Website Tips Inspired by the Real World
Blogged into web design & internet_marketing on 08/29/2005 | comment
While doing some shopping this weekend over at Staples Business Depot, I picked up a complimentary copy of Canada’s SOHO, their in-house small business magazine.
Flipping through the magazine, an interesting article caught my eye entitled, “Lasting Impressions: Create an attractive handout for you presentation.” The article lists 5 important tips for making handouts to be used in any sort of professional presentation.
What strikes me is how often companies forget these simple rules of “presentation” when it comes to their website. It’s like the promise of technology blinds them to the sensibilities of human communication.
So, what I thought I’d do is list those tips here, and then provide my own inspired list of tips for creating websites that will leave lasting impressions.
Presentation Handout Tips
Source: Canada’s SOHO Magazine.
Author/Sponsor: GBC Commercial & Consumer Group
- Keep It Simple – Focus on the key words and concepts of your presentation. Distill each point and avoid unnecessary details. Use graphics if appropriate and leave space for notes.
- Point Form Power – Each point listed in your handout should correspond to your presenation
- Attractive Design – Leave plenty of white space, break points into smaller sections. Avoid using too many different fonts and styles. Consider having it professionally designed.
- Avoid Distraction – Don’t give your audience something to readn that doesn’t match the content and style of your presentation. Generally, people can only concentrate on one thing at a time during a presentation – either your speech or your handout.
- Distribution of the Handout – Make 10 per cent more handouts than you need. If your presentation is complex, give it to your audience before the presentation. Tell them what is covered in the handout and encourage them to listen as you speak, without worrying about taking unncesseary notes.
Website Tips
- Keep It Simple – Focus on the key words and concepts. Avoid unnecessary details. Use CSS for presentational elements. Allow for comments.
- Point Form Power – People do not like to read lengthy paragraphs online. Keep your prose short and to the point.
- Attractive Design – Leave plenty of white space, break info into smaller sections. Avoid using too many different fonts and styles. Have it professionally designed.
- Avoid Distraction – Don’t give your visitors something to read that doesn’t match the content and style of your website. People may or may not only concentrate on one thing at a time while visiting your website, so give them a reason to stay.
- Distribution of the Website – People hate waiting for pages to download. Use lean mark-up, and be sure to optimize graphics and images so your pages load quickly.
- Navigation – Because you are not there to guide them along (as a speaker would in a presentation), use an intuitive navigation system. A good navigation system will tell visitors what is covered in the website and encourage them to browse, without worrying about taking a wrong turn.