Consistent Web Design is a General Rule of Thumb
March 9, 2010
"Consistent Web Design only makes sense and as an experienced web developer it becomes common sense."
There is nothing more frustrating when finally finding a website with the information you are seeking only to feel lost or confused while trying to navigate from page to page or even reading the content that is displayed differently from page to page.
As a web designer, it is very important to take into consideration the need for consistency. A website will fail simply by poor design no matter how valuable your information is, how great your product is, or how essential the service you provide. There are basic unwritten rules that apply to web design in the early stages.
Colour Scheme
Do the colours compliment each other? Is there low contrast which makes text difficult to read? Are the graphics tasteful and not too overpowering? I guess you could say, did I put on too much makeup, sometimes less is best.
Navigation
Is the navigation predictable from page to page? Is it easy to locate links from regular text? Does the logo or banner of the site have a link back to the home page? Is there links in the footer or the bottom of the page?
Home Page vs Sub Page
Most sites have a different layout scheme for their home page vs their sub pages. This is a common practice; however the change between one layout to the next must be easily understood. If there is too much variation the user will get confused, lost and frustrated. The main goal is to not push too many surprises to your visitors.
Consistent Web Design only makes sense and as an experienced web developer it becomes common sense. One trick or testing practice every web designer should implement before launching a website is to ask a few friends, family or anyone who would be willing to simply go to the website in question, navigate from page to page and you simply stand behind them taking note of what they are clicking on. Find out how easy they can get from one page to the next. Do they click on the logo/banner to get back to the home page? Just by simply observing how someone will navigate while on your website (remember, you cannot instruct or say a word while observing no matter how frustrating it is to watch someone not find the things you want them to find) will be very instrumental at a basic level to see if you've done your job correctly.
