Be careful when making assumptions about your visitors equipment. Design your site so that it can be used by the lowest common denominator of equipment available today. Don t assume that your visitors all have 800 X 600 screen resolution with true color and 56K modems. Recent surveys have shown that the average user has a 28.8 kbps modem and uses a 14 inch screen with 256 colors. This means that they have chosen not to see any of your graphics so make your site understandable to those with minimum equipment.
Some sites are just plain confusing as to what the site is about and how to navigate.
Your site should be easy to understand and page navigation should be simple. Add design elements and graphics in order to add clarity and to enhance your site. Your visitors should be should be able to find their way around without a lot of guessing. Design elements and graphics should be added when they add clarity and enhancements to your site. Elements such as tables and frames should compliment the site and guide the viewer through your material rather than confuse them.