1. Less is More Design

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When it comes to effective website design, the simpler the better!

The Paradox of Choice dictates that the more options you give people, the easier it is for them to choose nothing at all. In the case of web design, this has never been truer. Having too many navigation options can overwhelm learners and drastically increase the amount of time it takes for them to complete the next task in your course. 

Some of the most effective website design layouts are the simplest. Strategic use of white space can really bring out the wow factor of your website! White space, also known as negative space, are the areas on your website that are intentionally left empty. See image padding to help create space around images. 

White space includes the gutters between images and text blocks, blank areas in the margins of each page, and even the space between letters and words. It may not seem like much, but white space is a very important design element and is imperative to effective website design. Web pages without enough white space may appear cluttered, confusing, and even downright off-putting! White space makes a page look clean, sophisticated, and professional. It also helps students focus on the important elements on a Canvas page. 

Here's an example of white space in this Canvas Accessibility Overview content page:

By leveraging white space, students can focus on either the two levels of Canvas Accessibility or they can choose to interact with the textbox navigation, "Module Topics" that list the module's page names for navigation ease.