{"id":67,"date":"2023-12-19T22:54:08","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T22:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/writingfordigitalmedia\/?post_type=chapter&p=67"},"modified":"2024-02-03T18:47:11","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T18:47:11","slug":"basic-design-principles","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/writingfordigitalmedia\/chapter\/basic-design-principles\/","title":{"raw":"Basic Design Principles","rendered":"Basic Design Principles"},"content":{"raw":"

An important concept in the world of digital writing is the user experience (UX), which the Nielsen Norman Group<\/span><\/a><\/span> defines as \u201call aspects of the end user\u2019s interaction with the company, its services, and its products\u201d (Norman and Nielsen). This is obviously a broad area that extends beyond content writing. It includes things like market research, product design, price structures, customer service, and even the larger organizational structure in place to optimize workflow and attend to specific customer needs. However, as we\u2019ve discussed in previous chapters, the user experience usually begins<\/em><\/span> online when someone in the target market first lands on the organization\u2019s website. There are lots of things that have attracted them to the site\u2014a social media ad, a flier they received the mail, a meta description on their search engine results page (SERP). Whatever it might have been, it sparked an interest, probably related to some sort of problem or desire that this person wants to address. And as we\u2019ve also discussed previously, once they are on the website, it takes only a few seconds for them to judge whether or not the potential reward is worth their effort. (See System 1 and System 2 discussion in chapter 12). And while this snap decision happens quickly, it\u2019s actually a pretty nuanced decision-making process based on a number of visual cues\u2014colors, pictures, navigation menu, page layout and readability, and so on. Several design elements come together to create an impression in the user\u2019s mind about the company itself, about how relevant their offerings are to the user\u2019s needs, and about how easy or difficult it will be to get the information they are looking for.<\/p>\r\n

All of this relates to design\u2014how things are organized to enhance the user experience and create a positive impression, which in turn increases their chances of staying on the page longer, navigating through other pages of the website, and progressing through the various stages of the customer journey. (Hopefully, you are making the connection back to our unit on rhetoric: purpose, audience, message.) Not every person who lands on a web page will fit into the target audience, primarily because the service, product, or experience being offered doesn\u2019t match their needs; but for those who are<\/em><\/span> in the target audience, engaging their attention is directly related to rhetorical strategy. Yes, this is about word choice and organization of written content, but it\u2019s also so much more. In fact, the concept of \u201cdesign\u201d could be taken a couple of different ways. On the one hand, web design encompasses the organizational structure and functionality of a website\u2014how pages are organized in similar groupings on the navigation menu, how easy it is to navigate from one page to the next, how hyperlinks and buttons are used to direct users to specific information. It also relates to the usability of the website so that pages load quickly and so that structures are in place to aid users in specific tasks, whether that be filling out a form or making a purchase. Effective web design makes these processes intuitive for users and provides useful feedback along the way, maybe to show what they have in their shopping cart or to generate a receipt and tracking number for their purchase. Obviously, this type of web design is complex, and it extends outside the scope of this textbook on digital writing; nevertheless, it\u2019s an important topic that directly relates to the overall success of a website. Content writers and web designers often work very closely together to create effective messaging, and it\u2019s helpful for writers to have a sense of this bigger picture. This web design guide from Adobe<\/span><\/a><\/span> (Babich) is a good place to start, as is this LinkedIn article by Andy Crestodina<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\r\n

On the other hand, design can also include visual elements and page layout. While this is certainly relevant to the aesthetics of a page, these design considerations go beyond the simple purpose of making something look good. When done well, the visual design of a page adds to the readability of the content, creates emotional connections with the audience, builds trust, and has a significant impact on the user experience. Consider the difference between a simple web page with black font on a white background and a page that has color, bold headings, pictures, buttons, and graphics. Even if the written content were exactly the same, users would be much more likely to engage with the page that has more dynamic design elements because it\u2019s more interesting and readable, and it comes across as more professional.<\/p>\r\n

This chapter focuses on these visual elements of design that enhance digital writing and facilitate a more positive user experience. In particular, we will look at principles of design that should guide some of your choices when it comes to the overall layout of a page and the way specific visual elements work together to focus the user\u2019s attention and hold their interest. The goal is to be able to apply these principles to your digital writing projects, ranging from the simple structure of an email or social media post to something more advanced like a blog or web page.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Learning Objectives<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

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