- Balance and symmetry. The constitutive elements of the page (text or list, tables,
graphs, images, menus) must be distributed in a balanced manner. - Ordering according to importance. Information must be presented in order of
importance and relevance, from left to right and downwards in European and
American cultures. - Grouping elements according to significance. Different ideas should be spaced
out, framed in boxes, coloured differently, etc. The more consistent the use of
these grouping and labelling modalities is, the easier to distinguish and
understand the various ideas. - Structuring contents by lists and tables. The discursive presentation requires time
to process information, but schematic presentation as lists or tables favours a
quick understanding. Bulleted or numbered lists will be aligned left and vertically
oriented; it is recommended that a text take up between 25 and 50% of the page. - Highlighting text units through attributes. Bold, underlined, italics or different
colours do highlight key words. Line spacing must correspond to text font size. - Introducing visual organizers. In order to guide the user through the contents the
following will be used: page title in the title bar; page titles or subtitles;
succession of menu subdivisions that should indicate the current position in the
site hierarchy and offer fast access to other sections of the site; standard link
colour; standard terminology; marking lists of symbols for each item; presenting
a single idea per paragraph. - Appropriate colour use. Colours define text, as well as graphs and images; they
have a clear effect on intellectual performance and the prestige of the site. An
adequate colour combination has a series of positive effects on the users:
facilitating understanding, receptiveness and assimilation; creating mental
comfort, invigoration and good mood, alleviating intellectual fatigue; enhancing
visual perception; stimulating concentration and memory; developing
imagination and creative thinking.
It is recommended to avoid simple contrasts by black and white and instead using
adequate chromatic combinations that lead to an increase in the precision and
speed of perception and memorizing information up to 40-50%. Stronger contrast
must be used for essential information and weaker for content elements. Graphs
and images are much more eloquent and legible in colour. In certain cases, such
as images depicting action and portraits, black and white contrast highlights the
personal expression and is more suggestive.
Web sites represent an addition to traditional counselling resources and not an alternative.
A web site cannot offer all traditional services at the same quality, since face-to-face
interaction holds a level or complexity that cannot be simulated in a virtual world.