Posted by Toby Inkster on 05/08/06 10:48

Michael Laplante wrote:

> On the other hand some of the sites [...] are so plain that I wouldn't
> bookmark them in a thousand years.

Google's pretty plain -- it's almost become their trademark -- but people
keep coming back again and again. I can't speak for you, but most people
base their decision to bookmark a site on its useful content -- not
aesthetics.

> Yet even the decision to use a column-style website or a top banner is
> taking some of the decision out of the hands of the end-user and
> compromises accessibility.

A well-designed top banner can work wonders for usability (accessibility
and usability go hand in hand), orienting the user within the site (e.g.
breadcrumbs) and providing links to important pages to ease navigation
around the site (Home, Site map, Search, etc).

--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact

[Back to original message]