I like to tell citizens that I’m no designer, but I know what looks good. Of course, each of us has her own opinion about “beauty” but by the years, scientific research suggests that our individual ideas on beauty aren’t so far apart. Simply put, we often find beauty in things that are symmetrical and harmonious; things that are easy for our brains to process and assess, and that causes little to no confusion. My own version is that I get what I signal “liquid eyes” when I see something that I perceive as beautiful. My eyes feel as whether they melt, flatten, or turn liquid, and I equate that reaction to the old phrase “easy on the eyes”.

So my first question to you today is that: Is your site easy on the eyes?

My second question: Are you certain?

My creative exercise for you today is to come up with your own top 10 list of the most beautiful site designs.* These lists are popular, and you may even choose some favorite designs from these lists whether you like. In any case, once you choose your top 10, assemble small (400-500 pixels in width) screenshots of each. Now, manufacture a screenshot of your own site. Look at all the screenshots side-by-side and reply the above questions again.

Pay attention to the symmetry, balance and harmony of your chosen designs’ layouts, graphics, and color schemes. soon after judge your own site based on those same criteria. Remember that a site can be simple and minimalistic and still be easy on the eyes.

This is your own judgement shout, but whether you can tweak your design even slightly to appeal to more users, you may find that you retain more users or increase conversions. There are other considerations of course, such as usability and focus, but that is just one small step that can be taken. I inspire you to take it today.

* A few “most beautiful” lists others have created in the past to get you started:

40 most beautiful and inspirational website designs of 2008

© DazzlinDonna for DazzlinDonna, 2009. |
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Original post by DazzlinDonna

This entry was posted on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 7:08 am and is filed under SEO Tips and Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.