Text

 
• Users don't read, they scan

   

• lowercase is better than UPPERCASE

   

• <blink> is evil!

   

• so are large blocks of text, and tiny serif fonts...

   

• Only 10% of users scroll outside immediate window
  (but later work of real users show that they do)

Improving Web readability

Links

 
• what text to use as actual link

   

• feedback from links
   
  • only the very latest version of Internet Explorer supports link titles

Colour

 
• Excessive use of colour can be confusing, especially overprint

   

• But HTML makes use of colour relatively easy, so it gets implemented as an easy way of making something look pretty

   

• But appropriate use of colour can lead the reader and emphasise salient points

Graphics

 

 

• Animation - Movement can be distracting

   

• Imagemaps - can be useful/pretty, but not always obvious

   

• Loading times - WWW originally designed for text, but sites increasingly rely on graphical presentation

Java & Applets

 
• Can be impressive, but take a long time to load and run very slowly, even on a fast machine

   

• The hypertext navigation metaphor is too strong to support apps within apps, or windows within windows: people click on back to undo actions in applets

   

• double-click vs single click conflicts

Frames

 
• Frames detract from the essential organisation of a browser
   
  • Split window breaks essential idea of hypertext (one window one tool)

     

  • BACK (2nd most used action) doesn't work

     

  • URLs refer only to initial frame states

     

  • Cannot print or save properly

   

• Frame-like organisation can be achieved without frames