Site Redesign: Ten keys to keep from going insane
by Paul Flyer
I was in the middle of writing the series on CSS when the bug to redesign this website hit me. This will be the 5th redesign since I began the site. I really shouldn’t count the first three since I was just learning. The redesign process has taught me some valuable lessons each and every time. Below are ten keys to maintain your own sanity when the itch to redesign strikes you:
- Make sure you want to redesign your site. Though a part of you wants to, does ALL of you want to? The worst thing that can happen is get halfway through and quit. Time wasted.
- Weigh the time away from content development. If your a small fry website, you are the designer, marketer, writer all rolled into one. Realize that the time it takes to redesign the site will take away from your other efforts. Is it worth the time away from creating content?
- Shoot for web standards but don’t live and die by them. I prefer designing in XHTML 1.0 Strict and CSS. With this design I went with a liquid layout versus a fixed width layout. I had to compromise with the liquid layout. It doesnt totally work at the 800×600 resolution. I’m afraid my 800×600 visitors won’t be pleased. However, they only made up 7% of my visitors the last month. This number has dropped from about 25% 18 months ago. I imagine this number will get near 0% by the end of 2007. If i lived by the standards I would have tried harder to make it work or create a separate a style sheet. I guess I am willing to let that point go and not waste time with it.
- Be Patient. There is nothing worse than rushing through css code and messing things up. If you feel yourself rushing just stop. You are bound to make a mistake. Step away and come back to it later.
- Reuse basic elements from the previous design. Don’t reinvent the wheel. While the colors may change (or not) keep the code for those elements which work.
- Keep it simple. If you’re a designer by trade, have at it. But beginners should avoid getting too fancy.
- Shoot for readability. One of the goals of my redesign was to make it more readable. I hope the font and the spacing makes it easier to read. I hate websites that give me a headache.
- Shoot for usability. After your site has been around a while, you should have a good idea of things that work and things that don’t. Make your site easier to use. If you go the fancy route and make it too complicated, you will lose visitors.
- Study other sites. Before you begin, study other sites. My own redesign combines elements I learned from looking at other sites. Don’t copy entire designs, but gather ideas and don’t be afraid to mix and match.
- Get feedback. So dear reader, what do you think? Is this site easier to read? Is it easier to use? Let me know. I’ld appreciate it.
10.30.2006 @ 4:33 PM — Filed under:
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