Additional guidelines for large web sites and portals

Guidelines home
Draft version 0.2

Planning

To ensure the pages are consistent, a set of information design standards should be produced for people who add content.

If possible assign a specialist editor to add information to the site.

People using a portal are more task-oriented than for a normal web site: they tend to know what they want and appreciate a functionally oriented design.

It may be appropriate to have more than one home page (e.g. for different topic areas) that could be joined by a master homepage.

If there are many categories of information, two layers of tabs can be used across the top of the page, or drop down menus used to make larger quantities of content visible without clicking to another page.

Content Organisation

Content should be fast to access and read.

Customised interfaces can be used to prioritise relevant information for specific user groups (see personalisation).

References

These guidelines are based on:

Goodwin, C, and Nielsen, J. (2003) Building Intranet Portals – a Report from the Trenches, Nielsen Norman Group

Detailed guidelines

For portals and other complex sites the additional guidelines below can be used in conjunction with the web usability guidelines for academic websites:

Homepages: additional guidelines

5.6
*
Announce changes to a website: help existing users understand the new structure.

5:8
-
Limit prose text on the homepage: most users want to scan to find links and major headings.

5:9
-
Limit homepage length: information not seen in the first screenful may be missed altogether.

Navigation: additional guidelines

7:6

-

Present tabs effectively: they should look like real world versions of clickable tabs.

7:7

-

Use site maps: to provide an overview of the contents.

7:9

-

Keep navigation-only pages short: scrolling slows navigation and makes items harder to find.

These guidelines have been produced as part of the HCI Design Foundation Study for JISC.

Nigel Bevan and Sara Kincla

Serco Usability Services
15 December 2003.

Additional guidelines for large web sites and portals

Planning

The Homepage

Navigation

Content Organisation

Personalisation

References

Detailed guidelines

Homepages: additional guidelines

Navigation: additional guidelines

		Homepages: additional guidelines
5.6	*	Announce changes to a website: help existing users understand the new structure.
5:8	-	Limit prose text on the homepage: most users want to scan to find links and major headings.
5:9	-	Limit homepage length: information not seen in the first screenful may be missed altogether.
		Navigation: additional guidelines
7:6	-	Present tabs effectively: they should look like real world versions of clickable tabs.
7:7	-	Use site maps: to provide an overview of the contents.
7:9	-	Keep navigation-only pages short: scrolling slows navigation and makes items harder to find.