Datasheet

CHAPTER ONE THE DISTINCTION OF WEB DESIGN
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each part of your site as someone within a crowd.  e loudest individuals are shouting
above everyone else.  is clashing certainly results in quieter voices going unnoticed,
even if that voice is important within the project’s context.
Gauging every object’s importance against the level of noise and distraction elsewhere on
the page is central to assigning a level of purposeful distinction to your pages. Your users
have a limited attention span, and by ensuring that the objects on the page have a well-
balanced proportion of importance versus voice, you create a distinctive—and visible—
design that people can enjoy and browse without constraint.
Tip
To learn more about the average Internet user’s attention span (or lack thereof),
check out this article by usability specialist Jakob Nielsen: www.useit.com/
alertbox/timeframes.html
If something is visibly useful to a page, assign more attention to it (see Figure 1-2). Less
important items on a page require less attention. You have little time to impress visitors
before they hit the Back button or look elsewhere.  e exact amount of time is up for debate,
ranging from zero points of a second, as people subconsciously pre-judge what they see, to
 ve or ten seconds. Web professionals often forget that selective emphasis holds importance!
Figure -: A stylistic fl ourish within a page often depicts emphasis and strength.
 e balancing act can be quite tricky. You should analyze and self-critique your methods
as well as ask others to give feedback. Even negative feedback is helpful; actually, in many
cases, it’s more helpful than positive feedback.  e justi cation for many design choices
rests upon those four essential words (refer to Figure 1-1); by wielding such control over
a page, you ensure users  nd what they want (or need) at the point they require it.
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