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from The Non-Designer's Web Book
(see resources)
Not-so-good checklist
Backgrounds
 | Gray default background color |
| Color combinations of text and background that make the text
hard to read |
| Busy, distracting backgrounds that make the text hard to read |
Text
| Text crowding against the left edge |
| Text that stretches all the way across the page |
| Centered type over flush left body copy |
| Paragraphs of type in all caps |
| Paragraphs of type in bold |
| Paragraphs of type in italic |
| Paragraphs of type in all caps, bold, and italic all at once |
| Text that is underlined that isn't a hyperlink |
Links
| Blue link borders around graphics |
| Links that are not clear about where they will take you to |
| Links in body copy that distract readers and lead them off to
remote, useless pages |
| Dead or broken links |
Graphics
| Large graphic files that take forever to download |
| Meaningless or useless graphic files |
| Thumbnail images that are nearly as large as the full-sized
images they link to |
| Graphics with "halos" (called anti-aliasing
"artifacts") around the edges |
| Graphics with no alt labels |
| Missing graphics, especially missing graphics with no alt labels |
| Graphics that don't fit on the screen |
Tables
| Borders turned on in tables (except for tables or information) |
| Tables used as design elements, especially with extra large
borders |
| Blinking and animations |
| Anything that blinks, especially text |
| Multiple things that blink |
| "Under construction" signs |
| Animated pictures for e-mail |
| Animations that never stop |
| Multiple animations that never stop |
Junk
| Counter on pages (except if you have no other way of gathering
statistics. FrontPage provides a way of inserting an invisible
counter. Contact me for more info.) |
| Junky advertising |
| Having to scroll sideways |
Navigation
| Unclear navigation; overly complex navigation |
| Complicated frames, too many frames, unnecessary scroll bars in
frames |
| Orphan pages (no links back to where they came from, no
identification) |
| Useless page titles that don't explain what the page is about |
General Design
| Entry page or home page that does not fit within standard
browser window (640 x 480 pixels) |
| No focal point on the page; too many focal points on a page |
| Navigation buttons as the only visual interest |
| Cluttered, not enough alignment |
| Lack of contrast |
| Pages that look okay in one browser but not in another |
So-much-better checklist
Text
| Background does not interrupt the text |
| Text is big enough to read, but not too big |
| The hierarchy of information is perfectly clear |
| Columns of text are narrower than in a book to make reading
easier on the screen |
Navigation
| Navigation buttons and bars are easy to understand and use |
| Frames, if used, are not obtrusive |
| A large site has an index or site map |
Links
| Link colors coordinate with page colors |
| Links are underlined so they are instantly clear to the visitor |
| The links give the visitor a clue as to where they are, what
page they are currently on |
Graphics
| Buttons are not big and "dorky" |
| Every important graphic has an alt label |
| Every graphic link has a matching text link |
| Graphics and background use browser-safe colors |
| Animated graphics turn off by themselves |
General Design
| Pages download quickly: total page size (HTML + graphics) should
equal 30 - 60 K |
| First page and/or home page fit into 600 x 295 pixel space |
| All other pages have the important stuff in 600 x 295 |
| Good use of graphic elements to break up large areas of text |
| Every web page in the site looks like it belongs to the same
site; there are repetitive elements that carry throughout the
pages |
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