Services Main Page
Web Design Services
Hosting
Online Business Solutions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
We will provide you a no obligation quote based on the criteria you give us.

Click here to use our form

or Feel free to contact us by phone: 603-630-1623

Alta Vista Business Services Blog

AVBS Blog's focus is on bridging the gap between small, local business and Internet technology. AVBS offers articles for small businesses: start-ups, online shops, entrepreneurs, Internet newbies, and design freelancers. Topics include: introducing and/or evaluating affordable new technologies, tools, networks and resources, both online and locally.

Really Usable Site Design-- the horizontal screen dilemma.

Daphne Correa - Thursday, February 25, 2010
There's something about designing for the Web that irritates me. You may have noticed, many Websites have HUGE headers. I'm the first to admit, I've created many a site with chunky headers. We've all heard the rule Form Follows Function. And I totally agree with that! Yet we (the design community) continue to design sites that might look smashing because they have huge, graphic headers, but the main content of each page is at and below the fold, which forces users to scroll down to read content. How functional is that?! Call me lazy, but I really don't like to scroll. Do I have to assume it is just a necessary evil and everyone just has to deal with it? Can we rethink this dilemma? As designers and content developers, I know we can do better.

The fact of the matter is it is really difficult to design for a horizontal layout. Maybe for a few reasons. Maybe we have looked at and designed for vertical pages on paper so long, that we can't get our heads around the horizontal screen we are now designing for. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think we need to be scrolling horizontally either. I'm talking about limiting the size of the header, and keeping content in smaller chunks to minimize scrolling. Is it better to click or to scroll?

I have noticed that sites developed in Flash tend to keep things in screen-size chunks. This is probably more difficult to achieve because it requires more links, and more condensed, less verbose content. In spite of all that, this might be the way to go for the future of more usable sites. I, for one, am going to attempt to develop HTML/CSS sites that follow this same rule. (I know... wish me luck!)

I would love some commentary from other designers on this subject.  Do you think it is important? Do you think we tend to over-design sites? Is it time to start thinking of better ways to use the screen space? If you have already achieved this, I'd love to see some examples. Please tell me your experiences and thoughts on this issue.
Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Wake up small business!

Daphne Correa - Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Or maybe I should say “Wake up Internet Professionals!”

I was mortified in a meeting with a client today when she said she and her staff thought the Web site overhaul project was frivolous. (I can hear the gasps from here!)

My first though? I think I need to make a few points here! Why is newspaper circulation down so much that papers across the country are laying off and closing their doors? Why do businesses list on Google, Yahoo!, and Bing for free when they can pay a fortune to list in the yellow pages?  Put simply, many people use the Internet to find the things they want or the information they need. Okay, well, not everybody. I’m not saying stop all your other marketing initiatives. But, there are real important facts about Internet usage. For example, 72% of Americans use the Internet. If you want to find new business, the Internet gives you a tremendous opportunity.

Okay, I can rant on these points forever, but I’m going to make a confession instead. I am an Internet professional. Period. It is my job to point out these facts to my clients or potential clients. Explain why their site needs an overhaul. Explain the tools and analytics I’m going to provide to keep them abreast of who is finding them. 

In some parts of the country, or certain circles, people simply don’t know these things. Suppose their old brochure style Website just sat there, no updates, no analytics. No way of knowing if it does their business one bit of good. One can see why they might have these perceptions. What’s the point of having a site? Alternatively, Some clients know there are problems with this and they hire me to fix it. Still others think they should just have a site because everyone else has one.

So, I have a bit of work to do with this valuable client. It’s called education. I seriously missed an opportunity by assuming she knows why she needs a Web site overhaul and failed to drive home those reasons in my initial presentation.

My vow to myself—and my profession: When I present a project to a client, my goal is to educate first. To make sure I don’t go away before she knows the facts and understands the service I provide is not to just provide a pretty, online brochure. In a nutshell, I don’t design Web sites. I provide Online Business solutions that help her promote her business products or services on the internet. Then I will do what I normally do, and that is make that new and improved site do what it’s supposed to do-- bring in new business! Then, I will prove it with leads- captured by forms, provide analytics, and go the extra mile so that site isn’t just like a very pretty printed brochure sitting in a drawer. 

I can just hear them now, “Ahhh, I get it!”
Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

1

Recent Posts

Tags

Web site redesign Business online Local localized search usability small business internet marketing Marketing outreach

Archive