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Top 10 List of Web Design Dos and Don'ts

David Letterman is the only one who can compose a list with ten items. Here, in no particular order, is a list of web design dos and don'ts.

1. Do test your web pages on multiple browsers and platforms. Even though there are standards for such things as HTML, style sheets, and other web design technologies, that doesn't mean that all browsers implement them or implement them in the same way. The only way to make your pages will be rendered acceptably is to check them out using different web browsers. At a minimum, check your pages out on both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Consider downloading and installing Opera, the most standards-compliant browser available. If possible, also test on different systems such as PCs and Macs.
2. Don't use fonts that are only available on one platform. You really love that Jester font that comes on your Windows-based system but are shocked to see how the page looks on a Mac that doesn't have that particular font. Stick to the standard font families for the bulk of your text. If you really want to use a non-standard font for a heading, create it as a graphic.
3. Do keep your web pages smaller by not using lots of images. Nothing can make users hit the  Back  button faster than a slow loading page, especially if they are on a dial-up connection. The best way to avoid that risk is to limit the number and size of image files you include on a single page. One rule of thumb is to keep the total page size, including HTML and images, to about 70 KB.
4. Do design your web pages for 800 x 600 screen resolution. Although the number of computers with larger monitors is growing, most screens surfing the Net are set to a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels. That navigation bar or splash screen you created that looks great at 1024 x 768, may look ugly and be less usable at a lower resolution.
5. Don't use stuff that has no value for the person using a web page or unnecessarily prolongs load time. It is typical for web designers to want to use every new technology when they learn it. Learning is good, but always ask yourself if using something new will make the page more useful for the person visiting your web site. If it won't, don't use it.
6. Don't assume that everyone uses the latest version of a browser. You not only have to content with multiple browsers, but you should also remember that many users have no compelling reason to upgrade the browser installed on their computers. Microsoft may be up to version 6 of Internet Explorer, but there are still people out there using versions 3 or 4. Likewise, a lot of Netscape users are still surfing the Net with version 4 of their favorite browser.
7. Don't use design features and special effects that are browser dependent. Over the years, both Netscape and Microsoft have introduced new mark-up tags. In some cases, these new features have been adopted as industry standards. In others, they have become orphans when they are no longer supported. Using a browser-dependent feature can make a page unusable by people who use a different browser.
8. Don't use frames. Maybe you can justify frames if you limit their use to site navigation, which was their original purpose. But you should avoid using them as a page layout device. Excessive and inappropriate use of frames can make it difficult to maintain a site and impossible for a user to navigate it.
9. Don't use color combinations that are hard to read or won't print correctly. White text against a black background may be visually appealing to you, but most browsers won't print it because they ignore background colors when printing a page but they do use the foreground color used for text. The result is white text against a white background. The only way to print the text on such a page is to copy and paste it into word processing document and change the text color.
10. Do make your site navigation intuitive and user friendly. Create site navigation aids that are easy to understand and use them throughout the site so all the pages have a consistent look and feel. Consider having a site map that provides access to all parts of the site from a single page.