"Good" Web Pages

[Tom Obenchain <Tom -dot- Obenchain -at- MCI -dot- COM>]

I'd like to add that effective graphical (Visual) design is a must for a
"good web page." I work in an engineering environment where I often
hear the engineers sneer at attempt to make a page look "pretty." "Content
is king," they say!

I have to agree that content is king.  There is no substitute for good
content.  A "pretty" page full of fluff will not attract more than
a passing glance.

But in agreeing with my engineering counterparts, I must add that the
effective use of type, color, buttons, graphics, etc. can not only add visual
appeal but also contribute significantly to the "legibility" of the
page.  This is perhaps part of what you meant by "easy to navigate."
Though, I believe it reaches much further.

An example would be the numerous sites hosted by C/NET. The C/NET sites
(see, www.cnet.com, www.news.com) are densely packed with information,
easy to navigate, easy to read, easy to scan, etc. To support this,
simply notice the number of sites that have copied C/NET's approach.

I would temper this with the realization that graphics can slow loading.
Obviously you have to be aware of your target audience. On a high speed
intranet, there is little reason to worry. But, even for pages meant
for 14.4 or 28.8 access, visual components need to be considered.

Tom

-------------------------------------------
Tom Obenchain
Technical Communications Lead
MCI Telecommunications
Tom -dot- Obenchain -at- mci -dot- com
"No plan survives contact with the enemy."
-------------------------------------------

>Date:    Wed, 29 Jan 1997 13:54:38 MST
>From:    mmarkley -at- MICRON -dot- COM
>Subject: "Good" Web Pages
>
>I would like to solicit your professional opinions on a
>question that I have been wrestling with:
>
>What is "good" when it comes to Web pages/documentation?
>
>Just to get you started, here are a few criteria of my
>own: Good Web pages (1) are easy to navigate, (2) contain
>timely and useful information, (3) contain mechanisms to
>measure their effectiveness (i.e., tracking features).
>What have I missed?
>
>
>Mike Markley
>mmarkley -at- micron -dot- com

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