Unit 4 Reading

Chapter 7

Being a dedicated Lucy fan, I really appreciated the opening quote - witty

Simplicity is a main priority - confusion can be a main problem with the Home/index page. 

-        Site Identity & Mission have to be clear & inviting enough to keep the audience interested in staying.

-        Site Hierarchy shows a summary of what the site covers, which should be prominent on each page.

-        Search box is vital & should be conspicuously placed on the Home/index page.

-        Teases can help convince & persuade visitors to stay on the site. Promoting the site’s content  & features helps persuade people to stay.

-        Timely Content Keep it up to date so people know it is still alive. (Good reminder – I updated mine last night. It still said, “Come to my opening on April 12^th!”)

-        Deals – in a consistent, designated spot “for whatever advertising, cross-promotion & co-branding deals have been made.”

-        Shortcuts, links to popular pages.

-        Registration, if used. It is nice to know you can sign in to some sites – but, then again, I know people who are annoyed & irritated by it – they want privacy. Personally I feel that they should have the option.

Then his additions:

-        Show me what I am looking for. Making it easily obvious how to find what you are looking for easily & efficiently.

-        …and what I am not looking for, particularly, but it might be appealing & inviting to a visitor anyway. Show what you have to offer.

-        Show me where to start – make it simple & clear

-        Establish credibility & trust – give any visitor a good impression, or as many as possible anyway. (Some will never be satisfied.)

Now the restraints (which are very logical):

-        Everybody (or every topic) wants a piece of it. Be careful not to overload. It can confuse people & chase them away.

-        Too many cooks. Can spoil anything.

-        One size fits all (or as many as it can…) Try to make the Home/index page appealing to anyone & everyone.

The Home/index page must be clear about what is on the site answering 4 questions: “What is this? What do they have here? What can I do here? & Why should I be here - & not somewhere else?” They must be able to get good answers at a glance.
Get the message across with clarity. Don’t overload the page. “Nothing beats a good tagline! TM“
Entry points must be prominent. Home/index page layout can be unique but coordinating with other pages.
Don’t make changes you don’t have to, keep things consistent. Pulldowns can be more annoying than helpful – walking on thin ice. His samples were very good examples of how helpful testing & standing back to get a good look can be.