Whether you are a web designer wanting to improve your craft or a business owner looking to set up your own website, you have most likely arrived here hoping to discover the secret to great website design. There are plenty of good websites and even more terrible ones, but great websites are few and far between. Here are five ways to tell if your website is merely good or has ascended to greatness.
1. Good Websites Are Clear; Great Websites Leave No Room for Misunderstanding
Unclear information on a website is an instant deterrent to potential visitors. People are astonishingly quick at spotting a page that lacks substance and will leave as soon as they've arrived once they notice. To make your website good, it has to offer something of value to the user. To make it great, it must be presented in such a way that there is no confusion or mistake as to what it's about.
2. Good Websites Are Usable; Great Websites Are Accessible
Although a website may be usable for some people, if it isn't accessible, then there will be a large percentage of the population who can't use the website. A whole range of disabilities rely upon accessibility measures for websites to function. A great web designer will learn the pros and cons of accessibility overlays for scanning webpages to meet accessibility regulations and apply this knowledge to their work. While building accessibility in at the start is often considered preferable, overlays offer a quick and convenient solution to accessibility issues.
3. Good Websites Are Over- or Under-Designed; Great Websites Use Design Strategically
For some sites, excessively elaborate border designs or an image with parallax effects can make them seem more advanced and impressive than they truly are. Pared-back websites can look unfinished and over-designed sites are cluttered. Great websites strike a balance and use design with purpose.
4. Good Websites Load; Great Websites Load Quickly
There is only so much control you can have over the loading speed of your website. The user's own internet quality will have a significant impact on how quickly the website loads, but it is still true that great websites don't demand too much of a user's time. They avoid wasting space with time-intensive video and instead capture attention with a sleek design.
5. Good Websites Are Easy to Navigate; Great Websites Let You Forget You're Online
Navigation is a hugely essential part of good web design. Users need to find their way around a website without too much friction; otherwise, they might leave. Great websites are so simple to navigate that it is completely intuitive from the start for even the least computer-savvy user.
Sadly for the perfectionistic web designer, many of the smaller details that distinguish a good website from a great one will be lost on the general user. However, these seemingly invisible and unacknowledged details add up to a smooth, sleek, elegant website where visitors are comfortable and able to easily comprehend the content.