Tips for Interface Design

A short column this week in which 7 basic tips for more effective web site interface design are suggested.

Use short blocks of text. Keep written material simple. Write more as for a newspaper than magazine. Short sentences and paragraphs work best.
Organize material for quick scanning. Internet readers tend to scan a page for information. Use descriptive sub headings, bulleted text, and highlighted words.
Use scrolling cautiously. It has been found that readers do not like to do horizontal scrolling. Vertical scrolling is acceptable though it too can become annoying if pages are too long.It is estimated that only 10% of users scroll beyond the information that is visible on the screen when a page comes up.
Avoid frames.Frames tend to create problems for users such as when bookmarking and printing pages.
Design for fast loading. It is estimated that you have three seconds to convince a user not to change sites. Get something on the screen and make it interesting enough to hold the viewer's attention. If it takes too long to download, revise your design.
Don't distract the eye. Human visual perception is very sensitive to movement. Flashing animations and traveling banners only serve to distract a reader. Use on-screen movement only when needed.
Use short URL addresses. Addresses over 72 characters are often difficult to send as part of an e-mail posting. A long URL may break in an email and few recipients may know they need to attach the line to make it function.

Sources: Internet web design sites.