Where To Begin My Design

Where do you begin when attempting to teach yourself web-design? I recommend interviewing and surveying people for any project you begin: films/animations, games, websites, other interactive interfaces. Though it may seem obvious, interviewing and surveying current website visitors is the crucial element in the pre-production phase of a website. Let us think for a moment, who will be visiting your site? People you interview and other Internet users. Take advantage of this fact and utilize the information gained as the foundation for your design. Thanks to my interviewees, I have a growing list of websites waiting to be researched. I am also gaining knowledge in what audiences find appealing and annoying in web design. The following lists are also continuing to grow (NOTE: due to a large number of interviewees, a few of the listed items listed may be considered both positive and negative):

Likes (what works)

Links located at top and/or bottom
Links to other websites
Be sure to open new sites in a different tab
Tabs on left
Easy navigation
Placement of information
Mouse changes to finger when rolling over a link
Good graphics
Pictures, photos, other graphics
Thumbnails
Do NOT open in new windows
Video
Separate pop-up window(s)
Being in control of what you click
Soft colors
Flash-based
Tells narrative/story rather than information
Sound affects/music
ex) With “Sound Off” button
Make button easy to locate
Condense information so easy to read
Depth
Consistency
Well organized
Balanced shapes
Innovation
Less is more (Keep It Simple Stupid = KISS)
Links within text
Fades in and out depending on where mouse is clicking
Change color of links after clicking
Good mix of text and graphics


Dislikes (what does not work)

Scrolling
Too much information on one page
Long loading
Unclear navigation
No good way to get back to homepage
Bright colors
Too much white
Too much of one color
Small text, font sizes, etc.
Sans-serif
Search features never work = useless
Introductions/videos
Unless for artistic site
Option to skip
Not being able to get everywhere from “Home Page”
Advertisements
Music/sound affects
Pop-up windows when rolled-over
Rollovers
Adding to favorites, but the wrong page is added = make favorites for the “Home Page”
Graphic menu that doesn't work
ex) Disappears after you roll-over, so you have to rush to click
Videos/Audio that play immediately
Main window and inside window can scroll
Roll-Overs
Depends on the placement
Menus that say "Coming Soon"