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Satisfying site design: introduction

Contents: essay start | 'case study' | introduction | myexperience.com | goals and perceptions | armchair exploring | lostmyway.com

Should the World Wide Web be considered a virtual and unrestricted space to be explored, or should site designers focus on their site in isolation and try to hold users within that site? How should diversity in users - particularly experience, age and goals - be catered for within a single site? And is it OK to create text links in colours other than in blue? These questions are just a few Web site designers face when considering planning a site. And while there is no shortage of information, publications and advice on creating effective Web sites, analytical data (surveys and studies) suggest that many sites are still not getting it right (Kehoe et al. 1999, McDonald & Stevenson 1998, pp. 129-142).

This essay focuses on a particular area of research in Web site design - navigation and its relationship to creating a satisfying experience for site users and ability to help users reach their goals. In taking themes and concepts from a range of disciplines - from traditional information design to cognitive psychology - the research has enabled the drawing of several conclusions on user motivations and site design.

Among the conclusions drawn is that of creating a bi-directional approach to information delivery which in turn caters for a much wider range of user goals and therefore more satisfying user experiences within a site. This approach and theory is drawn from concepts highlighted by information designer Edward Tufte (Tufte 1990) and applied to principles on web site usability by Dr. Jakob Nielsen (Nielsen 1999) and designing for user experience by Jennifer Fleming (Fleming 1998b).