Site design: defining a good site
设计高质量的网站

In our previous article we pointed out that web sites don't lend themselves to the clear distinctions of text, visual, or verbal medium like print, radio, television, and movies do. Sites tend to be a mix of all medium. That not withstanding, there are four universal elements to making a good website.

在以前的文章中，我提到过，网站不必具备差异明显的文字与画面，不必效仿报纸、杂志、广播、电视、电影等语言媒体。网站是多种媒体的结合体，好的网站具备以下四个条件：

1) a clearly identified objective

1）清晰、明确的目标

2) compelling content

2）具有吸引力的内容

3) ease of navigation

3）易操作的导航系统

4) visually appealing

4)设计精美的外观

This information applies to sites in general as well as e-commerce sites.

这四点适用于普通网站，包括电子商务网站。

Clear objective
明确的目标

Defining what you want to accomplish with the website is an often overlooked element of creating a good site. There is a tendancy to just jump in and start building a site while focusing on the look rather than the objective. This can lead to a confusing website which defeats its intended purpose.

确定网站目标，是一个经常被忽视的内容。有时人们过分重视网站外观，而忽视了内容，这样的网站会背离网站目标。

To avoid creating a bad site at the outset, write down the objective in clear and specific terms. This isn't simply "I want to sell widgets". Although the term "sell" is a good start. The site creator must also state "how" they want to sell widgets.

用简明的语言把目标写下来，防止开始就犯错。“销售产品”这个目标不具体，尽管“销售”这个词很有价值。网站设计者必须同时明确销售产品的方法。

For instance: "I want to sell widgets by presenting the customer with an easy to navigate site having lots of information on the variety and application of widgets." Or maybe the objective statement is: "I want to sell widgets by presenting customers with numerous glamor photos of widgets in use by other people." Knowing what will appeal to your audience will determine the "by" clause but, in either case, the creator must have a clear design objective.

比如：网站通过提供简单的导航系统，方便用户查找各种产品信息；或者提供其他用户使用产品的图片，确保用户了解产品相关情况。不管怎样，网站创建者必须明确设计目标。

Compelling content
有吸引力的内容

What makes for compelling content? This depends on your anticipated audience. Compelling content is information that will attract the audience you want and keep them comming back. That is, content that provides value for your visitor.

什么内容具有吸引力呢？根据目标受众，确定网站内容。有吸引力的内容，是能够吸引潜在受众，保证他们进行回访的有效信息。这些内容对用户来说，必须有价值。

For e-commerce sites, it goes without saying that the content must relate to the products you're trying to sell. Pictures of naked girls might help attract an audience but, it's doubtful that this will sell widgets. That doesn't mean you have to provide abundant text information about your widgets, just that you must relate your audience and your product in some way.

电子商务网站的内容必须要与销售的产品有关。裸体女孩照片可能会吸引受众，但是否能达到销售产品的效果呢？并不是说，你需要提供大量的文字信息，而是说产品信息要能让用户感兴趣。

As in the sample objectives above, the compelling content might simply be glamor photos of your widgets in use by other people. This is an often used technique to relate audience to product. Picture a garden tractor brochure. Doesn't the front page show a happy person driving the tractor? It often does.

上文中提到，有吸引力的内容可以提供其他用户使用产品的照片，这种方法经常被用到。在介绍花园拖拉机的手册中，首页不是经常出现某人快乐驾驶拖拉机的图片吗？

The above objective samples are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Using the garden tractor brochure example again, open the folder and the inside pages will usually show and describe the benefits of using this product. The back page will be devoted to setting out the specifications. Web sites can easily follow this example by devoting certain pages and locations to providing different kinds of information. Just as you won't find specifications on the front page of the tractor brochure, your web site shouldn't mix the promotional material with detail information pages.

网站的各个目标不要相互排斥。还以花园拖拉机为例，首页呈现图片，内页介绍产品特点。网站可以参照这种设计方法，不同网页设置不同类型的信息。花园拖拉机手册不会把图片与产品说明全放在首页，网站也不应该把促销信息与产品信息混在一起。

Navigation
导航系统

Keeping the promotion and information functions distinct and still easily accessible is one purpose of good navigation. Differences in content of the two functions is frequently blurred but, the navigation plan itself shouldn't be ambiguous. A visitor should have available a clearly defined path linking additional detail information on any item from promotional pages and back again. These links will often be of the "drill down" type where-in a visitor can proceed linearly, from a promotional page to subsequent pages of greater detail.

提供清晰的产品说明与促销信息，并且确保信息的易查找性，是高质量的导航系统应该实现的目标。通常，两种信息区别不明显，但导航系统应该清晰。访问者应该可以方便地链接各种信息或产品，并且网站链接应该成直线型，访问者可以层层深入，从促销页面浏览到产品说明页面。

This technique keeps navigation simple and your visitor oriented and comfortable with using the site. Additionally, no page should be a dead end. Each page should have links to go back one level or return to the beginning of a section. These links are especially important for visitors that may have bookmarked a particular page and haven't entered the site from the home page. For the e-commerce site, every product page, no mater how detailed it gets, should have "buy now" and "check cart" links. You want the visitor to have a simple and convenient method for placing an item in the shopping cart at any time in the navigation sequence.

这个方法可以确保导航系统的简单性以及用户的易操作性，同时还能保证每一个页面都能进行链接。每一张网页都应该设置后退链接，或者主页链接。对于喜欢某一网页或者不是从主页进入网站的用户来说，这些链接尤其重要。电子商务网站的所有产品网页，不管内容多详细，都应该设置“立即购买”与“查看购物车”的链接，这样用户可以随时查看购物车中的产品。

One unique feature of e-commerce shopping carts vs. brick and mortar carts of the physical world is that placing an item in the cart isn't a commitment to buy. Not until check out will the customer make a final purchase decision. This can be good or bad for the merchant, depending on the capability of site navigation. When making the final decision, a customer often wants to re-check item detail information. A link from the cart to the detail page and back can be a vital element in saving the purchase. Without easy navigation to more information, the customer is likely to simply remove the item.

电子商务网站的购物车与真实的购物车相比，有一个特点：产品虽然放进购物车，但用户有放弃购买的权利，用户可以在结账时做出最后的决定。对网站销售商来说，导航系统决定这个特点发挥什么作用（好或不好）。在做最后决定时，用户会再次查看已选择的产品信息，这时，与产品页面的链接以及后退链接就成为决定用户是否购买的关键因素。如果难以查找到相关信息，用户可能会放弃购买这种产品。

Visual appeal
网站外观

Just as we're attracted to people that dress well, we're attracted to web sites that look good. What constitutes a good looking site is not easily described but, we know one when we see it. Generally though the site should have a clean, fresh, uncluttered look. Color coordination and the use of a few images with minimal text on the home page will go a long way toward accomplishing this goal. Unnecessary gimmicks like clocks and scrolling text and sound tracks that aren't central to your objective must be avoided.

我们会被穿着漂亮的人所吸引，同样，外观精美的网站也会吸引我们的注意力。我们很难描述外观精美的网站需要具备什么内容，但在浏览时，我们就会了解。这样的网站外观通常简明、清新、整洁。色彩搭配和谐、几张图片搭配简短文字的主页，往往会吸引用户。像时钟、滚动文本、声音等内容是网页需要避免出现的。

Images for the home page of an e-commerce site should be what the design trade calls a glamor shot. They are that tractor brochure cover page photo: a good picture of a main item in your store. If the picture can naturally include a person using the product, this is even better. The glamor shot immediately conveys positive information about your site. If a person is shown using a product, a visitor may see themselves in the same situation. If you accomplish this result, you've already made it through the most difficult part of the selling process. The rest is a matter of providing reasons (excuses) for your visitor to buy.

电子商务网站主页图片应该具有很强的吸引力，相当于花园拖拉机手册封面中的图片，应该是网站中主要产品的图片。如果是用户使用产品的图片，效果就更好。这些图片会把网站信息立即提供给用户，如果出现使用产品的图片，用户会产生身临其境的感觉。完成了这个目标，销售产品最困难的过程也就完成。接下来，你需要说服访问者进行购买。

In total, don't be afraid to use images to convey information where possible and make liberal use of multiple pages in a "drill down" sequence to provide detail. Multiple pages keep each page clean, uncluttered, and focused on a specific intent.

总之，在需要的情况下，可以运用图片；同时设置层层推进的页面，提供各种信息。在多张页面的情况下，每张页面会简明、整洁，并且目的很明确。

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