Hello and Welcome

Hi readers of my blog,

You may be wondering why this blog exists, or who I am. Or not − maybe you got here by accident, but if so, I invite you to stick around!  My name is Sharona, and this blog is part of a quarter-long assignment for my Emerging Communication Technologies class at Western Washington University.☟

Source: Professor Jason Lind

We are located in scenic Bellingham, Washington, a port town nestled in a sea of evergreens. In fact, our town is as "northwest" as you can get in the US, geographically speaking. 

Source: www.alltheragefaces.com

 

Every week this quarter, I will be writing on a topic related to communication technologies. Consider this a journey across the information channels of the World Wide Web, in search of new tools and tips. This week, I'm going to share the best website design tips the Internet has to offer.

Top 10 Rules of Website Design

1. Brand your website with a sleek logo. A unique and professional-looking logo will catch the reader's eye and increase the website's credibility. Link the logo to the homepage, as it will ease navigability. 
2. White space can be good − clean up the clutter. Information-overload can cause a reader to lose patience. A simple and organized layout is much easier to process, holding the reader's attention longer.
3. Less is more when it comes to the mousepad. Too many links and endless scrolling can cause a reader to abandon ship. The less clicks required, the higher engagement with what they see on the screen.
4. Make your words count. Website content that lacks proper spelling, readable font, and sufficient spacing looks unprofessional. Using a spell checker, implementing clear font with a contrasting/simple background
5. Size matters. Whether it is the font, photos, or page width, be conscious of size. Font should be large enough to read and the width of content on each page should not be too narrow or wide. Photo size should be limited as larger photos take longer to load.
6. Put yourself in the reader's shoes. Consider the type of content they want to read; make what you say interesting and important. Also, make sure the website can function on varying browsers and operating systems.
7. Focus on the necessary and eliminate what is not. Write concisely and avoid using too many graphics. This goes along with the notion that less is more.
8. Organize content efficiently and strategically. The source of this tip, Hongkiat.com, cites that studies show that most people spend more time at the top of a website and may not take the time to scroll down. By putting most of the content
9. Know when to use serif or san serif. Headlines tend to be san serif and bold, as it makes the words clearly stand out. Text is often serif.
10. Stick to a layout of no more than three colors. Colors that contrast each other stand out to readers. Too many colors can be distracting, and too few can make the website seem dull.