sandersi-design-First Progress Report

1. Recognize Diversity

• make your main navigation area fast loading for repeat users
• provide a detailed explanation of your topics, symbols, and navigation options for new users
• provide a text index for quick access to all pages of the site
• ensure your pages are readable in many formats, to accommodate users who are blind or deaf, users with old versions of browsers, lynx users, users on slow modems or those with graphics turned off

2. Strive for consistency in:

• menus
• help screens
• color
• layout
• capitalization
• fonts
• sequences of actions

3. Offer informative feedback - rollover buttons, sounds when clicked


4. Build in error prevention in online forms


5. Give users control as much as possible


6. Reduce short term memory load by providing menus, buttons or icons. If you use icons, make sure you have a section which explains what they mean. Make things obvious by using constraints - grayed out items in menus for options not available in that page


7. Make use of web conventions such as underlined links, color change in links for visited pages, common terminology


8. Provide a conceptual model of your site using a site map or an index


Source: http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/skaalid/theory/interface.htm