The following guidelines are based upon based upon Bevan (1997):

Background Organisations often produce web sites with a content and structure which mirrors the internal concerns of the organisation rather than the needs of the users of the site. Web sites frequently contain material which would be appropriate in a printed form, but needs to be adapted for presentation on the web. Producing web pages is apparently so easy that it may not be subject to the same quality criteria that are used for other forms of publishing.

Design to user requirements It is essential to first define the business and usability objectives, and to specify the intended contexts of use. These should drive an iterative process of design and evaluation, starting with partial mock-ups and moving to functional prototypes. Continued usability requires subsequent management and maintenance. What is the purpose of the site? This could include disseminating information, positioning in the market, advertising services, demonstrating competency, or providing intranet services.

It is important to establish the following:

1. Who do you want to visit the site: what are the important user categories and what are their goals? Define key scenarios of use. Describe specific examples of people accessing the site, and what they want to achieve. These will help prioritise design, and should be the focus for evaluation.
2. Are there any niche markets and interests which can be supported by the site without major additional investment (e.g. specialised information, access by users with special needs).
3. What type of pages and information will attract users and meet their needs? e.g. hierarchically structured information, a database, download of software/files, incentives to explore the site.
4. What are the quality and usability goals which can be evaluated? e.g. to demonstrate superiority of the organisation to the competition, appropriateness of web site to user's needs, professionalism of web site, percentage of users who can find the information they need, ease with which users can locate information, number of accesses to key pages, percentage of users visiting the site who access key pages.
5. What is the budget for achieving these goals for different parts of the site?

Structure and navigation

1. Structure information so that it is meaningful to the user. The structure should make sense to the user, and will often differ from the structure used internally by the data provider.
2. What information content does the user need at what level of detail?
3. Use terminology familiar to the user.
4. Interview users to establish the users' terminology and how they categorise information.
5. Produce a card (or post it note) for each anticipated page for the site, and use card sorting techniques to design an appropriate structure.
6. Use a consistent page layout.
7. Minimise the need to scroll while navigating.
8. The easiest to navigate pages have a high density of self-explanatory text links .
9. Try to make sure users can get to useful information in no more than four clicks.
10. Provide links to contents, map, index and home on each page; for large sites include a search facility.
11. Include navigational buttons at both the top and bottom of the page.
12. Use meaningful URLs and page titles. URLs should be exclusively lower case.
13. Plan that any page could be the first page for users reaching the site from a search engine.

Tell users what to expect and links Avoid concise menus: explain what each link contains. Provide a site map or overview. Distinguish between a contents list for a page, links to other pages, and links to other sites. Do not change default link colours and style, otherwise users will not recognise the links. Give sizes of files which can be downloaded. The wording of links embedded in text should help users scan the contents of a page, and give prominence to links to key pages. (Highlight the topic - do not use "click here"!) To keep users on your site, differentiate between on-site and off-site links.

Design an effective home page

1. This should establish the site identity and give a clear overview of the content.
2. It should fit on one screen, as many users will not bother to scroll the home page.

Graphics, text and background

1. Use the minimum number of colours to reduce the size of graphics.
2. Use the ALT tag to describe graphics, as many users do not wait for graphics to load.
3. Use small images, use interlaced images, repeat images where possible
4. Make text easy to read
5. Never use flashing or animation, as users find this very distracting.
6. Avoid patterned backgrounds, as these make text difficult to read.

Support different browser environments

1. Use a maximum 640 pixel width, or 560 pixels for pages to be printed in portrait mode.
2. Test that your pages format correctly using the required browsers and platforms.
3. Support visually impaired users with text-only browsers.
4. Use a logical hierarchy of headings and use ALT tags which describe the function of images.

Management and Maintenance

1. Ensure that new pages meet the quality and usability requirements
2. What skills will be required of page developers?
3. What will be the criteria for approval of new pages? Is some automated checking possible?
4. Plan and review the site structure as it grows, to make sure it still meets user needs.

Monitor feedback from users.

1. Monitor the words used when searching the site.
2. Monitor where people first arrive on the site, and support these pages as entry points.
3. Check for broken links (e.g. using a package such as Adobe SiteMill).
4. Compare your site to other comparable sites as web browsers and web design evolve.
5. As it is unlikely to be economic to test the usability of every page, it is important to establish a sound structure and style guide within which new pages can be developed, and for page developers to be aware of the business objectives and intended contexts of use.

Copyright EMMUS 1999.
Last updated: September 27, 1999.