Web Design for Reference and Continuing Education Users

by Ellen Foster
Web Design School Review Columnist

Successful Web designers must do their best to put themselves in the shoes of Web users. Web designers assess user needs, time constraints, interest, navigation abilities, even attention spans, and then use those factors to facilitate Web design.

Foresight makes a big difference when designing a continuing education site for corporate or academic users—people knowledgeable in the site’s subject area. The same is true for reference sites, where you need your Web design to deliver accurate information quickly and effectively.

Continuing Education Users Need Room to Breathe

As an aspiring Web designer, you may have experience with teaching or training applications, and while you may think a continuing education user would have similar needs and objectives, this isn’t necessarily so. For example, although training applications should be as linear and on-message as possible, a linear structure may also prove too rigid for a knowledgeable continuing education user.

These users need an interactive, flexible site that grants fast access to a broad array of topics and information. To grab their attention, you would have to give these users alluring graphics and quick-loading text-based links to tables of contents and indices. In addition, you’ll want to provide convenient printing options so users can locate information and review it later.

Web Designer: Reference Sites

When you’re designing a reference site, a linear design isn’t really an option. Your user wants to get in and out as quickly as possible, so your organizational structure must allow for quick searches and speedy retrievals. Keyword search capabilities may not be enough—especially on sites with more than thirty pages—so consider multi-parameter search software. And as much as you may love your graphics, keep them to a minimum.

About the author

Ellen Foster is a freelance writer and teacher. She has worked with students of all ages

Source(s):

“Continuing Education,” Web Style Guide
“Reference,” Web Style Guide

Posted at 11:24 AM on June 4, 2007

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