Five Critical Elements of Web Design

Five Critical Elements of Web Design

Many web designers will consider the most crucial aspects of page design to be usability, color, and intuitiveness. While these elements are critical to the overall success, sometimes they are not enough.   Designers also like to describe how a site ‘feels’ when referring to the overall presentation, yet even a design that feels right can perform poorly.   In order to succeed, the site must accomplish both of these tasks effectively.
Below are some commonly disregarded elements of web design that can lead to an end-result of having both the feel and functionality coming together.
Prioritization
Examine the relative impact of various elements that will complete a web page as not all items will be of equal importance. Effectively, a layout should take this into consider proper placement of important elements to become more visible to visitors. Determine what the most effective actions would be for the visitor to take and give these items brighter or bolder colors in order to reinforce that emphasis.   The size, shape, and position of buttons could also influence the visitor in choosing the appropriate action.
Position
The relational properties of design elements on a page are extremely important in that each element is affected by the other elements surrounding it. Determine the relationship of these items’ positions including shape, color, size, and proximity of all these elements; making sure they are all apparent to the visitor.
Contrast
Contrast is the difference between dark and light areas in the site’s design which can affect the readability of the page. When considering contrast, avoid an abundance of dark or light colors in order to minimize potential problems.
Expectations
A successful design for a business should employ typical conventions users will associate with e-commerce. Internet businesses need to provide a design and layout that assists their visitors in accomplishing his or her tasks efficiently and without distracting...