|
|
"...the
difference between a bookmark and a 10-second visit." |
|
MONITOR
COLORS
of
Web Users
---------------
|
| 65,536
colors 16-bit |
50.0% |
| 16
mill. colors 32-bit |
23.8% |
| 16
mill. colors 24-bit |
11.0% |
| 256
colors 8-bit |
6.4% |
| 16
colors 4-bit |
0.2% |
| 4
colors 2-bit |
0.04% |
| Not
Specified |
8.6% |
Source:
WebSnapshot.com 2001
|
MONITOR
RESOLUTION
of
Web Users
---------------
|
| 800x600 |
50.4% |
| 1024x768 |
28.5% |
| 640x480 |
6.3% |
| 1280x1024 |
3.3% |
| 1152x864 |
2.7% |
| Not
Specified |
8.7% |
Source:
WebSnapshot.com 2001
|
Presentation
Your
site opens quickly and your message is clear and complete. But how it
looks often represents the difference between a bookmark and a 10-second
visit. A critical self-exam is necessary. Ask yourself a few questions:
-
Does
the site truly represent you and your message?
-
Regardless
of what you have seen elsewhere, is your site pleasing to visit…or
painful to the eye?
-
Have
you added elements simply because you could?
-
Did
you rely on pre-formatted templates that give your site the same
look as thousands of others?
Great
sites don’t have to be hand-coded anymore. Beautiful results can be
accomplished with dozens of web-authoring tools. How those tools are
used is most important here.
Layouts
should be clean and original in feel with an effective use of colors,
fonts and graphics. While navigation is evaluated on its technical merit,
it may also represent a design feature. As such, it should retain a
consistency throughout the site. Sites featuring the latest technology
like Flash, should exhibit more than a simple “gee whiz”
factor…many of the current examples are little more than complex
animated gif’s. Once again, is it there simply because you
finally mastered an animation sequence, or does it contribute to the
experience of the user?
Optimizing
your graphics has multiple benefits. Above all, it allows the user to
see your images more quickly. There is a limit, however.
Over-optimization can destroy the visual integrity of an image. Programs
like Photoshop and others readily available on the Web accomplish the
task easily and seamlessly. Add the word "Wilton" in the Code
box on the submission form.
And
finally, there’s a better than average chance that we will still find
the information we want without a pulsing red-on-green or spinning icon.
There’s also a better than average chance that we won’t if we see an
“Under Construction” sign. We already assume your site is a
constantly evolving property…and probably doesn’t need these in any
case.
Presentation
Scoring:
|
Design
0-5
points are available for each |
|
|
Overall
“Look & Feel” (visually appealing) |
|
|
Layout
(effective use of design elements like tables, layers, borders,
style sheets, etc.) |
|
|
Colors
(effective use of Web-safe colors to enhance the overall
presentation) |
|
|
Fonts
(effective and consistent use of fonts that contribute to
readability, impact and originality plus cross-platform
compatibility) |
|
|
Artistic
Quality (original design elements that provide a consistent
thread across the entire site) |
|
|
Integration (elements of the design are in harmony – if
present, effective use of plug-in elements like Flash
or Shockwave enhance the presentation –
sight and sound are appropriate to the design and
subject matter) |
|
Penalties
Three
points are deducted for each |
|
|
“Under
Construction” signs |
|
|
Flashing/blinking
text or icons |
|
|
Individual
graphic elements that exceed 20k (optional downloads where size
is noted not penalized.) |
|
|
Scripts
that graphically change pointers or create pointer trails within
the content well |
|
|
No
access to “skip intro” on Flash presentations |
|
|
Horizontal
scrolling at screen resolutions of 800x600 or greater |
|
|
Long
pages that require more than three full scrolls at screen
resolutions of 1024x768 |
|
