> Visual Design

Legibility on the web: Which Font Do Users Read Faster?
This article focuses on the importance of typography, font size and font choice in terms of improving website usability.

Standards in Web Design: Menus
Interface design standards are one of the most important concepts related to web usability. Today, page elements follow conventions adopted by most websites, click here to learn more about where menus should be placed.

Does Placement Matter on E-Commerce Sites?
Placement on E-Commerce sites- The placement of key features on e-commerce sites can affect the usability of the website, but this is not always the case. The results of many studies have shown that main elements can be located on different parts of the webpages and still see success when they are not hidden.

Use of Images on Websites
Website Images- An effective use of images on webpages can help users accomplish their goals and increase website usability. Helpful tips like including alt tags, correct placement will to help designers get the most out of images.

Fewer Features for Increased Web Usability
Fewer features for better usability- Limiting website features to those that the users want and need will create a more usable website. Limiting features can also save money on web development and avoid clutter on webpages.

Standards in Web Design
web design interface standards- Interface design standards are one of the most important concepts related to web usability. Today, page elements follow conventions adopted by most of the websites. Article teaches about this standardization and give examples.

Examples of Gestalt Theory in Practice
Examples of Gestalt Theory in practice in Popular Web Design. Using the Gestalt Theories in website design can help create stronger designs. This gallery uses examples from popular company websites like About.com, IBM, Apple, FedEx, Walgreens, Conde Nast, amazon.com, and IKEA.

Is Apple's iPhone Usable?
iPhone- With the introduction of the iPhone, Macintosh has changed the way people look at cellular phones. But is this new exciting design of the iphone usable? Article looks at advantages and disadvantages of the iphone

Usable Image Searching and Sorting
Image Searching and Sorting- Best practices for optimizing images for searching on websites. Suggestions and hints for displaying image search results, like including image thumbnail and text associated with picture.

Designing Successful and Usable Product Pages
product pages- How to create a successful product page and increase website usability.Be sure to provide users with the information they need. Includes helpful hints for product pages like including photos, dealing with SKU issues, and simplifying navigation.

Designing a Good Search Results Page
Search results page- Designing a usable search results page will help to increase your website's usability. By reminding users what they searched for, keeping results in context, and providing the users with additional tools will help users better accomplish their goals.

Are Two Columns more Usable Than One on Websites?
Two Columns on Websites- Article reviews whether presenting text in two columns or one creates a more usable website. The article offers many hints for presenting online text for optimal usability and readability. It also weighs the usability pros and cons of choosing to organize online text in 2 comlumns.

Web Design: Interaction Design vs Visual Design
Good web design is a two-phase process. Interaction Design and Visual Design should not be two competing approaches, but complementary processes. You should know what you want your site to do (interaction design) and then proceed with choosing your color palate, fonts, and overall look and feel (visual design.)

Which is Better for Readability: a Serif or Sans Serif Font?
One of the basic design decisions to make for a website is which fonts to use. You can begin narrowing down your choice by selecting between serif or sans serif fonts. Each has its strengths and weaknesses.

The Role of Visual Design
Visual design of a site should carry forward the structures, hierarchies, and relationships that you've developed and tested when creating and refining your site's structure. This article is a great resource for understanding the essential role of good visual design in improving your site's usability.

Production for Use: Comparing Visual Designs
Jeffrey Zeldman writes about 3 versions of a site he created for a client: one focused on usability and content, one focused on great visual design, and one in the middle.

Gestalt Principles of Perception
The Gestalt Principles of Perception are fundamental rules governing visual relationships. Being familiar with them will help you better convey the structure, heirarchy, and relations among elements in your design, increasing its clarity and usability.

Working with Color
Color can be an important element in your site's usability. For example, color popout effects can be used to highlight important messages, while you can also effectively use it to group items in separate areas of the page.