Blasting the Myth of Above the Fold – by Milissa Tarquini
It is still believed that users will not people will not scroll down a website when exploring websites. They will only look at what is above the fold, which is the content which appears in the initial window (without scrolling). This is a myth and more people are scrolling to view content. I know I will always scroll a website–it’s a natural part of web browsing. I think that most people will scroll to find information they are looking for. They don’t expect to find their answers right at the top of a page. Plus, as the author mentions, the fold differs on web browser sizes so it’s unreliable to assume that the information above the fold will appear above the fold to all users.
Search Engine Placement Tips – by Danny Sullivan
The author gives some good tips about using keywords to help a site’s rankings on a search engine. He says that keywords for each page should be two words or more. You should also make sure that target keywords appear in in Title Tag of your webpage. You can also contact other websites and ask to add a link to your page. The author warns about not spamming in using keywords. In the end, it will only hurt you–a search engine site might ban you, or users will be annoyed at what you are doing by leading them on with inaccurate keywords. I think it is good that search engine sites will penalize you for trying to get your site at the top for unrelated searches. I can’t stand when I’m looking at search results and see a link to a page that isn’t relevant.
The five principles to design by are:
- technology serves humans
- design is not art
- the experience belongs to the user
- great design is invisible
- simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
I agree with everything said in the article, especially Design is not Art. I think too many times, people try to impress the user too much or only think about how they want to express themselves through the design. The most important thing is the usability of their design and if the design is cohesive with what the site is trying to express.
8 Web Design Tactics to Help You When You’re Stuck
The 8 web design tactics are:
- design for the inside out
- sketch something
- seek insiration offline
- learn to let it go
- step away from the computer
- be absorbent
- don’t be a one hit wonder
- seek input from others
Once again, I agree with these tips and use some in my design process. I think it’s very important to sketch things out before starting to design in programs. In the long run, it saves time. A sketch does not have to be anything fancy–just a simple line drawing to show placement and objects you are think will work in your design. I also “seek inspiration offline”. I am always very curious about design and love looking through magazines to browse the ads and see what other designers are creating. Packaging design is also something that interests me and I like seeing innovative ways to package ordinary products.
