Are there any good guides or inspirational sites regarding how a website can be set up for user-friendly access, being neat and tidy etc?
I’m going for a Bootstrap-based page and have gotten some awesome help here for working out some HTML/CSS/JS technicalities, so I’m about ready for the next step: actually putting the pieces together.
I already have the content (text, images etc.) done as I’m taking that from my old (90s) oudated site along with some updates etc. but I’m confused about what kind of components to use and where (card, carousel, jumbotron, text together with images, quotes etc.). Some of it has to do with ignorance regarding design, some of ignorance regarding Bootstrap.
I’ve also looked into Bootstrap templates (free and paid) but not yet found anything quite right. I’ll probably have to modify thing anyway, for my particular use.
The website will be for users of some (outdated/unsupported) software, by another user (me). I also have a mailing list for the same software, so this website will be a “landing place” for things discussed in that community. And a search function/archive for previous mailing list messages.
The website will contain things like
a Frequently asked questions (FAQ) section
file downloads
instructional videos
links to other relevant sites
mailing list subscribe form
mailing list search function (hopefully allowing search for that as well as the entire website combined)
Any ideas and suggestions?
As for Bootstrap: there are lots of sites explaining how to (technically) create the different components, but little practical information on what should go where, how to best present the contents etc.
If someone know of any such guides (preferrably with Bootstrap in mind), please do share!
Well I think the whole “What goes where” issue is really up to you. Where you place things are suppose to support what your vision is for communicating the information. I wouldn’t get too caught up in all the fancy widgets at first and think through how the general content on the page will display. For instance you probably want some kind of header, a main body and a footer. Perhaps in the header you have some “call to action” that you want the user to do like login or submit to your community or search for a download. Your body is a chance to communicate the value you deliver to your site. Your footer is a great place for resource links.
You can sketch out the layout of the pages and create some wireframe designs. Maybe show the designs to some of your target audience that would use the site and ask them what they think. Ask them to do some kind of task and see if they can use the design to do it. (They call this a user journey)
Rough it out at first and as you play with the design you are going to see where something like a card or carousel widget might be easier for the user to use.
Also make sure you explore the bootstrap widget library as it has tons of widgets and customizations that can make such mocking up fast and easy. Maybe if you get your wireframe to a point that you feel comfortable with it, you can show a picture of it here and solicit feedback.
Thanks. All good advice, but I think what I’m looking for is some sort of guide explaining what kind of solutions might be suitable for presenting the content. Sort like a “follow me on making this website” type of guide.
For instance, I have a bunch of links which I want to present to my users, but there’s probably a better way than ending up with a long list of links. Something that discusses various ways and methods of presenting things.
I guess finding websites with similar type of content/audience would help, but I’m not sure what to look for as it’s mostly “business”, “blog”, “photography portfolio”, “landing page” etc. but I’m not sure what I would categorize my site as.
Well you can find inspiration form sites like dribble if you are just looking for ways to display the content. But as far as being able to tell you “do X if you have Y” is really up to you and what you want to convey to your visitors.
Try asking non-developer friends and family for suggestions. For example, ask them where they would look to find certain content. Where would they look for links? Ask them for ideas to make the site easy to navigate and content easy to find. After all, most of your users will (presumably) not be web devs, so it makes sense to get a non-technical perspective.
