Design

Design in Digital Writing

Design is an important aspect when writing for the screen. In digital writing, design pertains to the overall look of the website and arrangement of the text, graphics, and other objects that make up the site. There are three main components to understanding and implementing design: consistency, usability, and navigability.

Consistency

• The repetition of elements (colors, graphics, headlines, typography, section divisions, and text placement) gives a site a consistent identity (Carrol, 62).

• Full contact information on every page (Carrol, 28).

• Provide logical links that pertain to the text (Carrol, 79).

• Adhere to an audience-specific style guide throughout the site, which refers to the HTML codes used and the grammatical format of text (Carrol, 97, 111).

Usability

• Keep text scan-able. Highlight key words, use links, vary typeface, use colors, include subheadings, add bulleted lists, use paragraphs with one idea each, and practice brevity (Carrol, 32).

• Keep it simple and user-friendly. Break pages into clearly defined areas and minimize distractions (Carrol, 28, 69).

• Include a visual hierarchy for information and navigation on each page (Carrol, 123).

• Fifty to eighty percent of the page should be reserved for content (Carrol, 67).

Navigability

• Easy-to-use navigation tools. A navigation bar is best utilized on the top of the website (Carrol, 35).

• Each web page must be able to stand alone. Make sure that users know where they are in the site (Carrol, 57-58).

• Insert anchors (internal hyperlinks that lead to another page of the same site), which are used for internal page navigation (Carrol, 48).

• Include consistent navigational aids. Each page needs to have easy access back to the main page (Carrol, 60).

• Twenty percent of the page should be reserved for navigation. The home page requires more navigational space and should establish the site’s identity and mission; show the site hierarchy; show where to start and what’s there; indicate shortcuts to the main page, most desired pages, and sections; avoid clutter; and convey the big picture (Carrol, 67, 70).

References

1. Carrol, Brian. (2010). "Writing for Digital Media". New York: Routledge. Retrieved 2 Nov. 2012.