Posts Tagged ‘People’
Website Design – Audience
A good and successful website will have a carefully thought out and planned design that will take into account many different aspects. A key aspect of any Website Design is the target audience. The people who will be using the website must be at the forefront of influencing factors when planning and constructing any Web Design.
The age of the audience is one important factor when considering the Web Design. This will have important implications for not only the aesthetics of the website but also the functional layout. Websites aimed at young children will generally be more colourful, often with a cartoon type style that is also quite simple and easy to use with bolder type faces and shorter sections of text. Designs aimed at predominantly the older user may also wish to have a simpler layout and easy to use functions, although the graphical imaging will likely be plainer or a more professional look than that aimed at children. Audiences that fall in between these two age range will often be more proficient with using the Web and other factors may be more important in terms of the Web Design.
The proficiency of the user to in using websites and the internet will also be a factor. A website that has an audience which is not that proficient in using the internet will need a more simple structure, function and therefore Web Design. If the website requires this audience to use more advanced facilities then a progression will need to be planned out to help their audience develop the skills needed to use the site. An audience with more extensive knowledge of the internet and in using websites will not only be able to use greater functionality, but may also expect and demand it. The Design must therefore take this into account, while a website that caters for both proficient and non-proficient users will have to balance carefully the technical features of the for both audiences.
Familiarity of the audience with the subject matter of the site will not only have an effect on the content but also of the Web Design of the site. More familiar users will often be looking for different information and features than those who are not familiar with the subject matter, and the layout and design structure will need to be different for the two different types of audience. For sites who will have both ‘beginner and ‘advanced’ users will need to have a Design that is clear and simple to understand for beginner users but also has more advanced material that is easily accessible for advanced users.
Rage of audience will also be an important factor in a Website Design. Though many websites will have quite a narrow target audience, many will have multiple audiences that will use the site. The number of different audiences often depends on the purpose of the site and the range of information and services it has to offer. Websites with a narrow audience will usually only require a single Web Design, however larger, more diverse or larger sites with multi-functions and a large range of information may require different Designs for different sections that are specifically adapted to the target audience for that section but maintaining the identity of the website and company.
Website Templates – Build Your Own Website
Once only big companies could afford to have a presence on the worldwide web, but those days have changed. Today, nearly every business has a website, and usually the few that do not will want to have one. Web hosting and domain name rights have become very affordable so having a web presence is available to even the self employed for very little money.
The problem of course lies in setting up a website and making it look good and look professional. While a person can take the time to learn HTML and now XHTML to create and design their own pages, it is simpler and more accessible to more people to use website templates. Templates are much like a paint-by-number experience and take much of the work out of web page design.
With website templates it is easier and less expensive to create you own pages. Web designers can be costly and while you get a great design, your business probably can’t afford it. Once your website is designed by a service you have to pay for site maintenance costs as well as keeping the site up-to-date. Website templates usually allow you to maintain your own site in a fairly simple manner.
There are many different avenues to obtaining website templates. Some are offered as freeware and shareware online and are free for the taking. You can also purchase reasonably priced software commercially that provides templates to allow you to create almost any kind of a website.
Many webhosting companies also provide easy to use website templates to create your own pages, many if not most of them at no additional cost other than the hosting fee. Many even offer 24/7 tech support to help you through design problems if you encounter any. None of these templates require any knowledge of HTML code either.
Naturally, every site is not a commercial one. A large number of them have been created by people for blogging purposes or for communication with relatives or to demonstrate a talent of some sort or for other activities. There are computer users who do not know HTML and haven’t got the spare time to master it. For them, templates are the ideal approach. Once you locate the right templates, it’s a snap for anyone to design a site.