USER ORIENTED WEBSITE INTERFACE Website Graphic Design YOU ARE HERE!

WEBSITE IA & USABILITY: GRAPHIC DESIGN

Quality Website Design is Based on Information Architecture Design Principles, and NOT Graphic Design Principles

The needs and expectations of audience are quite different online and in print. For print media, a design has to be visually impressive and persuasive, while website design has to be unobtrusive, and ensure that people reach the content quickly.

"The fundamental activity that the Web was designed for is Reading.
For the majority of websites, what web design is NOT is graphic- or visually-driven design.
Quality web design is driven by information architecture design principles. Graphic design should support these principles" (Gerry McGovern).

The Poynter-Stanford study of eye-tracking movements among online users found that:

• the eye goes first to text - among first 3 eye-fixations on a page, 78% were on text (22% on graphics);
• 22% of graphics, aside from banner ads and photos, were looked at;
• 45% of banner ads, separated from other graphics, were viewed;
• 64% of photos were looked at;
• briefs were viewed 82% and articles 92% of the time.

The study also found that vertical scrolling is not a problem if the content is credible, and had a proper organization of information. Online users "systematically went over more than 75% of the length of almost all those articles presented to them." In that case, each screen has an equal chance of introducing a new content!

According to the same study, images might be peripherally visible even when they are not points of direct fixation, therefore branding through visuals might be useful. Software Usability Research Lab's study revealed that textual information is more persuasive for more complex messages, and visual information for simple messages.

Focussing on fancy graphic design, instead of information design, is often explained with the need to get attention for the brand. The purpose of the website is NOT to get the attention but to give attention to the website users. "When someone comes to your website, you have already got their attention." (Gerry McGovern)

"The message is loud and clear - search engine users value relevant and credible information over all else", revealed Nielsen-Netratings study in January 2004. Online users come to your website to find relevant information, and that's what your website needs to ensure.

"The first and best chance to engage the reader is through text" (Poynter-Stanford), and not the graphic-laden design. Note that majority of researches and statistics show that waiting long for unnecessary enhancements, especially after various plug-in requirements, often leads to user's disappointment, and abandoning the website!

Websites have moved far beyond "brochureware". And ever-changing Internet population include people with disabilities, with rich media enhancements turned off, and the fastest growing Internet populations - Seniors. Remember that even the most of retail shoppers want more product information, meaning more text on the page. In order for your website to be productive, it must give the necessary attention to your users - allow them to carry out their tasks in the best way possible - effectively and enjoyably.

On the other hand, positive impact of attractive and persuasive website graphic design on the overall website successfulness should not be overlooked, from creating overall first impression to brand identity to establishing credibility.

Online users consider the "look and feel" of a website when they evaluate its credibility - "to look good is to be good", according to Stanford University study. Therefore, one of the important steps in extremely useful Information Architecture Tutorial (John Shiple, Lycos, Webmonkey) is called "metaphor exploration." It includes exploring and choosing visual metaphors, "based on common graphic elements familiar to most people in our culture," for your website.

There is no reason why you shouldn't incorporate flash, graphics or Java scripts as well as formatting Styles, if you use them wisely and sparingly, and not just to show off. But design enhancements need to be well balanced with user's needs and website usability issues.

According to Branding and Usability research by User Interface Engineering, websites offering specific information, enhanced with product images only, are more successful at branding than well known websites, with trendy graphic design, with many processional pictures, logos and slick slogans, because they offer better user experience. The online users seem to equalize fun to success - "the more successful they were at finding information, the more likely users would call the site fun."

"Keeping the visual design simple and the content rich has delivered the results." (Gerry McGovern)

Graphic design MUST be based on a better understanding of what a visitors wants, not just on current design trends. It's important what users find appealing - website should be tailored to your targeted audience taste and needs, and not yours or your web designer's.

Whatever you personal opinion might be, users often dismiss graphics as ads, especially if you overdo the graphics and animation. So don't just decorate the website, as it might convince the visitors that they have less value. "Use Visual Design to Enhance, not Define." (J. Nielsen)

If used sparingly and meaningfully, images could enhance the existing valuable information and users satisfaction. "Images are powerful communicators when they show items of interest to users." (J. Nielsen)

User Oriented Design & Ethical Website Marketing Strategies by Distinctia, 2006