The 10 Commandments of Web Design

The Internet is constantly changing. BusinessWeek.com spoke to a bevy of experts and distilled the must-follow rules top online designers live by in 2008
by Matt Vella

Since the Internet emerged as a major force, altering everything from the way people work to the way they date, it has been a roller-coaster ride that made the world giddy. Microsoft (MSFT), Netscape, et al. fought the browser wars, Web standards were championed, and the Web became community-minded and social, ushering in the reign of Facebook, Flickr (YHOO), and YouTube. From boom to bust and back again, with staggering amounts of money changing hands at every point, the online industry rides on with no end in sight.

The Net has also attracted prophets, gurus, theorists, and evangelists of every stripe. Many of their promised game-changing technologies—Jini, DHTML, and countless others—never panned out, while seemingly simple innovations—metadata, XML, and CSS—have led to major breakthroughs. Meanwhile, Web design vogues from the effervescent jumble of HotWired to the stark utility of Google (GOOG) have continued to evolve and become more contradictory—and entrenched.

To try and make sense of it all, BusinessWeek.com canvassed a broad range of Internet luminaries to discover the design rules they live by right now. Contributors ranged from the guru of Web usability, Don Norman, co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, to the design director of NYTimes.com, Khoi Vinh, and John Maeda, president-elect of the Rhode Island School of Design. These 10 commandments of Web design for 2008 are the combined results of our survey. For the full list of contributors, see the end of the story.

1. Thou shalt not abuse Flash.

Adobe's (ADBE) popular Web animation technology powers everything from the much-vaunted Nike (NKE) Plus Web site for running diehards to many humdrum banner advertisements. But the technology can easily be abused—excessive, extemporaneous animations confuse usability and bog down users' Web browsers.

2. Thou shalt not hide content.

Advertisements may be necessary for a site's continued existence, but usability researchers say pop-ups and full-page ads that obscure content hurt functionality—and test a reader's willingness to revisit. Elective banners—that expand or play audio when a user clicks on them—are much less intrusive.

3. Thou shalt not clutter.

The Web may be the greatest archive of all time, but sites that lack a coherent structure make it impossible to wade through information. Amazon.com (AMZN) and others put their sites' information hierarchy at the top of their list of design priorities.

4. Thou shalt not overuse glassy reflections.

Apple (AAPL) often sets the standard for slick and cool—in all forms of design. But some experts say the company's habit of creating glassy reflections under photos of its products has been far too commonly copied, turning the style element into a cliché.

5. Thou shalt not name your Web 2.0 company with an unnecessary surplus or dearth of vowels.

The Web has brought with it a strange nomenclature that's only got weirder over time. Hip, smart Web sites have been named either with a superfluous number of vowels or strategically deleted ones. Cases in point: Flickr, Smibs, and Meebo. These names are memorable but destined to sound dated.

6. Thou shalt worship at the altar of typography.

Designers say that despite the increase in broadband penetration, plain text has gotten a second wind in cutting-edge Web design. Mainstream sites such as Craigslist have led the way, while designer-oriented sites such as Coudal Partners and John Gruber's popular Daring Fireball blog represent the cutting edge.

7. Thou shalt create immersive experiences.

Merely looking good doesn't cut it anymore. Sites like Facebook and YouTube draw in users with compelling content and functionality. Creating Web sites that can capture and hold users' attention is what matters most.

8. Thou shalt be social.

Web 2.0 is everywhere. MySpace (NWS) and similar sites only launched the trend of having users communicate and interact—sometimes obsessively—on browser-based sites. Designers are now filtering those same elements into diverse sites, from smart advertising to online office productivity.

9. Thou shalt embrace proven technologies.

Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, and their cohorts have become a part of daily life. Sites that can incorporate these elements into their design will connect with users in a meaningful way by providing functionality and an interface with which they're already familiar.

10. Thou shalt make content king.

Though the slogan is old, it still stands. Aesthetic design can only go so far in making a site successful. Beautiful can't make up for empty.

网页设计的十大戒律

　　互联网一直在改变，BusinessWeek.com与一群专家总结出了如今的网页设计师必须遵守的规则。（Matt Vela）
　　互联网一出现就体现了其强大的威力，它不仅改变了人们的工作方式，甚至改变了人们的约会方式。可以说，它让世界玩儿了一回过山车，把所有人都玩儿晕了。微软、网景以及其他公司开始了浏览器的竞争，网络标准的竞争也在展开。同时，随着Facebook、Flickr和YouTube的兴起，网络更注重集体智慧和社会化。从腾飞到萧条到再次腾飞，资金疯狂地流通着，互联网产业的发展似乎看不到尽头。
　　网络同时也吸引了宗教传播者、理论家等等，他们中很多人都预言互联网将会出现新的技术——Jini、DHTML及其他——然而没有一个兴起。但是，那些看似简单的技术——元数据、XML、CSS——都获得了突破性的进展。网页设计的发展从HotWired的闹腾到Google的应用一直在不断地持续者，有时看起来是对立的，但却彻底改变了互联网。
　　为了让事情更明了，BusinessWeek.com游说了许多互联网上杰出的人物一起总结网页设计的一些规范。参与者有互联网理论家，Don Norman，Nielsen Norman Group的合作者，NYTimes.com的设计总监，Khoi Vinh和John Maeda，Rhode Island设计学校的总裁当选人等。这十条2008年网页设计戒律是从我们的调查中总结出来的。所有贡献者的列表会在文末给出。
1、不要滥用Flash
　　Adobe公司的这项动画技术让互联网变得更为强大，从Nike公司非常夸张的首页动画到众多广告商使用的网页Banner。但是这项技术非常容易被滥用，过多的动画不仅没有实用性而且还会拖慢用户的网页浏览器。
2、不要让广告遮挡了网站内容
　　的确，广告对网站的生存来说是至关重要的，但研究表明，弹出广告和整页的广告一旦遮挡了网站内容，那它们的效用会大打折扣，同时也会影响读者是否会再来光顾。一个能够根据读者的要求进行伸缩的广告会更合适一些。
3、不要让网页看起来杂乱无章
　　网页是一个大杂烩，但缺乏合理结构的网站往往会使信息的浏览变得非常困难。Amazon.com在设计过程中将网页层次的清晰度作为最重要的标准。
4、不要过渡使用玻璃反射效果
　　苹果公司经常会设计出一些很漂亮的效果。但有些专家称，该公司在其所有产品的照片下添加玻璃反射效果，这一做法并不值得广泛采用，因为这种设计元素早就已经用滥了。
5、不要在公司名称中增减字母
　　如今，兴起了一种流行的网站命名方法，但这种方法却越变越奇怪。许多网站在命名的时候不是给单词添加多个元音就是故意去掉一些。如Flickr，Smibs，Meebo等。这些名字的确容易记忆，但注定是要过时的。
6、要适应改变
　　设计者们说，如今除了要察觉到网络带宽的变化外，普通文本也在悄悄兴起。诸如Craigslist等主流网站正在引领着这个潮流，同时像Coudal Partners和John gruber著名的Daring Fireball博客也代表了时代潮流的前沿。
7、要给人留下深刻印象
　　网站只是看上去漂亮已经不怎么管用了。像Facebook和YouTube之类的网站用内容和功能来吸引用户。创建网站最关键的是吸引并保留住用户的注意力。
8、要使网站社会化
　　Web2.0已经渗透到了方方面面。MySpace和了司的网站只是追随了潮流，让用户在网站内进行交流和交互。如今的设计者有在各类网站中加入了相同的元素，如广告、在线办公软件等等。
9、使用已被证实有效的技术
　　维基百科、YouTube、Facebook及同类网站已经成了网民生活的一部分。将这些元素融入网站可以保持和用户的接触，从而提供他们所熟悉的功能。
10、内容才是王道
　　虽然这句话已经是陈词滥调了，但仍然是非常重要的。网站设计得非常漂亮固然可以吸引眼球，但始终掩盖不了网站内容的匮乏。