Do's & Don'ts
This quick list serves as a reference point for tips, tricks, and troubleshooting while designing your Web pages.
Getting Started
DO: Think in terms of what your users might want to accomplish, what tasks they want to do, and how you can make these task easier through your Web site.
DON'T: Limit your site to just reproducing information already available in print. While it may be important to get that kind of information online, a Web site can be capable of so much more than that.
DO: Think about your audience first and what they would expect to see at your site.
DON'T: Rush to get a Web site published just for the sake of having a Web site.
Organization
DO: Rely on persistent navigation. In other words, establish a simple organization system and then apply it consistently throughout your site.
DON'T: Change organization systems throughout your site.
DO: Keep the content on your homepage to a minimum; your homepage is the cover, not the book.
DON'T: Try to put all your information on your homepage.
DO: Include a link to the page immediately "above" your page.
DON'T: Leave your visitors stranded at a link-less dead end.
DO: Make sure your link text is descriptive and obvious.
DON'T: Use general link text like "Click Here", or hide your links in large amounts of text.
DO: Include appropriate Titles, Descriptions and Keywords in the HEAD of your HTML to help users find your page.
DON'T: Ignore meta tags.
Text
DO: Use headings, lists, and white space to make your pages scanable.
DON'T: Publish solid blocks of text that users must read through to find what they need.
DO: Keep it short. A Web page is not a printed page, and large blocks of text are even more difficult to read onscreen.
DON'T: Treat a Web page like a printed page.
DO: Make large printed publications available online by offering condensed Web versions plus a link to a .pdf file of the complete publication.
DON'T: Reproduce a large printed publication word-for-word on a Web page, or offer a .pdf file only.
Images
DO: Resize your images in Photoshop before uploading them to your site.
DON'T: Upload needlessly large image files or rely on your HTML code to size your images.
DO: Start with a large image and make it smaller.
DON'T: Try to take a small image and blow it up to be larger. The image will look pixelated instead of crisp and sharp.
DO: Use images that convey information, set tone, or enhance your site's design and structure.
DON'T: Use images just becuause you can. Ask yourself why an image is there; if it's not adding anything to a page, consider removing it.
DO: Include meaningful alt text in all images.
DON'T: Convey meaningful information in a graphic without providing an alternative for users with disabilities.
*Note: Information on these pages were adopted from the University of Rochester web site manual
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