Don't Forget That Your Users are Human
One of the most important aspects of a website is its usability. Don't forget your audience is human. When you forget this you don't communicate your message effectively. A great example of this principle applied is found in [form design][1]. Ryan Singer outlined [10 ways to make forms better][2], one of which being the language that you use when a error occurs. We've all had it happen, you forget to fill out one of the questions on a form and when you submit it you get a nasty error screen that makes you feel like you've done something illegal.Error: Not all of the fields were completed! Self-destructing in 5...4...3...2...
You have to consider that many people aren't as comfortable online as you and I. Errors that aren't friendly and informative are scary to users.A Better Approach
Remember to be conversational in your errors/notifications. So what if they messed up a little bit? Gently let them know they skipped a field and move on.It looks like you forgot to tell us your first name.
This allows for a better user experience that communicates to your users what you'd like them to do, not to mention it treats them with a little respect.Don't Jump Straight Into Photoshop
So, you're excited about a new project and you start out by opening up a crisp white canvas in Photoshop. You've launched yourself into a huge ocean of tools without a good idea where to begin. By doing this you can end up with a design that is not very well informed and it makes it very difficult to create a successful web experience.A Better Approach
Resist the temptation! At a minimum you should always map out the goals for each design and start by [simply sketching out ideas][3].
Sketching is an efficient and effective way to explore concepts because you don't have to focus on typography or making everything pixel perfect. Photoshop is great for executing a design, but not so great for exploring broad ideas.