Design: June 2007 Archives

I often joke around that my job here at MU Web Communications is just to make things pretty. It’s somewhat true, but that’s only part of the job. There’s a lot more going on with a Web site design than pixels on a screen, so I thought I’d share my design process.

Here at Web Communications, the design process isn’t started until after the goals of the site have been established, a content inventory has been finished and a wireframe layout has been put together. Depending on the complexity of the site, some usability testing may also be completed with the wireframes before I start.

What is the best way to align form labels with their corresponding fields (top, right or left)? What about form field length and required/optional fields? How do I reduce the risk of users making mistakes when completing a Web form?

If you've ever asked any of these questions, you'll definitely need to check out Luke Wroblewski's blog post about best practices for Web form design. He does a great job of offering some practical tips that are grounded in research.