Good WebSite for ESL students

Guidelines for Designing a Good Web Site for ESL Students

Charles Kelly
Aichi Institute of Technology (Toyota, Japan)This is a list of points that should be considered when designing a web site. Many of these are points that should be considered when developing any web site, some points are directed at any teacher developing educational web pages, and some points are specifically aimed at teachers of English as a Second Language.
While reading this list of guidelines, keep the following in mind.

From a visitor's point of view, a good web site is one that...

• ...is usable
• ...has something he/she wants
• ...doesn't waste his/her time and
• ...isn't irritating.

A Quick Overview

1. Make your site usable by everyone if possible.
   Don't unnecessarily do things that limit the number of people that can benefit from your site.
2. Make your site as fast as possible.
   This not only makes your site more enjoyable to use, but also allows those with expensive and/or slow Internet connections to use your site.
3. Make your site easy to use.
   Make it uncluttered, easy to navigate and easy to read.
4. Make your site useful.
   Create a site that fills a need.
5. Maintain Integrity. Be Professional.
   Be honest. Offer what you claim to offer. Check your spelling.
6. Make your site friendly and fun to use.
   Make your site as attractive and fun as you can without making it slow.
7. Use "cutting edge technology" wisely and effectively.
   Use it when it's the best way to do something, but don't annoy visitors with "cute" stuff.
8. Remember that what you think is true may not be true.
   Some possible misconceptions.
9. Should I really worry about the minority who use less powerful computers, use older browsers and have slow Internet access?
   Yes.