one column layouts: the new web designer drug

Now that the early Cyberspace! euphoria is over, people are discovering the joy of ultra-simplicity in web design.

Unlike in print and TV, where fancy layouts have no impact on delivery, complex web designs decrease usability by making the page load slower and feel clumsy.

A recent trend first described by Information Architects Japan is to drop the sidebar altogether and put the other UI elements at the bottom:

Now ask yourself: Where is the user, if he finished the article or if he gets bored. Either he clicks away or he scrolls down to see if there is something coming down there.

Well, in that case, I’d say, provide him with something juicy below the article. It’s the footer you reach when you finish the article. And it’s the footer you scroll to, if you get bored.

Of course, having only a single column is nothing new, but this time, single-column designs are created by people that care about design (i.e. people whose jeans have the current holes/rips/bleaching/coffee stains/whatever.)

WTF?*

Jakob Nielsen's brain on three-column layout.

Shows that visual simplicity and editorial latency can get you a lot of cred.

See also:

• "find an old UNIX command that hasn't yet been implemented on the web, and fix that"
• A widget dork about the atomisation of web content
• Flickr mobile (mobile use will drive the simplification of web design)

* means What the fuck? in case your grandma asks you...

Comments

[brian adams]

nice post my friend

[orange county web designer]

I want to get into web design...I'm a fantastic artist and I'm great in the technical field as well. I can't afford to go back to school right now, but is there anything else I could do to break out into the industry.

[web development]

that's because if you apply a single-column layout the concentration of your visitors go straight to the body of your page which is good unless of course you've got an engaging to backup you up and keep the visitors coming.

this is a very good insight.

[calgary web designer]

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