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Web Design Tips and Tricks
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Over the past decade, many graphic designers and marketing agencies have shifted from print media to developing web sites for the online medium. In this process, they have applied print design techniques, creating web sites that appear similar to print media documents. This is great for maintaining a brand image across media; however, a recent study indicates that it may not be the best way to serve an online audience.
Researchers have measured the order each element (text and graphics) was seen, the attention span of each element, and how text and graphic links were used to navigate through a web site.
Probably the most surprising finding (shown in the table below) is the way readers are attracted to text more than to graphics and photos. Another rather surprising result is how well banner ads scored. With graphics and photos scoring lower than text, it would seem natural for banner ads to score low as well. But it turned out that banner ads attracted more attention than the graphics within articles themselves.
Web Page Element & Percent People Viewing the Element
- Article text 92%
- Article summary briefs 82%
- Photographs 64%
- Banner ads 45%
- Graphics 22%
Many site designers use graphics and photographs familiar to the target audience to help them feel comfortable with the site. These graphics help establish the corporate identity, provide brand recognition, and are used as navigation links.
In addition, many web designers try to balance the hefty use of graphics (on a web page) with rapid download time. The study indicates that it may not be desirable to use a lot of graphics, but to make more effective use of text elements.
The researchers made a few conclusions beyond the use of text and graphics that can be applied to marketing sites. For instance, readers scroll down pages and spend time viewing text elements "below the fold" as much as they view text higher on the page.
The conclusion is simple - a web site needs graphics in its framework to provide brand and help target the eye to the pages true substance (text). Each page should include graphics beyond the web sites framework as applicable to the article of that specific web page.
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