It may not seem like it, but when designing a website, space is somewhat limited. Even on widescreen desktop computers, you need to be smart about how you structure and present content. Too cluttered a website and your visitors will quickly become overwhelmed. Too minimal a design and they may find it difficult to navigate.
Studies show that it can take as little as two tenths of a second for someone to form an opinion about a website. Any web design company in Melbourne will tell you that understanding how to properly use and maximise screen space goes a long way to ensuring that impression is a positive one.
Make sure your website is responsive
A responsive website design created by a web development services team will automatically adjust for different sized screens.
The need for responsive web design did not arrive until smartphones and tablets became more readily available. Nowadays, a visitor is likely to first come across your website while browsing on their phone on the commute home. They might then continue to scroll on their tablet while they’re cooking dinner before switching to their laptop while sitting in front of the television. How can you be sure your website will function on all these devices?
From a technical perspective, a responsive website has a different set of CSS files for each type of device used to access the site. CSS files control design and layout, while HTML files dictate content.
By using responsive web design, a menu that sits horizontally on a desktop computer might instead run vertically on a smartphone. Both approaches are designed specifically for the screen size to provide a positive user experience and maximise available space.
Simplify menus and navigation
Menus are amongst the easiest ways of maximising available screen space. However, as is the case with all web elements, there are a strict set of rules that should be followed when designing a menu.
To start with, limit the number of menu items to no more than seven. Any more than this and visitors will struggle to process what’s in front of them. Having too many menu items is also detrimental from an SEO perspective as it contributes to an unwieldy structure.
You should also avoid dropdown menus where possible. They may seem like a space saving device, but many visitors find them difficult to interact with, particularly on smartphones. A hamburger menu is a far safer option.
Alternately, use fixed sidebars. These should be distinguished from the rest of the page through smart use of colour and font. Place your sidebar in a standard place — website navigation is not an area of web design you want to be experimenting with. The top of the page or running vertically on the left hand side are both good options.
Finally, consider how you can use the footer to include any extra information that may have cluttered your main page. Many web development services teams include a wide footer at the bottom of a web page filled with contact information, social links, and more.
Study up on colour theory
Maximising website space is often about tricking your visitors with smart design decisions. Many of these decisions come down to how you use colour.
Colour in web design is important for a number of reasons. To start with, your use of colour has a huge impact on the accessibility of your website. For people with low vision, failure to use contrasting colours can render your website completely inaccessible. Colour also conveys mood and establishes how visitors view your company.
From a design perspective, the right colour scheme can make your website appear clean and well-structured. Relying on dark, heavy colours is likely to make everything seem more insular, while a balance between contrasting shades and hues will give the design an instant lift.
Use white space
Closely linked to colour theory is the way in which a designer uses white space. White space is one of the most important elements of web design. It makes content — including text, images, and video — stand out and helps direct a visitor’s attention to relevant information.
White space can also be used to divide elements without actively articulating structure. Fewer lines and boxes immediately creates more space on the page.
And of course, white space has a certain elegance to it that all designers seek to replicate.
Digital space may seem limitless but there are actually a strict set of rules that should be followed when building a website. Visitors to your site will expect a certain experience, and overcrowding or under-crowding the screen will contradict this. Ultimately, the best strategy you can follow to maximise screen space is to hire out a web design company in Melbourne to help you create a functional, engaging, and structured site that both looks good and helps visitors achieve their goals.
