design standards?

[KR]

I've done some web searching, but there is so much junk out there I can't
find a clear source, so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right
direction.

I'm looking for a set of web page design standards (online info, or a
reference to a book that does a good job of this) that include a set of
systematic criteria for web page/ web site evaluation, for example:

* Is the page so large that it won't fit on a standard resolution screen?
* Are clickable graphics visually distinct from non-clickable graphics?
* Are descriptions for each potential action ("click here to ....") embedded
inline with the areas the user will interact with?
* Is there a single-click way to get back to the main page?
* From the main page, can you get to every page within 4 clicks?
* From the main page, are all subpages categorized clearly so a user will
always know where to find what they are looking for?
* etc.

While I need at least the physical/visual design, I'd prefer to also have as
much information on functionality (like the number of clicks) and site
structure as well. I'm much less interested (for now) in the programming
details- I want to develop a good design first, then figure out how to
implement it rather than trying to design a less functional interface
because I feel limited by the tools available.

I appreciate any suggestions you might have for sites or books that do a
good job of covering this topic.

Thanks!
Keith

 

[Murray]

* Is the page so large that it won't fit on a standard resolution screen?

There is no such standard. And screen size is not the critical
consideration anyhow - it's the visitor's browser's viewport dimensions.
Please read this -

http://www.thepattysite.com/window_sizes1.cfm

 

[KR]

Murray- thanks for the link- it's funny, I was actually thinking about the
different resolutions problem when I wrote the original post, and considered
putting in 600x800 and 1024x768 so that any design could be graded based on
the relative number of internal users who are at each resolution (my need is
related to internal company webpages, so we can estimate or collect data on
user monitor settings).

The browser window width issue is one that I hadn't thought of while writing
my post (although I'm an unfortunate victim of it all the time). That's
exactly the type of criteria I'm interested in, although I'm hoping that
someone, somewhere, has aggregated a lot of similarly useful criteria in one
place...

Keith

 

[Ronx]

There are no stats that I know of regarding browser window sizes, but
screen resolution sizes can be found at www.thecounter.com Many users
with high resolution screens use their browsers at small sizes, such as
800x600.

 

[Murray]

I think the rest of your questions are really just best practice things -
and unfortunately I only get those from the school of hard knocks. Sorry I
don't have a link for you....

 

[KR]

I'm thinking that via our IT inventory list I can identify the range of
resolutions available our standard monitors throughout our organization,
then do some statistical sampling to see what resolutions folks actually
use. I can then create something like:
600x800 1024x768 higher than 1024x768
% of users 18% 71% 11%
and use the % of employees who can view the screen as one criteria, where by
default the result would be 11%, 82% (11+71), or 100%

to me 82% (80/20 rule) would be the minimum acceptable, and 100% would be
desirable but would be weighted along with the other criteria to maximize
functionality for the greatest number of users.
Thanks!
Keith

 

[Murray]

The size of the monitor, or its resolution is NOT the important variable,
though.

 

[KR]

True- it is more likely to give me an "upper bound" than a reflection of
real use. However, it might be the closest I can get-I'm not sure I'd have
the time or ability to collect data on actual usage (non-maximized window
sizes). From there, I'd perhaps take some percentage of each of those sizes-
assuming that most folks keep their browser open to at least half the
maximized size, since there are so many web sites that are difficult to
interact with below some functional size.

Hrm, that would an interesting experiment- to figure out a way to automate a
data collection program to hit major websites and identify the smallest
width at which each could be effectively used. Different people use
different websites, so it would vary, but for example if someone uses an
online mail program that has to be at least 600 wide to use the built-in
mail buttons, then most users of that site will probably keep their browser
(even when not maximized) to at least that width.

Ah, if only I was a /real/ programmmer...


Keith

 

[P@tty Ayers]

Hi Keith,

I'm looking for a set of web page design standards (online info, or a
reference to a book that does a good job of this) that include a set of
systematic criteria for web page/ web site evaluation

Here are two "web site checklists" that might be helpful:

http://www.thepattysite.com/temp/web_site_checklist.pdf
http://www.thepattysite.com/temp/web_site_checklist2.pdf