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The Minimum Requirements of Good Web DesignBy Jim Frazier I used to have to have an awards page for good Web design. I was amazed that there were actually people interested in getting the award. I also realized that I needed to establish some minimum criteria for Web sites to be considered. Then I thought that it would make a great topic for the newsletter, so here we are. The following is a list of what I would consider a tolerable Web site, one that meets the minimum criteria for winning the prestigious Gadwall Award: 1. The home page must fully load over a 28.8 KBPS dial-up connection in less than 15 seconds. Loading even faster gets brownie points. 2. There can be no splash screens, either with just a graphic or with Flash. An exception will be made for Flash intros if they're truly integral to the site's purpose, and they have a bypass link. In fact, I have one on the awards page - for a company that offers seminars on Flash development. THAT makes sense. 3. Only one animated graphic is allowed on the front page, either using GIF or Flash. 4. The page must work equally well on Internet Explorer or Netscape, including moderately older versions. 5. The page must pass the five second test. That is, the point of the site must be completely clear within five seconds. 6. Dark backgrounds must be used with care, as well as any background images. Sites using these design elements will not be automatically disqualified, but we're gonna be real suspicious. 7. The site should have useful and appropriate meta and title tags. Alright, that's not strictly a design issue, but if a site doesn't have these tags, it's a big problem. 8. There should be links on every page to a site map and contact information. The site map should allow navigation within three clicks from any page to any other page. The contact page should provide phone numbers, email addresses, and a postal address. 9. There should be no more than two different typefaces used on the page. Multi-colored text and bolding should be minimized. 10. Only a couple of the headings should be centered. Body text should be left justified. 11. No text should be underlined other than links. 12. There should be little, if any, "wall-to-wall" text. 13. There should be no "under construction" or "coming soon" pages on the site. 14. Frames will be viewed with deep suspicion. 15. Mouseovers should not just make images and text light up. They should either be incredibly entertaining or functional, such as providing navigation assistance. 16. There should be no Java on the home page. 17. There should be no egregious spelling or grammatical errors. 18. Links, buttons and menus should be clear and meaningful. The viewer should have an accurate understanding of where a link will lead. 19. The site should be navigable even if the visitor has turned off graphics in their browser. 20. There can be no pop-up pages. There you have a summary of what I consider to be the most important aspects of Web design, along with the minimum criteria for the Gadwall Awards page. I love it when one article fulfils multiple objectives. I also welcome suggestions and ideas for more requirements.
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