| Some
Flexible Criteria for Good, Bad, and User-Unfriendly Web Sites
These characteristics were developed through student analysis. They
are not meant as strict rules, but rather as some general tactics
for approaching design. They of course can be broken effectively
on certain occasions.
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| Characteristics
of a "Good" Web Site:
Overall
- feel
of allowing one to pursue interests
- meaningful,
useful content
- functioning
links
- quick
load time
- Appropriate
to intended audience
- user
friendly
- metaphor
of site is appropriate for content
- clear
sense of value or purpose
- appealing
home page
- instructions
for use when appropriate
- date
to show recent update
- descriptive
title
- tie
in between site & company (consistent branding)
- coherence
& unity in navigation
- works
in all browsers and operating systems
Layout
- designed
for 800x600 or 640x480 monitor resolution (main design/content
doesn't have to scrolled)
- teasers
for main content
- pulls
eye of viewer in purposeful, intentional way
- uniformity
or coherence in icons and images
- coherence
in design/layout
Color
- color
is not distracting to content
- consistency
in color scheme
- color
theme
- background
color doesn't compete with text
- pleasing
color scheme
- variety
of colors, not too dull
Images
- quality
images without long download wait
- original
looking images
- professional-looking
- consistency
of image style
Text
- readable
text size
- text
that is to the point
- good
font selection
Navigation
- identifying
logo on all pages
- one-click
access to site's highlights
- organized
- well
considered names/descriptions for navigation categories
- creative
approach to button or navigation icon design
- link
to home page
- search
box for large site
Organization
- use
of hierarchy
- easy
access to major categories/important information
- good
chunking of information
- categorization
of links
- smart
organization
Interactivity
- interactivity
that has a purpose
- rollovers
show what is active or clickable
- chatrooms
or bulletin boards allow for public display of feedback/commentary
- ability
to customize interface
- features
keeps user engaged
- user
control
- promotes
exploration where appropriate
Special
Features
- users
able to record their creations
- option
to quit shockwave or flash movies
- search
box/feature
- good,
quick availability of purchasing
- FAQ
section
- email
link to company/webmaster
- interactivity
compliments site's purpose
- good
amount of creativity reflects positively on company
- variety
of media types for understanding content or subject matter
- option
to skip introductory movies/splash pages
- entertainment
while larger files load
- sense
of motion or movement
- sound
or music where appropriate
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Characteristics
of a "Bad" Web Site:
Overall
- bad/no
titles
- too
much scrolling/too much text
- rules
or restrictions for use
- plugin
necessary for use
- page
counter
- ads
- pop-up
windows
- inability
to resize window
Layout
- lack
of uniformity or coherence
- lack
of alignment
- clutter
- too
crowded
Color
- lack
of a unified color scheme
- bright/obnoxious
colors
Images
- poor
quality images
- distorted
images
- ugly/obnoxious
backgrounds
Text
- too
small
- too
much text/content per screen
- unreadable
text because of color or contrast
- spelling
errors
- blinking
text
Navigation
- broken
links/images
- buttons
too small or invisible
- undescribed
links
- unusable/confusing
navigation
- hard
to find links
Organization
- poor
organization of content
- poor
organization of navigation/hierarchy
Interactivity
- pointless
interactivity
- inability
to skip interactivity
- interactivity
that runs counter to site's goals/purpose
Special
Features
- inability
to shut off special features lie music
- screen
real estate occupied by "partner sites"
- forced
or unannounced download
- having
to register to use a site
- annoying
sounds/music
- cheesy/purposeless
animated gifs
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