Functionality and usability emerging as site essentials
Kaushal Toprani
Issue date: 1/20/06 Section: Sci-Tech
- Page 1 of 3 next >
I remember when I was just getting into web design, when I was in 8th grade or so, I read a lot of articles stating that content was 90 percent of web design. I was definitely a believer, often I would sit there and say, "I should make a Web site," and the little voice in my head would respond, "About what?"
While this is certainly still true, that last 10 percent seems to be getting more and more important. I was amazed by an article I read about a study done by researchers at Carleton University in Canada that suggests web designers have as little as 50 milliseconds to make an impression on consumers. The general rule thumb had been about five to 10 seconds. Considering that some believe it takes 50 milliseconds to read a word, first glances are becoming first impressions.
This means the nitty gritty details of design - fonts, colors, and layout are becoming increasingly important.
Fonts are a powerful tool in expressing ideas. Simple use of bold and italics can give words different meanings. Using a flowery, decorative font like Brush Script is acceptable for a florist, but what would you think if Cisco Systems decided to advertise their Self-Defending Networks that way?
Of course, there is much to say about color. As a part of World Usability Day on November 1, 2005, a global survey on color was offered online. The idea was to shed some light on how different cultures responded to different colors. Do users in North America mostly associate green with banks, red with medical services? While the results of the survey haven't been released, different colors do have different meanings to the human brain. (Admission of guilt: While I can't say for a fact that results aren't available, I, for the life of me can't find them any where. The URL where the survey was informs you that the survey is closed, but no link to the results... you'd think these people would make it a little more usable). Bright colors, like red or yellow should be used to draw attention to important functions. Many sites have tabs along the top of each page for navigation, simply changing the color of the tag that corresponds to where the page resides signals to a user coming from an outside link, like Google, where he is.
While this is certainly still true, that last 10 percent seems to be getting more and more important. I was amazed by an article I read about a study done by researchers at Carleton University in Canada that suggests web designers have as little as 50 milliseconds to make an impression on consumers. The general rule thumb had been about five to 10 seconds. Considering that some believe it takes 50 milliseconds to read a word, first glances are becoming first impressions.
This means the nitty gritty details of design - fonts, colors, and layout are becoming increasingly important.
Fonts are a powerful tool in expressing ideas. Simple use of bold and italics can give words different meanings. Using a flowery, decorative font like Brush Script is acceptable for a florist, but what would you think if Cisco Systems decided to advertise their Self-Defending Networks that way?
Of course, there is much to say about color. As a part of World Usability Day on November 1, 2005, a global survey on color was offered online. The idea was to shed some light on how different cultures responded to different colors. Do users in North America mostly associate green with banks, red with medical services? While the results of the survey haven't been released, different colors do have different meanings to the human brain. (Admission of guilt: While I can't say for a fact that results aren't available, I, for the life of me can't find them any where. The URL where the survey was informs you that the survey is closed, but no link to the results... you'd think these people would make it a little more usable). Bright colors, like red or yellow should be used to draw attention to important functions. Many sites have tabs along the top of each page for navigation, simply changing the color of the tag that corresponds to where the page resides signals to a user coming from an outside link, like Google, where he is.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this story