Back to Homepage
nqn.org.uk > NQ Home > NQN> Site design >  

NQN Front PageNQN Front Page

Hotspots Guide to Cultural Industries DistrictsHotspots Guide

Design PaperSite Design

Site MapSite Map

Research PapersResearch Papers

Old SiteThe Old Site

Site HistorySite  History

Geeks Bearing GIFs ?
A short paper about the key issues in Web site usability. These issues have informed the writing and design of the NQN website. 

Summary of the paper: 
The paper looks at why most users find the Web a frustrating experience. It argues that this is because the PC and the Web do not yet take sufficient account of users - who they are and what they want. It argues that most users want a Web site that 

  1.  has useful, timely and reliable content 
  2. is easy to look at and navigate 
  3. downloads quickly. 
The paper lists some of the common design mistakes, and offers 6 key markers of a good web site: 
  1.  good content
  2. simple structure & design
  3. fast downloading
  4. regular up-dating
  5. creative linking
  6. clear authorship and feedback. 
The paper finishes with a few suggestions for further surfing/reading, especially the writings of Jakob Nielsen. 

If you want to read the whole paper, you can: 

Read it on-line: (HTML version with 16 links), 1000 words, 5 pages A4, file size 15kb 

Download it as a Word file (Word 7.0a for Windows 95), 1600 words, 7 pages A4, file size 25kb 

Download the Word version as a Zip file, file size 8kb