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(Written
for the Wizmo Daily News website, September 2000) Beyond
www.Me-Me-Me.com:
making your
websites “visitor centric”
So,
how do you make sure your site is visitor-centric?
Make
it Fast
Think
smaller graphics. Nothing says ego — or “first
generation site” — faster than a big, corporate logo
downloading into half of the home page. Even with larger
monitors, there just isn’t a whole lot of screen real
estate. What’s there is better used to display information
that visitors want — relevant content. Smaller graphics
load quicker, and can be more effective than large graphics.
For sites showing multiple products, use an index page of
thumbnail images that link to and display larger graphics
when clicked. Examples: www.rei.com;
www.victoriassecret.com.
Think
Text First. For information, for navigation,
remember: text loads first. Before requesting a stylized
“corporate font” be used on your website, know that to
display properly, anything outside of the ubiquitous system
fonts — Times, Arial and (to a certain extent), Verdana
— must be made into bandwidth-hogging graphics.
Instead
of using graphical buttons for navigation, consider using
text navigation. What you might (arguably) lose in style,
you’ll make up for in download speed. Examples of good
text navigation with style: www.cnet.com;
www.microsoft.com; www.techies.com.
Make
it Simple
Don’t
fear the template. There’s a reason that most
newspapers and news magazines look and feel the same. The
design works, and it’s what audiences have come to expect.
Web
page design templates — top header, left navigation,
bottom page footer — offered by out-of-the-box web
development software (Microsoft FrontPage, NetObjects
Fusion) and free online site development tools, such as
those offered by Wizmo, are effective for the same reason.
Think
Choice. Good sites needn’t be austere. If you
think it adds value to the visit, include such things as
larger graphics, animation and Flash movies. Yet consider
making them an option that visitors can request,
rather than a default they have no choice but to wait
through. Examples: www.msnbc.com.
Palm
Readings. Web-reading handhelds — Palm Pilots,
cell phones — are advancing on the web market. Such
devices favor simple, clean, fast design. Think your site is
optimized for a standard computer monitor? In CNET’s www.builder.com
story, “Minimalist
Web Design,” author Bill Austin suggests, “Now is
the time to be thinking about what your pages will look like
on a 1.28-inch screen.” (Note: this story also links to a
site that lets you view any site — including yours — for
text-only viewing).
Good
design is transparent. Large, animated graphics and
multimedia movies might make for cool, splashy sites, but
they’re also bandwidth overhead. If you really need them,
use them, but use them wisely.
If
your site can’t get along without a home page intro movie
developed in Flash — one of the more bandwidth-friendly
tools out there — at least give visitors the option to
“skip intro” (your repeat visitors especially will
appreciate this). Make sure the technology adds value to
your message. Examples:
Make
it Relevant
Know
thine audience. Learn what your audience wants from you
online, and then give it to them. If most people coming to
your site are looking for product support, make sure it’s an
easy-to-find homepage link.
If
you don’t know what your customers want online, ask them.
The online audience is more affluent and educated than the
general public. If you give them a chance — feedback forms,
online surveys — they’ll be happy to tell you. The web can
be a great two-way communications vehicle.
Keep
it updated. Think the date isn’t important? What if
THIS page read, “last updated September 25, . . . 1998. Uh
huh. Remember: everyone else feels the same way. Make the
commitment to maintain your information, and let visitors know
it’s the most current available.
Meld
your online and off-line operations. When it comes to
your online contact information, offer as much detail as you
can. Instead of a contact page with just a nameless “info@whatever.com”
offer some choices. Use voice mail as a guide: For
corporate information, click here; for product questions,
click here; to report a problem with this website, . . .,”
you get the picture. Then make sure your staff is ready to
handle any influx of calls this might spark. Customer service
remains an important component.
“Visitor-centricity”
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