Very interesting. I'm sure that internal wesbites don't start out as a mishmash, but they end up growing and the weeds sometimes outnumber the flowers. It's eesential in this electronic communication world to use the best design and usability possible. Great list.
Sarah
· 3 years ago
Organic growth is beautiful in a forest or a home garden. But, if you want 1,000 acres of trees and you want to find the fir trees instead of the oaks, then organization matters.
Not that long ago, the internet was the wild west. I recall a time within the last 20 years, when one of our colleagues knew of nearly every bit of content that was accesible on the web. Only programmers, the military, and academia used it. These days that is impossible (except MAYBE if you are Google). And some of it was a horrible mess.
Then, a beautifiul thing happened. People started cooperating. Standards evolved for navigation and use. Now, for the most part, even novice users can use almost any site. But, being the rule-breaker that I am, I can imagine reasons not to conform with every convention. But, if you are going to ignore convention, know what you are giving up. If you trade usability, what are you trading it for? Sometimes it is control. Sometimes, it is art. Sometimes it is motion.
This is a super list of checks that should be followed most of the time. And, if you find your site violates many of them, maybe it is time to revamp. And even though I'm a rebel, I highly encourage you to have a good reason if you choose to violate the good standards of usability.
All Comments
Not that long ago, the internet was the wild west. I recall a time within the last 20 years, when one of our colleagues knew of nearly every bit of content that was accesible on the web. Only programmers, the military, and academia used it. These days that is impossible (except MAYBE if you are Google). And some of it was a horrible mess.
Then, a beautifiul thing happened. People started cooperating. Standards evolved for navigation and use. Now, for the most part, even novice users can use almost any site. But, being the rule-breaker that I am, I can imagine reasons not to conform with every convention. But, if you are going to ignore convention, know what you are giving up. If you trade usability, what are you trading it for? Sometimes it is control. Sometimes, it is art. Sometimes it is motion.
This is a super list of checks that should be followed most of the time. And, if you find your site violates many of them, maybe it is time to revamp. And even though I'm a rebel, I highly encourage you to have a good reason if you choose to violate the good standards of usability.