Good vs Bad Web Design

Good Design

Design features:
Text: Summarize the qualities of the use of type that make a website successful.    
    First, the background needs to be able to be simple enough to allow the user to clearly read the text. The text needs to be big enough to see on a monitor, but not irritating to the reader. The site should not be confusing and should let the user instantly know what the website is about. There should be no guessing game involved. A website should be clean and represent the idea being express, without being annoyingly complicated.

Navigation: Summarize the qualities of the navigation that make a website successful.
    Navigation should be easy and clear. It should not be hard to find or titled weird so the user doesn’t know where the link will take them next. Navigation should also be consistent throughout the entire website. The graphics of the navigation should be uncomplicated, so it doesn’t interfere with the text. A site map is useful if there is a lot of information on the website.

Links: Summarize the qualities of the links, and their behavior that make a website successful.
    Color coordination and with each link to the appropriate page is handy to keep the website orderly. It is also important to have links underlined to make them visible to the user.

Graphics: Summarize the use of Graphics, vector and raster, that make a website successful.
    Bigger is not better when dealing with graphics. It is not a good idea to make bold, obnoxious graphics because it will make the user click off the website. Color choice is pertinent for a successful website, so choose colors that are easy on the eye and go together well. Graphics should always have a matching text link and animated graphics are fine, but should be able to be turned off by the user.

General Design: Summarize the aspects of the overall design that make a website successful.
    People want things quick, so the website should be able to download pages fast. The use of white space is also vital for websites so layout should be visually pleasing with the choices of graphics and text. Loading pages with tons of text or obnoxious graphics will make a user never come back. Consistency throughout the website is crucial, so there is no unaccountable material that confuses to the user.

Notes:
    A website should be aesthetically pleasing to the user, but also should share who the person is behind the website. It should have balance between being simple and to the point but also have a creative flair. Fonts selected should only be two at the most, with exceptions for headings but font choice should be easy to read. The less confusing the website is, the more clicks it will receive.

Bad Design

Design features:
Text: Summarize the qualities of the use of type that make a website unsuccessful.   
    Busy backgrounds that make text hard to read is a major factor for a bad website. Backgrounds that are grey and drab, or those that blink and are multicolored are all bad qualities. Color combination's that leave the user thinking, ‘what the hell where they thinking?’ are always a bad idea. Small text is never good, or crowding text, overstretched text, or underlined text that is not a link. If there are paragraphs on a website, components of a bad plan is all caps, all bold or all italicized text will be evident.

Navigation: Summarize the qualities of the navigation that make a website unsuccessful.
    Complex, unclear navigation are bad website elements. Frames can be good, but too many frames, complicated frames or frames that don’t have to be there in the first place are all bad website factors. Useless titles that don’t explain what the page is about are horrible ideas. Orphan pages, or pages that aren’t linked back to the website are pointless.

Links: Summarize the qualities of the links, and their behavior that make a website unsuccessful.
    Links that are unclear on where they will take the user, default blue links for text or bordering graphics, no underlines, or dead links(ones that don’t operate any longer) are all bad website design.

Graphics: Summarize the use of Graphics, vector and raster, that make a website unsuccessful.
    As I noted before, users want websites to be quick and efficient. If a graphic is too large, it will take forever to load and, in turn, bore the user. Also, useless, weird graphics confuse users. Graphics that don’t fit on a page are annoying, so they fit right into the bad website category. 

General Design: Summarize the aspects of the overall design that make a website unsuccessful.
    Frames the make the user right to left and no focal points on the page or too many focal points are unsuccessful, bad design. Tacky, cluttered and messy websites will make users turned off. Websites with a lack of contrast and pages that may look okay in one browser but horrible in the next are also bad general design.

Notes:
    Websites need to be clear of junk and useless material. It will taint the websites name and make it a joke, rather than be taken seriously. Less is more.