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Web design by
Don Shorock
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As a web surfer myself, I think a well-designed web site should be:
- well organized
- informative
- compatible with all browsers
- accessible to those who are disabled
- free of grammatical and spelling mistakes
- quick to load
- well maintained, and
- affordable
If you don't think I've met those goals, I'd still like to hear from you. Point out where I've fallen short and you'll probably see the correction made by the next day.I think a site should be:
Well Organized and Informative
If someone comes to your site in search of information, they should be able to find what they want with a minimum of difficulty. That's why I first work with clients on the often-overlooked, but important, matter of determining what their viewers are seeking. Then we develop an outline for helping viewers find what they want. Then we add cross-links to help them find what they want even when they don't follow our outline.Return to the top of this page. Compatible
Some web surfers (including me) prefer Netscape, while others prefer Internet Explorer. Some prefer a 640x480 pixel display while others prefer an 800x640 pixel display and still others choose 1024x768. A well designed web site lets them decide. The site should look reasonably good even if the viewer hasn't upgraded the browser! When building a site, we check it out with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Lynx. We may add something that is even better with a particular browser or screen resolution, but we try to accomodate the needs of all. If sound is part of the message, we'll incorporate it into the site using the most widely available technology available such as mp3, Windows Media, and/or RealPlayer.Return to the top of this page. Accessible
Checking the site with the Lynx browser is particularly important to me. Some web surfers lack the gift of sight. Modern technology has created text-to-speech interfaces. These work well only when the site is navigable in a text-only browser. Even when graphic navigation improves the æsthetics of a site, a text alternative should be provided so that the blind may also surf the site. Frames and javascript pose serious problems for such surfers, so we avoid them. It's not hard to do, but the web designer must care about this audience. We do.Return to the top of this page. Use good English (or good Spanish or whatever)
The plain truth is that most web designers are young men barely beyond puberty. While knowledgeable about computers, some seem to have slept through English class. Having once taught English (and still certified to do so in Kansas), I think my sites are a bit closer to perfection in this regard. You may find a typo or two, but you'll also find an eagerness to correct them. A few of the pages you'll find on shorock.com are not in good English — because they are en español or some other language, but we still try for perfection in those languages.Return to the top of this page. Quick to load
My first computer experience was in 1962, when 1K of memory meant a cubic foot of magnetic core. Later, I spent a decade as an active programmer in theTI-99/4a community. Whenever possible, I made my programs usable with a minimal 16K system. Thus, my love of elegance is deeply rooted. I still value each byte. Since download time is directly proportional to bandwidth, I do my best to squeeze out every unnecessary byte of code and, when using images, instinctively choose the most efficient way to get the job done. If the web surfer gets tired of waiting for the download, hits the stop button, and then backs out, it doesn't matter how beautiful your site was.Return to the top of this page. Well-maintained
I've heard several people complain that their webmaster was too busy to make a change they want made. If anything, my clients have the opposite problem. When I notice something on their site is out-of-date, I'm hounding them for more current information. When they need something updated, they often find it's done that day. Knowing that a site is well-maintained keeps surfers coming back. When the information is subject to frequent change, we try to provide the client with a means to maintain their own dynamic content.Return to the top of this page. Affordable
The simple fact is that I love to do web design so it doesn't take much to motivate me to build a site. Given a worthwhile cause like folk music or a non-profit organization, I'll probably do it for a pittance or even for free. However, since I'm a retired state employee, I wouldn't mind being paid for web design. Thus, your ability to pay becomes a factor in what your site will cost. All of my clients, though, will tell you that they got a bargain. At a surprisingly low cost, we can create and host a virtual domain for you on shorock.com, giving you a personalized web and e-mail address.Return to the top of this page.