1. Interface Design

2. Good Design = Usability
Information Architecture
Structuring information
Designed around the purpose/goals/objective
Designed around needs of intended audience
Interface Design
Interface Design - How the sites logical structure appears visually on a page
Navigation
Create an Identity - clear and appropriate

3. Interface Design Navigation –
Guides the user, shapes the user experience, influences how they move around the site
Clarity, Consistency, Efficiency
Navigation must be easily learned
It should look like navigation
Predictable & Dependable (consistent in appearance & location)
Efficient – keep links manageable
(no navigation)

4. Interface Design Navigation – Homepage link from all pages
Site-wide navigation
Secondary navigation or section navigation
Links back to main sections from all pages
3-click rule

5. Create Identity Images
Should support your message and/or add to the content of the site
Provide visual documentation
Can alter the feel and message of a page
Use metaphors with caution
Can make the page more readable
Break up the content
Provide rhythm, pacing of content
Engage the audience
Lego – kids site
RJ Reynolds vs. American Cancer Society

6. Create Identity

7. Design Principles
Visual hierarchy – create a visual hierarchy with elements on the page
Emphasis important elements (don’t make everything look equally important)
Organize content logically and predictably
Use the layout to lead the reader’s eyes through the page
Contrast
Contrast makes things stand out from their surroundings
Provide variety within a page by utilizing contrast in size, shape, and color
If everything on a page is high contrast – everything will be fighting for attention
(no hierarchy)

8. Balance & Unity – page should have a sense of balance
Design Principles
Balance & Unity – page should have a sense of balance
Balance & Unity in composition
Appropriate proportion of text to graphics

9. Design Principals Color
Color can carry meaning, express personality, differentiate, and highlight content
Color is a good way of identifying, grouping or differentiating elements
Color for organization
Color for audience
Intense color attracts the eye – too many intense areas of color attract the eye in too many directions – this may be ineffective

10. Design Principals

11. Interface Design - Tips
Understand your message and purpose
Make the Sites Purpose Clear
Make design decisions based on purpose
Use visual design to support and enhance your message (“Don’t Decorate, communicate!”)
Design for your target audience (in content and appearance)
Make things relevant
Do it on purpose or don’t do it at all
Organize information for the most effective communication
Design your interface to guide the user through the page
Create an exciting visual experience (intuitive navigation)
Make pages appealing, compelling, or entertaining
Design “above the fold”

12. CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT Don’t Forget Quality of content
Organization of content
CONTENT
Presentation of content
CONTENT

13. Content, Content, Content
Your content and the organization of that content is what will keep people coming back to your site
It may LOOK great… but if you have no content, you have no audience!
Let content speak with as little interference as possible
Contents only requirement is to get seen and understood

14. Design Principals
“Making a clear web page depends on making the most important elements appear important, less important stuff less important, related stuff look related, and different stuff look different.”