

Ask HN: What are must have and must not have features, in a website? - snambi

This question is for hackers and designers.<p>When launching a site, there is a debate of what features to have and what features not to have. Some features/flows/pages are specific to the site. But, there are common features/pages all sites must have. And some features are definitely a NO.<p>First time launcher can make a mistake of having or not having a feature.<p>Can you help identify the list of "MUST HAVE" and "MUST NOT HAVE" features for a site?
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kellros
This is quite a broad subject.

I'd say it's very important to focus on usability (navigation, layout, flow) -
without proper implementation people will sometime just quickly scan and close
the website almost immediately.

Depending on the website I'm working on, navigation usually includes a
'public' menu (main tabs), 'personal menu' (profile/log out), 'reverse
navigation' (breadcrumb), 'section' menu (back-end tabs) and occasionally a
'contextual' menu (in content).

If you think along the lines of domain driven design, it is easy to spot
different contexts at work.

A very important aspect of any website (and design) is consistency.

Pages would generally consist of at least a Home (sometimes used as a lead
page), Lead page/s (where visitors land when clicking ads - sometimes the home
page is used instead), Product pages (depending on the company, products or
services can be listed here) and a Contact us tab.

The 'about us' should be evident throughout the entire design. Quite a few
times I've seen the 'about us' page act almost entirely as a page where
potential clients can find the physical address of a shop or service
(sometimes include contact information).

Hope this short list helps you out, but that should at least get you started.

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RSASecure
I agree with the previous comment...a new site should focus on usability as
the site has one chance to create a good first impression and have a repeat
visitor. Another good feature to have is a feedback dialog. Site can be vastly
improved based on constructive feedback by diligent users.

The site should also be crisp in its message as to what service it is
providing.

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Madintelligence
I definitely think an "about-us" page is the most important part of the
website - it introduces the who, the why and allows us to get the voice of the
people running the site.

