When designing a web site

[Shawn]

Here are a few tips:

Do not, under any circumstances, resize someone's browser window. If they feel that they can't see all of your site's splendiferous doo-dads at their default viewing size, they will either learn how to scroll or resize the window themselves. 1600x1200 browser windows are simply obnoxious.

Better yet: Learn how to design your page to fit resolutions of 1024x768 and below. It's the courteous thing to do.

You may think your 10 minute flash intro is really cool, and that everyone visiting your site loves to watch it again and again every time they load your page, but you're wrong. In fact, you're stupid. If you insist on adding some kind of splash screen, kindly add a "Skip Intro" button.

Music in web pages has always been annoying, since the day someone figured out how to embed midis into their geocities page. Try not to include it. If you've dead-set on having some crappy little 30 second clip loop over and over until I want to vomit on my speakers, have it off by default with an option to turn it on. Very often, I'm listening to MP3s while browsing the web, and the sound of your little flash clip playing at the same time sounds like a goat sitting on a blender.

If you haven't noticed, I hate Flash for web design. It's a great medium for funny little cartoons, but it just makes web browsing tedious. I like to be able to hit the back button on my mouse and actually go back to the last thing I was looking at, not reload the whole bloody site. Also, I like being able to right click, save images, etc. If you want to do a site in flash, try to include at least a basic HTML version.

Image Compression. Compress everything you intend to upload as small as you possibly can. You may think that your photochopped Goatse banner is too perfect to mar with jpeg compression, but you're wrong. Get that sucker under 20k. I just saw a messageboard with a banner that weighed in at over 111k. If it actually takes a noticeable amount of time for me to load the images on your site, I dread to think what dial-up users are feeling. Likely, it involves gouging out your eyeballs and using them as Click-Clacks.

Basically, just don't make someone's browser do something that they didn't specifically ask for you to make it do.

That's all for now. Feel free to contribute.

[ReaperFett]

These all from that one site? ;)

I agree with resizing, although I personally don't mind the "special" windows that come up if you use IE, which don't resize my browser permently. Presume that doesn't work on other browsers.

I like intros sometimes, but I personally prefer that if you're going to do anything fancy, it involves the important buttons appearing.

And personally, I think Flash is a good web design tool, but ONLY if mixed with HTML. I saw a good one where the picture pages it used were HTML, meaning you could open in new window, save and so on. That way you have the best of both worlds, the fanciness of Flash with the durability and workrate of HTML.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Don't have pop-ups. Ever.

[Shawn]

Originally posted by ReaperFett
I agree with resizing, although I personally don't mind the "special" windows that come up if you use IE, which don't resize my browser permently. Presume that doesn't work on other browsers.You mean like pop ups? I don't mind them overly much when used properly. Phoenix is pretty good about knowing the different between an unrequested pop-up (ad) and a requested pop-up (part of a site).

Mixing Flash and HTML can work pretty well, but it still has some drawbacks. If done well, I sometimes like a navigational sidebar in flash, with all of the little links, while the rest of the site is normal HTML and image maps.

[ReaperFett]

Oh yeah, proper usage. Movie trailers I like to do this for example, so while loading I can carry on reading a site.

And your mix is a good one, I agree.

[Charley]

I disagree on the pop-up thing. If you click to see something, I like it displayed in a new window, as opposed to going there in the original window and having to hit "back".

[Shawn]

Like I said, I have no problem with requested pop-ups. So long as every link on your site doesn't open in a new window.

[ReaperFett]

Or when they do it on picture pages, and you can only view one at a time because they're made to open in the same popup.

[Sejah Haversh]

Yee gads, I have so much work to do on my page, and none of my RL friends know how to make one, so, I guess I get to lean hit-and-miss.

Don't worry though, this information will be taken to heart.

[Alpha]

Ok, a bit off subject here, but...

Shawn, where did you get that freaky lil elephant picture thing that tells me what browser I'm using and stuff. :) I like it! :D

EDIT: Well, it was an elephant...

[Valin Hsa]

Originally posted by Alpha
Ok, a bit off subject here, but...

Shawn, where did you get that freaky lil elephant picture thing that tells me what browser I'm using and stuff. :) I like it! :D

EDIT: Well, it was an elephant...

Check the url for the image Alpha.

I agree with Shawn about the midi thing, because my mother and brother always turn the speakers up really loud, so when I go online after them and go toa s ite *BAM!* loud crappy music.

It hurtsss ussss.

[Wytchy Woman]

Howdy!
I come looking for my child at 4 o'clock in the morning and where do I find him? On the internet, of course!
Just thought I would show up so that he doesn't get too cocky thinking the threat of baby pictures is completely gone.
No telling when a mom is likely to show up.
What kind of crazy nut gets on the internet at 4 am anyhow?

[Marcus Telcontar]

Originally posted by brauctions_brat
Howdy!
I come looking for my child at 4 o'clock in the morning and where do I find him? On the internet, of course!
Just thought I would show up so that he doesn't get too cocky thinking the threat of baby pictures is completely gone.
No telling when a mom is likely to show up.
What kind of crazy nut gets on the internet at 4 am anyhow?



errr.....

Guilty as charged madam?

[Wytchy Woman]

Oh, and I should mention here that I was designing web pages when Shawn was still in....ugh, nevermind!
Shawn, mom does need help changing my name on here and some other things....an email would me nice once in awhile....he never calls, never writes, sniff sniff

[Wytchy Woman]

Hiya Marcus! Hope you are well.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Originally posted by brauctions_brat
Hiya Marcus! Hope you are well.


Hell yes. Glad to see you still lurk around the place occasionally :D

[ReaperFett]

Originally posted by Wytchy Woman
What kind of crazy nut gets on the internet at 4 am anyhow?
Dunno, tis an early night for me right now ;)

Hi Shawns mum :wave

[Morgan Evanar]

Originally posted by Agent Charley
I disagree on the pop-up thing. If you click to see something, I like it displayed in a new window, as opposed to going there in the original window and having to hit "back". This is why Microsoft added front/back buttons on its higher end mice.

[Darth Viscera]

Originally posted by Wytchy Woman
What kind of crazy nut gets on the internet at 4 am anyhow?

4am is just when the party starts, when you're really good at the internet! ;)

[Crystal]

It's so hard to tell remember what time it is when you're online.. even with the clock just to the bottom right of your browser.. ^_^;

Do we get baby pictures now?

[Dae Jinn]

I could go into all the graphic errors I see every single time I'm online, but that could take all night. :lol

I really love when people use fifty different fonts, in bright colors like yellow or neon green on white backgrounds, with tons of animated gifs scattered across the page ;)

I've never had a problem with things resizing, but I have so many issues when it comes to basic things like text and lay-out and everything I learned in college but haven't put into practice yet :uhoh

[Ryla Relvinian]

Grr, you all obviously haven't seen the website for my german class... Behold the Horror!

http://www.pdx.edu/~fischerw

grr..

[Marcus Telcontar]

AHHHHH!!!! MY EYES!

[Silus Xilarian]

My pet peeve is the blatant overuse of animated gifs. My mind goes into overload when everything on the screen's moving. I once saw a website that used a 50 x 50 pixel animated explosion as their background.

IMO, if done well, flash can add a very smooth feel to a website if done correctly, but its something I havent been able to pull off on my own. Were I to design a site with flash encorporated, it would be done with tables, and the flash would most likely be navigation. I guess the best way to put it is 'Encorporate flash into html, not the other way around'.

The real put off is the fact that there are a good many people who hate flash with a passion, and make it a point not to install the plugin, which means a dent in your traffic.

The high point of flash, as far as navigation, is that some sites use rollover images that are over 20-30k at times to achieve something flash could do with 5-10k, for the whole menu.

When it comes down to it, flash is really only good for 'useless' websites (ones that dont offer a service outside of entertainment value) For serious sites, you cant go wrong with a black/white layout. Simple and too the point, you've successfully conveyed your message in minimal load time.

Of course, im no expert on the subject by a long shot.