Consistency in Web Design
Many fledgling webmasters, eager to experiment with web design techniques, make the error of using multiple backgrounds, layouts, color schemes, and/or style properties throughout their pages. The effect of this is to create a disjointed series of pages that are difficult for visitors to recognize as a single, cohesive website. For usability, then, it becomes important to ensure that a site’s design is as consistent as possible.
One method of ensuring consistency is to use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). By defining the style properties in a central document to which every page in the site is linked, it is possible to achieve a uniform look and feel to the page’s HTML elements. A style sheet, for example, can be used to make the text on every page 10pt Arial, with all headings in italic and all paragraphs indented 15 pixels. There is no need to do the legwork of defining these on every page, and all elements are handled in an identical manner throughout the site. Additionally, if the style of the site needs to be changed for any reason, only one document needs to be updated.
Another way to promote site consistency is through the use of templates. A website template is a document that defines the structure of muliple pages. Through content management systems or server-side scripting inclusions, a webmaster can quickly generate pages by defining only those elements that vary between them, such as the title and content area.
Of course, consistency of design is just as important over time as it is between pages. The third way of promoting consistency on your website is to allow the design to mature. This gives visitors a sense of continuity and familiarity. If your website promotes a business, this also aids in establishing your brand identity. Minor changes such as adding or removing a link or two from the interface are acceptable, but large-scale changes to the entire organization of the website should only occur once every few months or years. Even in such instances, the feel of the site’s design should not diverge too greatly from its previous version.
Consistency is an absolute necessity to design that may dictate the success or failure of a website. Rapid change and variability can make a site seem less legitimate, turning away visitors and possible conversions. A stable design that is consistent over time, on the other hand, can make your users feel secure and at ease, contributing to your success.