How to Tweak Your Website-Headings, Link Names, and Illustrations

Comment on your web site of choice for the final project and on the use of headings, illustrations, and link names in your web site of choice.

Whether change is subtle or drastic, many Internet sites are updating to current styles designed around the user. Janice Redish explains in Letting Go of the Words how small changes in headings, link names, and illustrations affect users to a great degree. User's trust in a website and the ability to be mobile within the site is especially important to several companies. However, some companies have fallen behind others and are in serious need of revamping the appeal and content they display on their website.

In my website redesign project, I plan to focus on a company called Bad Taste Records and their "bad taste" in web design and content choices. They violate several of Redish's guidelines in the use of illustration, link names, and headings.

First, users will notice the flash animation overload on the home page of Bad Taste Records' website. Three animations are illustrated above the fold with differentiation in font and distracting backgrounds that have nothing to do with the information they are trying to promote. The first animation has hills in its background, but they are promoting a new album for one of the bands they signed. To improve the animations, they should use the album covers and use it as a picture rather than in flash because it's too distracting and people are more likely to skip it.

Second, the use of links and link names are inconsistent with one another. The titles of the tabs on the top of the site are a different font than the other links and quite a bit smaller. Also, the links on the tabs do not underline when you put the cursor on them, but the rest of the links on the website do. I would suggest consistency through changing the color of the text on the link when it is highlighted so users know they are about to click it or that they already have clicked it. Also, there is no indication that a link has been clicked once a user clicks it, which is problematic when looking for a trace back. Many users end up in circles going back to the same pages they already clicked on with information they weren't looking for.

Last, headings on the Bad Taste Records website are pretty consistent, but the coloring and organization in boxes is distracting. For each page you navigate to there is a blue line with white text containing the name of the page. The pale blue background washes out the white text and makes it difficult to see--especially because the background of the entire page is white. Text size is nearly the same as their level two headings, and they put each level two heading in a text box. There are way too many boxes on the website and readers are likely to become annoyed. To create better consistency, this company should use the similar fonts with different heading sizes and colors. Also, eliminate all of the text boxes--they are unnecessary for breaking information.