Chapter List

OVERVIEW

Because first impressions are critical in establishing a user base, a well-structured, highly usable web page gives you an edge. Page layout is concerned with the immediately available "look and feel" of your site. This is the user experience and it may be the most critical aspect of a successful and usable web site.

THE GOALS OF YOUR LAYOUT

The primary objective of graphic design is effective visual communication. A properly designed page structure should enforce a consistent hierarchy of design elements where the relevant elements are emphasized and the content is displayed in a logical and orderly manner. This doesn't mean pages need to be humdrum and uninspiring. Aesthetics is an element of usability, and the overall design fails if the other objectives of visual communication are poorly served. Good design may be aesthetically pleasing, but great design takes note of aesthetics in a usable context. The following goals will keep you on track to achieving usability at the individual page level: simplicity, consistency, and focus.

Keeping watch over these goals will allow you to creatively explore the design space while maintaining a highly usable page design. In a vast information space such as the Web, the user can be gone in the blink of...