First, let's pay a virtual visit to a web site that is my
definition of unfriendly, although it doesn't have all the
faults I will cover in this series of articles.
On a group to which I subscribe, someone posted an
invitation to check out a free story. He even included some
glowing reviews to whet our appetites. And the story sounded
really interesting. But when I went to the URL given by the
author, the page wasn't the story I expected. Apart from a
load of Tripod pop-up ads that I thought would never stop
coming, a Java splash page loaded in. That was followed by a
most unexpected pagebright green print on a black
background. I think the author must have been pining for the
days before Windows made DOS computers so much easier to use
as well as easier on the eyes! To add insult to injury, the
writer included a sound file with absolutely no way of
turning the sound off. Fortunately the file (mostly bird
song) wasn't objectionable. I didn't read the page of
courseafter all, it wasn't the promised story. Since I
couldn't even find a link that looked remotely as though it
might lead to the story, I went somewhere else.
The first thing I want to deal with that makes a web site
unfriendly is page width.
Preferably design your web site to be viewable on a 12-13"
monitor. (Yes, there ARE still some of these around!) A good
yardstick is to keep it within the default width of your
browser. I find it mildly irritating when I'm forced to pull
my browser out to the full width of my monitor.
However, having to scroll past the width of the screen is
downright irritatinga bit like trying to read a comic or
newspaper and having someone else continually covering up
the right-hand side of the page. If a site stretches past my
15" (640 x 480) monitor I have to be very keen on its
content to stayand I probably don't go back to it. Page
lengths are not quite so important and will vary depending
on content, but it's not a good idea to make them too long.
Statistics from my own web site indicate that just over 20%
of people are still using 640 x 480 monitors. So, if you
design your site only for the majority of visitors, you're
effectively blocking out more than a fifth of Web surfers
or at least making it difficult for them to appreciate your
site fully.
About the Author
Laraine Anne Barker writes fantasy for young people. Visit
her web site at http://lbarker.orcon.net.nz for FREE stories
and novel excerpts. Sign up for the NOVELLA OF THE MONTH
CLUB, absolutely FREE!