DEV 1.2 - Enhance clarity with good design

Good design will enhance meaning, ease of understanding and general usability.

Good design is accessible design and does not equate to dull and boring.

Support the information through use of images, colour, and space:

  • Use informative images and icons to support links;
  • Use relevant images to support the information in passages of text;
  • Use relevant images to break up long 'walls of text';
  • Use colour, space and style to visually segment information into meaningful chunks;
  • Use white space confidently.

Employ good typography to ease reading:

  • Consider verdana and arial - they are both good for online reading:
  • Avoid serif fonts particularly for small text (they can be OK for larger headings);
  • Use line spacing of around 1.4 - this makes reading easier.

Avoid overdesign:

  • Design should enhance the information not dominate it.

Good use of icons. e.g. printer associated with the text printable versionVerdana and Arial are good online fonts. Avoid serif's and fancy fonts particularly for smaller textText is easier to read when lines are spaced at about 1.4 line height.