checklist for websites
Load
Time
- Does the site's load time seem reasonable?
- If the site entrance is a Flash animation, is
a skip intro option available?
- Is an HTML version of a Flash site provided?
Appearance
Visual
appeal is nearly always influenced to some degree
by personal preference. However, there are specific
design qualities that can be evaluated:
- Is
the page layout and use of color, fonts, and images
consistent throughout the site?
- Are
there less than three fonts used in the design?
- Are
there a moderate number of colors used in
the design?
- Is
the design appropriate for the purpose of the
site and for the intended audience?
- Will
the design appeal to the target audience?
- Is
the page layout balanced, clean, and uncluttered?
- Are
the images smooth and properly anti-aliased to the
background?
- Are
the graphics appropriate and relevant to
the content of the site?
- Are
your eyes directed to the content or important
page elements?
- Are
the color combinations pleasing and appropriate
for the site's purpose?
- Is
the text clearly legible?
- At
an 800x600 resolution, is important content
(such as navigation, search boxes, site and page
identification) visible without scrolling?
- Is
copyright and contact information easily
located?
- Is
the page short enough that it doesn't require a
great deal of vertical scrolling? (Especially important
on the front page of the site.)
- Is
the purpose of the site (and each page within
it) immediately clear?
Structure
and Navigation
- Is
the content of the site logically
organized?
- Is
navigation located in the same place on each
page of the site?
- Is
the navigation clearly recognizable as navigation?
- Are
all links clearly labeled and their destination
obvious?
- Is
the navigation simple to understand and use?
- Is
the use of the browser back button unnecessary
(no dead end pages)?
- If
icons or other images are used for navigation, is
their meaning clear?
- If
icons or other images are used for navigation, are
text links also provided?
- Is
the purpose of each page easily identified?
- Is
any essential information directly linked to in
the navigation system (for instance, a contact page)?
- Can
users get to information with a minimal number
of clicks (a good rule of thumb is no more than
3 clicks)?
- Does
the navigation allow the user to easily backtrack
or return to upper levels in the site?
- Is
there an obvious method of navigating between related
pages on the site?
- Is
there an obvious method of navigating between different
sections of the site?
Content
- Does
the content reflect the purpose of the site?
- Is
the content appropriate for the intended audience?
- Is
the content sufficient to meet user needs and
expectations?
- Is
text content free from spelling, grammatical, and
typographical errors?
- Are
short sentences, short paragraphs, headings, and
bulleted lists used so that the content can be
easily scanned?
- Are
lines of text too long to be easily read?
- Is
information correct and current?
- Can
specific content be easily found?
- For
sites with large amounts of information, is a search
function available?
Usability
- Is
the site cross-browser and cross-platform
compatible? (At a minimum, does the site
work for users of both IE and Netscape browsers,
using either Mac or Windows operating systems?)
browser
compatibility
This chart from Webmonkey tells you what each version
of the major browsers supports, including AOL, NN,
IE, Opera, and many more.
- Are
form fields arranged in a logical order?
- Are
all components of the site functional?
(Links, forms, scripts, etc.)
- Is
information concerning any special browser or plug-in
requirements clearly visible and easily understood?
- Are
interactive features clearly explained?
- Are
the skills required to use the site’s features
appropriate for its intended audience?
- Is
there an off switch for music?
Alttext
- Include
alternative text for each image?
This is the text that goes in the alt attribute
of the img tag.
Referencing
graphics
This
is a mistake nearly every beginner makes. Graphics
loaded into cache on your computer will display in
your browser, even if the graphic has not been uploaded
to the server. Also, you will see the graphic in your
browser if its HTML path points to your local hard
drive. The problem, of course, is that everyone but
you will see a broken image.
To check that graphics are linked correctly, clear
cache, close your browser, open a new browser window,
and visit your site. Even then, the cache is still
not necessarily cleared -- another reason for testing
with multiple browsers
Search
Engine Optimization
Look
your pages over like the search engines do. Have you
included relevant titles, meaningful page descriptions,
and meta keyword phrases? Is the content of your pages
optimized for desired keywords? Is relevant keyword-rich
content near the top of the page?
Overall
Design Goals
Simple
Clear
Consistent
Appropriate
Appealing
Usable
You
can download this information (checklist.pdf)
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