How to Evaluate A Website
As computers increase in power, drop in price and come equipped with even more powerful stock graphics applications and fonts, a duty has risen for user interface designers. While programs like Adobe’s Creative Suite and Macromedia’s Studio increase the ease and speed at which websites can be developed, they provide very little assistance in actual design of the site.
Now we not only need to learn how to build the sites, but we must also become experts in the craft of designing these graphical user interfaces. The following questions will help you evaluate your designs and hopefully lead you down the path to designing better websites.
Orientation: Where am I?
- When first arriving at a site can you tell what the site is promoting?
- Is the content easy to understand?
- Is the website inviting to browse?
Design & Layout: What are you looking at?
- Does the look and feel of the site match the subject matter?
- Is the color theme appealing and suggestive of the topic?
- Is the layout cramped or too empty?
- Is your eye drawn to the most important elements?
- Do the images relate to the content?
Interactivity: What can I do here?
- Is the navigation intelligent, logical and clearly understandable?
- Are there any dead links?
- Does the technology work?
- Is technology over used?
Permission: Did I request that?
- Did you request that pop-up window?
- Were you expecting to download a file?
- Do the buttons send you where you were expecting to go?
- Were there distractions, like blinking ads?
Relevance: Does this matter to me?
- Is the expectation or promise fulfilled?
- How much of the content is superfluous?
Speed: How long will this take?
- How long will this page take to load?
- How many clicks does it take to get the info you want?