Avatar News Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Hot Spots

It can often be tricky to juggle the content of your site so that your viewers are seeing the most vital information but there are some definite hot spots that viewers gravitate towards.

Here are a few questions you may like to ask when positioning your content:

• What is the viewer trying to accomplish when visiting my site?
• What action do I want them to take when viewing a particular page?
• Where is their attention likely to be focused?
• How can I keep the page looking intuitive to use, clean and inviting?

Certain positions on a Web page tend to be seen more than others. This 'heat map' illustrates approximate hot spots on a page. The colours fade from red (high performance) to white (low performance).

Many sites are designed from an aesthetic or technical perspective, but to get maximum benefit it makes sense to locate your key information in the hottest positions of your Web pages. Strong calls to action placed near rich content and navigational items usually do well because users are focused on those areas of a page.

Contact us if you'd like Avatar to review your site's content placement for maximum pulling power.

Scanners and Skimmers

It's useful to keep in mind that most viewers scan or skim when reading through your Web site. You probably haven't thought about it, but you do it yourself!

• Scanners glance over the content quickly and systematically.
• Skimmers give a quick and superficial reading, scrutiny or consideration.

For the typical user, the Web isn't an experience congruous with reading their favourite novel where they savour every single word. It's about getting the facts quickly!

So what can you do to help? Here are some tips...

• Provide scanners with clear top level headings, effective imagery, good font size, effective colours and clean layout.
• Provide skimmers with bolded keywords, bullet points, short paragraphs, make sure the first and last sentences in each paragraph are strong and use hyperlinks effectively.

Whizzy Widgets

If you have a tourism business, you'll know how important it is to leverage the visitor attractions in your area as drawcards for your viewers. That's exactly what Elm Tree House had in mind when they asked us to design an interactive map featuring several of Christchurch's key points of interest (click on the 'Interactive Map' link from their homepage). Major hotspots are listed with titles and their distance from the accommodation, while icons point to other features and activities.

Contact Bradly if you would like to talk about adding this feature to your site.

Interesting Tidbits

• Launch of hot Google Talk service. Google has started another free service called Google Talk that lets Gmail account holders talk to each other via PCs with a microphone and speakers. View the BBC's take on things and the Google Talk main page.
• Do your friends call you Mr or Ms Stupid? If so, then you might have something in common with Britain's dumbest thief.
• The US of A continues to control the Internet. Despite previous statements from United States officials that they would relinquish control to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a set of principles outlined by the Bush administration states that no such transfer of control will take place. Pakistan and Brazil have long complained that the United States has too much control over the Internet and should give the world's poorer countries the opportunity to be equal participants. View full info.
• This Fathers' Day treat your Dad to a bunch of Man-flowers! Rocket Florist have put together a selection of masculine flowers (guaranteed no pansies included) accompanied by chocolates, premium New Zealand wine or French champagne.

Sites of Interest

Here's a selection of sites we've designed and/or promoted recently...

• PDL New Zealand (design and promotion)
  PDL's electrical and electronic products reside in almost every New Zealand home and office.
• PDL Global (design and promotion)
  Owned by the Schneider Electric group, PDL's electrical and electronic products are sold in many international markets.
• Elm Tree House (design and promotion)
  Christchurch bed and breakfast accommodation in an elegant 1920s setting. View some creative design touches for this classy accommodation provider.
• Sea Spirit (design and promotion)
  Boutique accommodation on the Kapiti Coast. A self-contained, luxury retreat for guests to enjoy exclusively as a romantic getaway or as a relaxing alternative for a business stay.
• Nelson City First National (promotion)
  Leading Nelson and Marlborough Sounds real estate agents for lifestyle property, family homes and waterfront apartments.