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Usable?...Or Not?...Factors Affecting the Usability of Web Sites,
by Rakhi Rajani and Dr Duska Rosenberg
Issues Affecting the Design of Web Sites
Consideration |
Description |
Maintenance |
Once posted, a page has to be frequently
maintained to
incorporate the ever-changing web technology. Also, if the
developer
does not maintain the links, then these too have to be checked
to ensure
that the owner has not withdrawn the page. |
Speed Of Access |
This is perhaps one of the most contentious
issues in
Web design and often involves conflict. To aid the speed of
retrieval it
is essential that only necessary information be displayed.
Graphic
images that aid usability may cause sites to download slower. It
may
thus be necessary to reduce the image content of a page and
substitute
it with text. An apt balance between speed and design for
usability
should be established. |
WYSIWYG |
With the Web, it IS true to say that
what YOU
see is what YOU get. However, what YOU see is not
always
what everyone else gets. Every Web user will have different
browsers,
different screen settings, different graphics cards and
different
computers. Designing for the average majority is the key, but
still
difficult. |
Navigational Aid |
Navigational aids such as navigational bars at
the top
of a page, a content index, or site map on every page of the
site will
aid usability. As many Web sites are non-linear, the use of
tools to aid
navigation around a complex site that spans over many pages is
essential
in helping a user find their way. Link colours should be
consistent. The
destination of links should be obvious. |
Anonymity |
It is possible to predict a 'possible' user
base, but
web designers are essentially designing for an 'unknown'
audience. |
Design Traits |
These include Clarity, Accessibility,
Consistency,
Simplicity, Navigability, Integratability, Feedback,
Informativeness of
Displays and Speed. |
Limitations Of HTML |
HTML structures a web page, but it is not a
layout
tool. The use of tables, frames and tags etc allows for some
layout
procedures, but these are not ideal. However, as technology is
constantly changing, new versions of HTML (v4.0) and DHTML (that
some
browsers support) are evolving, as are other techniques such as
the use
of Java and XML etc. Also, certain typefaces are not supported,
and
designers use graphics instead, but these slow down the access
speed.
Thus, certain conventional design traits are unattainable. |
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