web design. Here are some examples.

< previous page: practicalities  |   next page: accessibility >


  

© Copyright for this site is held by Contact a Family and the Information Society Research and Consultancy Group, School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences, Northumbria University. Site published February 2003. Last updated October 2006. Review date October 2007.