The Anatomy of an Effective Web Design

Color Scheme
(Web Design Elements)

Your color scheme should be applicable to your target audience. Less color can work in your favor in many cases. Most sites only have 2 colors in their palette.

Usability and Utility

a. Success or failure of site depends usability and function
b. Efficient user experience is easy to navigate and promotes returning visits

Effective Typography

a. Use color, size, and weight variation for titles and subtitles
b. Maintain legibility with correct line, letter, and word spacing
C. Line height should be 1.5 times your font size

Design Elements

a. Mock up wireframes of site
b. White space is necessaiy to separate units of information and create balance

Visited Link State
a. Color change of visited links helps the visitor to know which links they've clicked on

Design Elements
a. Attribute to the overall mood of site
b. Keep elements consistent
c. Attention to detail often makes larger impact
d. Less is more

Test Before Launch, Test Often
Have multiple outside parties test your site for bugs/user experience flaws
Don't test your own code: test on multiple browsers/computers

Answer the Question
Make sure the purpose of the site is clear to the user and fulfills their reason for visiting

Use Conventional Layouts
Layouts are familiar to user so they know how to navigate Promotes trust in site

Create Interest/Flow
Highlight site features: make navigation elements prominent Use effective writing, scannable layouts, and concise phrases Do not includes PDF files. PDFs break user's flow

Eliminate Friction for Users
Use clear structure and recognizable visual clues
Don't require too much of the user
Let users experience the site features before sign up
Focus attention by providing pathway from point A to point B