Web Design Principles
Turning information on the screen into knowledge in your audience that will translate into action in real life
The World Wide Web is a wonderful medium for anyone with the right technology to share information with the world. Information is primarily valuable insofar as it affects how we view the world and act within it. Thus the information presented in a web site, or in any medium for that matter, should be the primary focus, not flashy graphics and complicated schemes (accesibility).
I believe in simplicity in design — clean lines, harmonized colors, and clear navigation (usability). Having said that, I do believe in sensible aesthetics (and love working with professional graphic designers). But most of all, I believe that content must be found in order to be read (searchability), and must be tuned to the audience in order to be understood (copyediting).
Web Standards
Pure XHTML — Within Reason
While an increasing number of major web sites are now hewing to web standards, most web developers have not yet taken begun to take advantage of the benefits of properly using HTML — and that approach is likely to cost you hard dollars in the end. I only use standard HTML, CSS, and Javascript, making my sites accessible in all major browsers and platforms —unless there is a compelling business case for doing otherwise.
Historical Context
In the beginning there was HTML. Then Netscape came along and added to it. And Bill Gates, awakening one day to find that they had missed the boat, ordered that Microsoft buy some code. Thus Mosaic begat Internet Explorer, with its own extensions to HTML. A raging battle ensued, with both companies continuing to add new proprietary commands.
Meanwhile, the W3 continued to refine the official standard, now known as XHTML. But Microsoft won the browser war and stopped innovating or updating IE, leaving it only partially compliant. Web developers largely followed suite, ignoring XHTML in favor of their tired and inappropriate old way of coding. So while the Web Standards Project continues working to educate developers around the world, only a relatively few have mastered the art. On a scale of 1 to 5, I humbly give myself a 4 in ability to code in web standards and fully utilize its strengths.
Benefits of web standards
- Easier maintenance from better file structure and proper use of style sheets (CSS). Saves time, training, money.
- Forward compatibility— your code is more likely to look the way you want it to in future browsers. Lower maintenance saves money.
- Better performance in non-traditional settings — for instance on phones and PDAs, in text-only browsers, and with voice browsers for the blind. Happy users.
- Encourages creation of simpler web pages that are easy for users to navigate and read. Happy users who find what they need and act on it.
- With major flaws being discovered in Windows and Internet Explorer on a regular basis, momentum is building for IE's competitors — such as Netscape / Mozilla, Safari, and Opera — and using web standards ensures that your design will look virtually the same in all of these. Happy users; lower cost than creating different version for each platform, a common practice.
- Non-standard pages typically require more bandwidth to transfer across the Internet. Fast site means happy users; saving bandwidth saves you money.