Well, in all honesty, design is something of personal preference. But, the 'right design' is the one that strikes a chord with the majority of your users, making them 'feel at home'.
There are a lot of examples I'd like to cite, but, the best example you can use for reference is most of Apple's web design philosophy (P.S - I'm NOT an Apple 'fanboy' though I like their designs). Another one would be Stripe. They have some pretty consistent designs!
As a bonus - Every designer has his/her own version of 'good design rules'. These are just mine :)
-Don't use complexity where it's not needed. Borders and gradients add complexity. (good example: iOS 7)
-Generally, try to use contrasting colors for action buttons (Purchase/Sign up/Subscribe). There is some psychological study associated with the color choice too.
-Once you use a color for a particular type of button (Action, or example) maintain it throughout the site - So your users will know which buttons are important and have side effects (like, costing them money) and which ones don't.
-Contrast is everything. If you use a dark headline, then use a light background. And vice versa. Also, a small black box of 100px x 100px provides more contrast than a mild grey box of 200px x 200px. Contrast is not something that is proportional with colors. Always experiment!
- Sometimes, you get drowned in your own designs that you wouldn't be able to tell them if they are actually good looking or you only feel that way because you bought it/designed it yourself.
-In such situations, close all tabs, watch a movie or perhaps even go for a small cycling session and come back and re-check. You'd be surprised how many flaws you will be able to discover, then :)
I'm only telling you all this since you specifically mentioned you are a non-designer. I hope this helps :)
Comments
Thanks for giving reasons why this dashboard/home page is not well designed.
Can you point to a page that is well designed in your opinion. That would help me as a non-designer to appreciate your points.
Hey Keith, I'm glad you brought this point up!
Well, in all honesty, design is something of personal preference. But, the 'right design' is the one that strikes a chord with the majority of your users, making them 'feel at home'.
There are a lot of examples I'd like to cite, but, the best example you can use for reference is most of Apple's web design philosophy (P.S - I'm NOT an Apple 'fanboy' though I like their designs). Another one would be Stripe. They have some pretty consistent designs!
As a bonus - Every designer has his/her own version of 'good design rules'. These are just mine :)
-Don't use complexity where it's not needed. Borders and gradients add complexity. (good example: iOS 7)
-Generally, try to use contrasting colors for action buttons (Purchase/Sign up/Subscribe). There is some psychological study associated with the color choice too.
Link: http://blog.kissmetrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/color...
-Once you use a color for a particular type of button (Action, or example) maintain it throughout the site - So your users will know which buttons are important and have side effects (like, costing them money) and which ones don't.
-Contrast is everything. If you use a dark headline, then use a light background. And vice versa. Also, a small black box of 100px x 100px provides more contrast than a mild grey box of 200px x 200px. Contrast is not something that is proportional with colors. Always experiment!
- Sometimes, you get drowned in your own designs that you wouldn't be able to tell them if they are actually good looking or you only feel that way because you bought it/designed it yourself.
-In such situations, close all tabs, watch a movie or perhaps even go for a small cycling session and come back and re-check. You'd be surprised how many flaws you will be able to discover, then :)
I'm only telling you all this since you specifically mentioned you are a non-designer. I hope this helps :)