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KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid
Princeton
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,693

Joe Velez began developing for the web in 1998. He is an avid vBulletin user and volunteers his services as a vbulletin.org administrator. He currently spends his time maintaining and developing allnurses.com.

Vineland, NJ
by Princeton Princeton is offline 07 Dec 2005
Rating: (1 vote - 5.00 average)

A small collection of useful tips that will greatly improve the success of your web site.

Include Engaging Content
  • A site should have fresh content. You have 10 seconds to get the user's attention.
Include Valuable Content On Top-Fold Of Window
  • Use this area for important content. This includes, navigation, menu links, and/or descriptive information.
Choose Color Wisely
  • Color sets the mood
    • Why is setting the mood important?
      • Setting a mood will enchance any message.
      • By using the right combination of colors, you can create an atmosphere or mood in which the viewer is more likely to respond.
  • Choose contrasting colors
Consistency And Focus Important Throughout A Site.
  • If the menu is on top, make sure the menu is on top on all pages.
Design With Your Target On Mind
  • Do you know the objectives and market segment your site is aiming for?

    Gather detailed profiles of your 'market'. For example, if you're aiming towards people over 50 years old. Do you know and understand their behaviors, needs, and wants? Do you know...
  1. the average person at this age have a monitor resolution of 800*600?
  2. the older a person is the more blind they become?
  3. the older a person is the smarter they become?
NOTE: This is not a message to ignore everyone else. A good design will attract people from all sides. This is a message to emphasize key features that may or may not be required for your target segment.
The Visual Design Of A Site Only Makes A Small Difference When It Comes To Usability.
  • Do not spend to much time on eye candy. However, this does not mean you should ignore it. Show your personality and distinguish your site from others.
Never Assume People Know What Your Site Is About
  • The purpose and benefits of web site should be clear and visible.
Links Should Be Clear And Visible
  • Consistency would greatly help ... eg, if a link is blue and underlined make sure it stays like this on all links; do not mix and match. Use "title" attribute on all links. Never assume a user knows that an image is a button. eg. an image standing on it's own.
Navigation Should Be Restricted To A Small Number Of Links.
  • Navigation should have clear and descriptive links and should be consistent. Never leave people guessing.
Proofread Content For Typographical Errors
  • Check for typos, grammar, broken links, and buggy scripts.
Include White Space In Page Layout
  • People are more inclined to read if content is not clutter and long. Use white space to break apart content. Just imagine if this page was one big paragraph with no space. How would you react to it?
Analyze Stats / Log Files
  • Understanding how people "react" to your site can help you generate more traffic. By analyzing your site's log files you can track your audience, learn which pages are most popular, and identify technical problems. Ultimately, you can create a better experience for you and your end users.

Last edited by Princeton; 23 Nov 2008 at 17:01..
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  #2  
Old 03 Jan 2006, 16:54
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Zia Zia is offline
 
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hmmm nice

Thnx Man

Last edited by Zia; 16 Jan 2007 at 13:33.
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  #3  
Old 23 Jan 2006, 21:54
PennylessZ28 PennylessZ28 is offline
 
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that was good reading
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  #4  
Old 23 Jan 2006, 22:24
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Princeton Princeton is offline
 
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thank you ... appreciate the feedback
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  #5  
Old 24 Jan 2006, 23:29
Guest190829
 
Yes, very nice. However, I always knew it as KISS (Keep it Short & Sweet)...I guess there's more variations then I thought..

Last edited by Guest190829; 25 Jan 2006 at 22:19.
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  #6  
Old 25 Jan 2006, 22:05
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Princeton Princeton is offline
 
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it's all politics ... it really depends where you are posting it or who you are saying it to

eg. I wouldn't quote the title "KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID" to a client
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If it needs instructions, there's room for improvement.
Give users what they actually want, not what they say they want. And whatever you do, don't give them new features just because your competitors have them!
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  #7  
Old 26 Jan 2006, 08:02
Jaynesh Jaynesh is offline
 
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Very nice advice & tips
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  #8  
Old 29 Jan 2006, 08:24
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Steve F Steve F is offline
 
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Nicely summed up, princeton
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  #9  
Old 28 May 2006, 03:29
Ohiosweetheart Ohiosweetheart is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Princeton
it's all politics ... it really depends where you are posting it or who you are saying it to

eg. I wouldn't quote the title "KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID" to a client
or Keep It Simple, Silly.


HA! I thought I was going to find tips on kissing... was going to leave a few myself, being something I LOVE to do!


(I'm kidding of course)
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  #10  
Old 09 Jan 2007, 14:07
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concepts concepts is offline
 
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Great post.. information worth reading! in the begining I focused too much on design "eye candy" now I am begining to understand I need a little more than that to attract my target audience..
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  #11  
Old 10 Jan 2007, 10:29
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Dismounted Dismounted is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Danny.VBT View Post
Yes, very nice. However, I always knew it as KISS (Keep it Short & Sweet)...I guess there's more variations then I thought..
I always knew it as 'Keep It Sweet & Simple' .
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  #12  
Old 11 Jan 2007, 05:29
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PoetJA-1975 PoetJA-1975 is offline
 
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LOL - Great article with fabulous tips!
Thanx for the share PRINCETON

Jacquii.
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  #13  
Old 11 Jan 2007, 06:00
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Princeton Princeton is offline
 
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Here you go ...

lips.gif
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  #14  
Old 11 Jan 2007, 07:17
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PoetJA-1975 PoetJA-1975 is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Princeton View Post
mmmmmmm - Beautiful
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  #15  
Old 28 Jan 2007, 02:13
HotHuskers.com HotHuskers.com is offline
 
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As always... Great advice.. I have always heard it as Keep It Simple Stupid! When I was in the Army. But, that was a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away!
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