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Speed and responsiveness of a web site depends equally on technical issues and on design.
In the last few years, Netscape and other browsers have introduced a host
of advanced features such as JavaScript, animated GIF images, frames, tables
with tinted cell backgrounds, typefaces and multi-column text. These features
should not impose a heavy penalty in access time and their judicious use
will make the site more appealing and easier to navigate. However, automated
web design tools often use these features in such a way that slows access
and frustrates the user. It is essential to apply quality assurance to the
page generation process as well as content and presentation. |
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The Contents of web pages are crucial to overall speed. Most people
connect to the Internet by modem. Even at its maximum speed, a modem takes
at least 5 minutes to receive the pages of a web site with about 30 photographs.
Web sites with no graphics are fast but often have no user appeal. The solution
is to compress the graphics, use collections of smaller images instead of
large ones, and try to reuse graphics to improve speed.
The process of loading
is important too. If the user is faced with a blank screen while data
is being loaded, he/she is likely to form a negative attitude. There should
be some textual information on the screen to keep the user's attention
while graphics are being downloaded.
[text written in early 1997 with minor changes since]
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