First, I think that site should have an original design. Opportunity of free-of-charge copy and combine a picture has strongly spoiled web-designers. They have forgotten about manual graphics and exclusive photographic materials. And without good source codes you will fail to create the original web-design. You will have more or less successful combination of pictures from the other sites. A conclusion is simple: for creation of really original, remembered design of a site first of all it is necessary to think of the initial data.
When I first looked at three sites: Expedia.com., Travelocity.com, Orbitz.com, I noticed at once that Travelocity.com has the most pleasant and well-chosen colors. The design of this site is also the best but I think that it is necessary to make several improvements. It is necessary to fill the empty place on the right side. It will give an opportunity to make the font bigger because we must take into account that some people who come to look at the site are blind. Also it is necessary to enlarge the buttons and make them more embossed. Technological effectiveness is very simple requirement that unfortunately is frequently ignored by the designers. The site should be simply fast to load and work correctly in all the versions of all browsers at any coding.
Texts of a site should be edited easily, therefore they are undesirable for hiding in java-scripts and flash. Consequences of this requirement: less graphics (your beauty simply will not see), direct the genius of designers aside front line banner. Certainly, new technologies are good. They should be applied. The only question is where and how. In my opinion, all superfluous pictures, animation and flash makes the corporate sites less effective in comparison with more simple and fast decisions.
The Essay on The Implications Of Online Consumer Behavior On Web Site Design part 1
The Implications of Online Consumer Behavior on Web Site Design The e-commerce business has become very competitive and customers now dictate how they want web sites to look and function. Web site designers have to have an idea of who their target audience is and they need to design a site accordingly as well as be aware of the technology, which is likely to be used. When designing a web site a ...
But there are areas where it is not possible to do without them: various entertaining, training and children’s projects and certainly FRONT LINE banners. Travelocity.com, though has simple design is not fast to load so it is not possible to make navigation. I think that the site requires modification. The content of the site also needs revision. It is not understandable at once what this site for and about. The information is blurred, not readable. Before to write the text for a site, it is necessary to determine, what is the most important for your visitors.
It is the information, not the graphics, not complex design or animation, but the information. It is the key moment. The everything else, all the work of designers and programmers serves only for that the submitted information has been perceived. The site will not bring advantage both without professional design and programming, and without good information. For this reason it is necessary to approach to a spelling of texts and selection of illustrations very responsibly. If it is the travel agency there must be at least some news about new opportunities written with big letters to make the customer interested.
John A. Hobson, Web design (London: Allen and Unwin, 2002) Patricia Maycroft, Create your own on-line business New York, 2003.