Table 2. Characteristics of Effectively Designed Webpages
Clear and Consistent Page Organization
• Hierarchy of importance for items on the page, with more
important things higher on page
• Logical groupings, with visual cues to help organize groups
• Headings and navigation labels reflecting a single theme
(e.g., topic, function, or sequence)
• Consistent format from page to page
Wise Use of Space
• Division of page into grid of defined areas
• Alignment of all screen elements horizontally and vertically
using grid
• Limited unused space (webpages require less white space
than paper)
• Few distractions (e.g., unnecessary color, graphics, or
animation)
Concise Text that Facilitates “Scanning”
(Web users “scan” rather than read from top to bottom and
page design should optimize this.)
• Clear headings
• Short phrases and bulleted outlines
• Limited length of sentences (20 words) and paragraphs (5
sentences)
• Limited page length (single screen for homepage, scrolling
limited to 3 screens for other pages)
• Topic summarized before presenting details
Clear and Consistent Navigation
• Site name/logo on every page with consistent position and
appearance
• Navigation bar on every page with consistent position,
appearance, and content including:
• Link to homepage
• Links to sections/categories
• Search function
• Utilities (help, additional information, contact
information, etc.)
• Navigation bar on right
Clear and Consistent Hyperlinks
• Clearly identified hyperlinks
• Descriptive and unambiguous hyperlink labels
• No use of graphics as hyperlinks
• Repetition of important hyperlinks elsewhere on the page
(as needed)
• Minimum number of “clicks” to access a given point (“flat”
site architecture)
• Consistent hyperlink format on all pages