This page describes some generally accepted best practices for organizing information for delivery as a website. Use it as a high-level guide to creating a site that is easy to navigate and engaging to use. The recommendations may add to the initial effort of designing webpages that make up the site, but they also help reduce the overhead of maintenance as the site grows and evolves over time.
Page Tips for Web Developers has more technical suggestions for improving web design and increasing your efficiency using WordPress.
Chunk Information into Short Pages
Think of a website as a network of pieces, or chunks, of information rather than as a collection of documents. Generally, online users prefer to jump to the specific pieces of information that answer their immediate questions rather than to read “all about it”. Try to apply the metaphor of an easy jigsaw puzzle: make it fun to put the whole story together starting with any piece and connecting pieces in any order.
- Avoid Long pages and dense text because they make for passive reading and can lead to eye strain. The exceptions are documents users want to download to print or read offline, such as course outlines. Read more about deciding whether chunks should be HTML or PDF.
- Consider whether each chunk should be readable by all users or only by members after logging in. In the LLIR website, members can see everything the general public can see. Therefore, chunks fall into two categories: Public and Member-Only Pages.
Say Everything Only Once
If you find yourself duplicating information that is on another page, make a separate chunk for that information and replace all repetitions with links to that chunk. As a result:
- You never have to edit more than one page to update one piece of information.
- The resulting network of links keeps readers engaged by letting them decide what to read next.
Describing a term, concept or process differently for different contexts is sometimes is necessary. But duplicate text — even a single sentence — is usually a symptom of non-optimal chunking.
Make Pages Independent of Reading Order
Unlike a book, pages in a website have no natural order. Users can visit the pages in a website in any order. In the LLIR website, the only exception is the Home page. Every other page must stand on its own. Convert keywords or concepts that may be new to the reader into links to the chunks that introduce the terms and concepts.
Be Conscious of White Space
Dense text is hard to read. In contrast, short blocks of information separated by white space add visual interest and reduce reader fatigue. Start by breaking up blocks of text into short paragraphs. Add headings, images and lists.
Transform Rather than Transfer Text
To create an appealing website, you must do more than copy text from printed documents or transfer content authored in word processing tools. The goal is to transform passive reading into an interactive experiences where the user is an active participant.
Reading paper documents tends to be a passive activity. In contrast, websites are most engaging when users feel they are in control. The key is interactivity. In-page links, buttons and every thing that users can click are interactive controls. Give the Webmaster the authority to transform the presentation by exploiting features offered by the WordPress editor and Kadence theme. Images help build multimedia content. Many Kadence features, such as Show More and Accordion blocks, call for user participation.
Learn to Love Lists
A list is often easier to digest than a paragraph that itemizes things or describes a process. Use numbered lists if the order is important, as with the steps in instructions. Otherwise, bulleted lists are more appropriate.
Balance Menus with In-Page Links
Giving users the right mix of menus and in-page links for navigation is an art. Sometimes a better arrangement does not present itself until you are writing the text.
Menus are good for helping users jump directly to the most appropriate areas of the website. But long and detailed menus can be off-putting. A user who has no choice other than returning to the menu after reading a page has lost a measure of control. Arguably, lots of in-page links provide a more natural form of navigation. Links can take users back and forth among pages and, because following links is always optional, do not get in the way.
Suggestion: At the end of each page, provide at least one link to suggest what the user reads next. The goal is to let the user drive and continue exploring by following links. Think of a menu a last resort that is always available when the user wants to pursue a new line of enquiry.
When considering whether to add a submenu, consider whether the higher-level menu item should instead open a landing page. In this context, a landing page is a webpage with the main purpose of suppling links to the chunks related to a specific topic. An example is the Bylaw and Policies page.
For more details, see Menu Design.
Use Terminology Consistently
Take care to use the words and phrases for concepts consistently. Maintain the LLIR style guide and refer to it frequently. For example, if the standard phrases are Course Registration Form and Waitlist Application Form, never say “register for the waitlist”.
Adjust your Writing Style
For guidelines on authoring text for webpages, see Writing for Websites.