Web Site Design Tips:

1. Start Small and Plan for Growth - If you are new to web publishing, start small and plan for growth. Engage the assistance of more experienced Web Authors, especially in the initial design stages. View and learn from other web sites. Use the view source and bookmark options in your browsers. Learn from others Web Authors examples.

2. Organize Your Information - It is very important to create a strategy to organize information on your web site. It should be considered a place where information is retrieved and used, versus, simply being an area in which information is stored. Often, it is helpful to use an organization chart structure to show where information will be placed and how the different web pages will be linked together.

3. Identify the Purpose of Your Web Site - Identify the web audience and the type of information you will provide early in the planning stage. Evaluate and analyze the available content. This should include content approval, updating, and content accuracy.

4. Design Choices - Early in the design of your web pages, spend some time articulating the goals of your web documents. The purpose and use of the content can dictate certain design choices. These choices will determine how much time is spent to maintenance of documents.

5. Navigation - When organizing your site, provide a clear order for content by subject or by some other form of reasonable entry into the web site. Some useful methods are a "Table of Contents" and "Searchable Indexes". Provide a main entry point, or top view, which makes it easy for users to find the content that most interests them. Offer multiple ways to the same content. Not all readers seek the same information in the same way. A good glossary or index will cross-reference information. With links, you can refer to the same information in many ways. Do so where it helps the users without overwhelming them.

6. Manage Content Changes - A "What's New" section helps users to quickly identify materials that you have changed. This should be a linked index by ordered by date.

7. Directory Structure - The top levels of the web site, usually general information, should be identified early and placed at top of the directory structure.

8. Content Ownership - Content Owners and Web Authors must follow the ownership rules when making changes to web sites.

9. Directory Structure and Navigation - A close relationship directory structure and navigation can make it easier to maintain a site, as content is revised and expanded. A change in one part of your web space can have an impact on other parts of your site that has share links or other references. The easier it is for you to see these relationships while maintaining these underlying documents, the more likely it becomes that your site as a whole is kept up-to-date and cohesive.

10. Web Page Load Time - Often, you can assume that many of your readers will arrive at your page because they need and want the information presented. There is a tension between the amount of content packed into a web page you do to your content verses your audience's desire to get the information quickly and efficiently as possible. Maximize valuable and usable content in smallest possible size document to minimize load time.

11. Naming Convention - Create a naming convention for your web pages and stick with it. Once your web site is published, users worldwide will begin book marking your pages for quick reference. DONOT rename pages if the web pages have been published for any length of time. Users do not like going to dead web pages.

12. Dead Links - Check your web site for dead links. If you link to web pages developed by other Web Authors, their links may change and kill any link from you to them. Check external links to your site often. Dead links on your web site for what ever reason reflects bad on your site.

There is no single recipe or structure to a good web site that you can apply to all types of content. Good Web Design comes from organizing your content and viewing your content as your visitor to your web site would see it.

George J. Rogers
Web Site Content Coordinator
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
713-500-3506