Design & Development

Web Design Resolutions for 2011

Akkhor Web Design Resolutions for 2011
A new year always brings up new hopes and wishes. These days everyone is occupied with things we want to accomplish in the next 12 months. We here at Akkhor are occupied too. Occupied with the future of web design and the changes and challenges the new year will bring.

We don’t want to try and predict what 2011 would look like on the web, but we sure have some hopes for it. These are our top five resolutions for web design.
Wishing you’ll  you a sensational and creative 2011!

1. Return of the Text:
While we certainly don’t want to resurrect 90′s style full text pages we’d definitely love to see some more text integrated into web design. The greatest benefit here is that more text means more typography, and more typography means a lot more experimentation and fun.

2. No More Distasteful Embedding:
The post-modern website is a dynamic one. It adds and drops embedded elements so fast, with each element leaving its mark on the design. We’re always sad to see beautiful websites turning bad for using an app that simply doesn’t blend in with their layout.

To avoid misfortunes, both embedded object and website should correspond with each other. Embedded widgets and apps should be designed compliment each other. True, new usabilities are important, but not at the cost of scarifying basic design principles.

3. Space it Out:
No, we don’t mean adding Star Wars clip art. We’re talking about leaving reasonable spaces between elements. Cramming too much information together is tasteless and extremely disorienting for site visitors. In 2011, give each element of your design enough room to make an impression.

4. Effects & Animation? Less Is more:
While some animations are cute and some effects really are useful, the popular use of animations and effects is mostly wrong. We keep running into websites that look like 4th of July gone wrong – too much motion and too much commotion. If you don’t want to scare your visitors away or leave the impression that you’re a Justin Bieber fan, please remove your animations or at least tone them down.

5. Abolish Automatic Audio Players:
Despite what some web designers believe, music is not always a fun addition to a site. Most internet users feel helpless when they open a page and, out of nowhere, strange music is coming out of their speakers. It is extremely uncomfortable in public spaces, not too mention that it slows down the loading of the website.

If you feel convinced that an auto-player will contribute to your website, please use a visible player that will be easy to turn off and on.


Plan and Design a Web Site Structure

An effective Web site structure enhances user experience and allows search engines to determine the subject matter and relevancy of your site. You should create a blueprint of your site before you begin your design and content creation. It is important to keep all related Web site content grouped together into categories.

For example, if your Web site is about gourmet food, you would have a cheese section, a sauce section, and a section on dry goods. Each of your categories should have unique directory and file name structures, so that when your Web site is indexed by search engines, your site demonstrates a wide breadth of content related to the subject.

By doing this, your Web site can be viewed by the search engines as an authority across various areas of gourmet food. You need to spend time working on your Web site structure. Failure to have a properly structured site can make it difficult if not impossible for search engines to properly index your Web site. Such a failure may lead search engines to omit your Web site from the search results and conclude that you are not an authority on the subject matter of your site.


New PHP Engine for IBM Servers from Zend

IBM and Zend last week announced the availability of a new PHP package, called Zend Core for IBM, which brings iSeries shops an inexpensive and easy-to-use tool for building dynamic, database-driven Web applications. While it’s not the first version of the open-source, server-side scripting language for the iSeries, the new PHP implementation brings advantages, such as technical support through the newly announced Zend Network, and the choice of using either DB2/400 or the embedded Cloudscape database.

PHP is one of the most popular languages (possibly the most popular) for creating and maintaining Web sites. According to a PHP usage survey for July, more than 21 million Internet domains are currently running PHP. This is out of a total of 68 million current Internet domains in the known universe, according to the Web site watchers at Netcraft. PHP, which is closely integrated with the Apache Web server and can run as an Apache module, is most commonly deployed with Apache, which powers 70 percent of the world’s Web sites, or about 48 million domains.


Tips for selecting a top Webstie Design Company.

Once you decide you need a Web site, it’s time to decide who will build it.  But if you’re like most small businesses, you’ll want to outsource the work. Be careful who you hire, though. A poorly designed Web site can cost you money, drive away customers, and hurt your reputation. Follow a few basic steps to increase your odds of hiring a creative, technically savvy, and cost-effective design firm.

1. Self Analysis
A good Web development firm or Needs Analysis? Does the development firm have structure and expertise in Information Architecture? Avoid selecting an individual designer, on a freelance basis, to design and develop your organization’s Web site. It is rare to find a single person capable of handling the combined visual and technical elements that make an effective Web presence. Additionally, by depending on an individual, your organization is at risk of losing its investment should anything occur to that one individual – or down the road they simply can’t find time to help when you need it.

Determine what other products/services the Web design company can offer
What kind of value-added products or services can the design firm offer? Product Marketing, Pay per Click (PPC) and Web site promotion? Newsletter or email campaigns? If your organization is not currently dealing with a print design agency, for example, this might be a factor for dealing with one group over another. Similarly, can the firm provide database and software development should your organization wish to Web-enable some of its existing systems or processes?

During this stage, your organization should make contact with the candidate companies that are on your shortlist. If any of the above information is not readily available, be sure to ask the potential Web development firm for specific examples as close to your needs as possible. Make sure you understand their scope inclusions, terminology definitions etc. If they don’t have a glossary, get them to explain it in detail.

2. Get proposals
Once you have selected your short-list of top Web development firms, request that they send you a proposal. Ask that their proposal include an overview of your requirements and their proposed solution. This will help to determine which Web design firm understands your requirements best. Also ask that each Web design firm include a description of their development process and a price breakdown for the various aspects of the Web site project.

3. Evaluate and select a partner
Start off by examining each proposal individually. Before dealing with the content, evaluate the format and presentation of the proposal. The winning Web design firm will be creating your organization’s image on the Internet, viewable to millions of Internet users. How do they present themselves? Do they communicate with you using their Web site and digital documents?

Maintain a list for each proposal, consisting of its strengths and weaknesses, and the strengths and weaknesses of the respective Web design firm based on its other materials (Web site, portfolio, brochure, case studies, etc.). Alternatively, make a grid for easy comparison. Example: in an ecommerce project, compare the competing product features and costs side-by-side.

Importantly, weigh each firm on its ability to be a long-term partner. Have they been in business for several years, being stable and profitable? Do they have a list of clients and projects that you can confirm? Having an outsourced interactive agency as a partner has many benefits: expertise and experience in Internet marketing/SEO, software development and integration skills, and the flexibility of resources on tap. (This still applies even if you have on-staff marketing resources.)

After your organization has reviewed all proposals, compare them with each other. How do they fare in terms of presentation? How do their processes appear in terms of project management? Do they present scalability and/or upgrade paths for your project, that go beyond the needs of the immediate goals outlined?

Once you have made a decision, contact the firms that did not win the contract, and share with them the strengths and weaknesses of their proposals and the reasons (in general terms) why your organization selected the winning firm. Lastly, contact the top Web development firm and let them know the good news.

4. Meet face-to-face. Your Web design firm, whether a one-person shop or a multinational company, is going to present your Web persona to the world. You must be able to work collaboratively. Ask yourself these questions and rely on your gut reaction:

* Do they listen to my needs?
* Do they explain issues in ways I can understand?
* Do they know my industry?
* Do they share my vision for the site?

5. Check references. Browsing a company’s work is helpful, but you also want to know how they work. A Web design firm can be the most creative in the world, but if it never finishes your site, it won’t do you much good. Call past clients and ask if the design firm:

* Adhered to deadlines
* Met their requests
* Was responsive to suggestions and questions
* Fixed problems promptly
* Worked within the original budget

6. Think ahead. Over the past year, hundreds of Web design firms of all sizes have merged, cut back their operations, or simply closed. Although it’s impossible to know for sure whether or not a firm will be around in the future, you have a right to ask questions if you expect to build a long-term relationship. You should also ask whether a design firm will accept payment in stages or whether they’ll demand most of their payment up front. Firms that aren’t willing to link payment to their own ability to deliver might not be worth the risk you’ll take to deal with them.

For help finding a Web designer, be sure to check out Simple Steps to Finding a Web Designer.


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