There can be absolutely no doubt that the world has been incredibly impacted by the Internet, you can now even work with a major corporation from home with online software project collaboration. The World Wide Web is one of those inventions that has left people wondering what they ever did without it before; today, the web is used for research, for business, for shopping, even for staying in touch with friends and family. While there is a broad range of applications when it comes to Internet usage, generally all of the interactions we conduct on the web are facilitated through websites, and the significance and popularity of that websites depends upon web design.
Imagine if you wanted to buy the aforementioned online collaboration software, went to the website and couldn't figure out how to order. You'd leave, right? Sales depends on a good web design. Or, you run a nursery supply and want to put up pictures of your products but don't want the site to be too cluttered. Web design can help here too.
What is web design, exactly? Well, every time you go to a new site on the Internet, you see web design in action. It is the term that describes the images and text you see on the page and how that is put together and seen by the end user.
Unfortunately, although every webpage is inherently an example of web design, not all webpages are examples of good web design. It is almost a certainty that you have gone to a website, either for research or to conduct a business transaction, and found that the information you were looking for was hard to find, not there, or that the site was simply too "busy" for your tastes. These are all common problems, and the modern website developer has to have an understanding of what good web design will entail for the people you want to bring to your site, and how good web design can keep them coming back. While there will be unique needs for each website, from those dealing with online business card printing to Bowmanville real estate, there are also some principles that hold true for every site.
There are four basic components of web design that almost every website on the Internet needs to keep in mind. They are:
Content: The content is why the surfer is viewing your site in the first place. It needs to be relevant and to the point, and can encompass a broad range of media, from video to text. Basically, content will catch the interest of the web visitor in some way or another. That content should of course always be appropriate to the site. You don't really need funny videos on a site for wire cutter sales.
Visibility: A well designed website will include aspects that make it easy to find via a search engine or other form of advertising. What good is your perfect website devoted to lagoon cleaning if no one looking for a clean lagoon can find it?
Usability: This term refers to how easy or difficult it is for the visitor to find the information they are looking for and to act on that information, as well as give feedback to the site and so on. Often, usability comes into conflict with appearance. You could want to explain exactly what your utility locating company does, but to may just be too busy for the site.
Appearance: This is the way in which the website is presented to the viewer. Appearance is the most controversial aspect of web design, as many people do not realize that what they might find appealing or intriguing might not necessarily work for the surfing public. For example, too many flash images can be distracting and may even cause viewers a headache; it looks neat but it takes away from both the usability and the content.
As we can see from the comments on appearance, a good web design means striking the right balance between all four components. The best possible web design for your site is often reached after trial and error, both your own and through learning what works and what doesn't from other sites on the Internet.