Functional Website Design
06/04/2009 - By Donald Varner Form and function are but some of the fundamental, most important elements of web design. That without good form and a specific function, a website may as well be left to the dogs. As this function is what dictates the use and the direction of the website, it is important that details about the product goals, the target market, the audience, usability and interestingness are kept in mind.
One of the earlier stages of website development is focused on making a form which is attractive and easy to use, while this in itself can mean success for the website design; certain questions must be answered in order to follow through the development of the website in terms of functionality. Some of the questions which must be raised are:
1. What are the product goals and how does the website design intend to address it straight-forwardly?
2. Who are the target audience and what do they intend to do with it?
3. Is it interesting and easy to use?
What are the product goals and how does the website design intend to address it straight-forwardly? The function of every website is very different; this must be recognized at the onset, prior to the web design process. Consider the differences between an online store which is dedicated to sell products, a news website, and a forum or social networking system: all of which demand different functions. An online store such as amazon.com and ebay.com are both geared toward the sale of products available in their website. Their website design is then catered to show the price and the easy mode of buying and selling in these websites. Its function is dedicated and committed to the transaction or sale. A news website is dedicated to bring the latest news, when you want it. It then puts content and discussion front and center. Website design is deemed to help the user experience easy navigation through the related content.
Who are the target audience and what do they intend to do with it? Knowing your target audience can spell the difference between success and failure in terms of website design. Function dictates that the target audience is well helped into easy navigation throughout the website. News websites and websites dedicated to help programmers understand a program must be designed differently in order to help the target audience deal with the content. Certain elements such as the target demographic, audience personalities, age and even website navigation experience must be considered.
Is it interesting and easy to use? One of the easily neglected areas in terms of function is a website's ease of use; this is because there is sometimes the need of the designer to showcase his or her skills. While there is nothing wrong with that, it must be kept in mind that website design demands easy navigation so that the viewer is enticed to come back.
Good design is what draws the users to experience the website. Appeal, manageability, ease of use and an interesting content is what makes for a good gauge of functionality in terms of web design.
About the author:
Don Varner
http://websitedevelopment.org