Website design and development is, at its most basic, just like any other form of information delivery system. Take a reference book, for example; the title tells you what the book is about and who wrote it, the contents page names each chapter and the page where it can be found, and the index allows you to search for something particular, and turn directly to the relevant page. Everyone knows that's how reference books work and so even if they haven't seen the book before, they know how to use it.
The same applies to your website. Users have expectations of how your website will look and how it will be organised. Your first task is to meet those expectations as closely as you can - whilst it may seem like a great idea to stand out with a wacky website, your users won't waste their time trying to work it out, they'll move on to your competitor. Stay consistent with expectations and users will already have a head start when they arrive at your site.
Your Homepage
Make sure that your homepage is clear, easy to view and shouts about what you do. Don't bury your products or services under animated graphics or jargon-filled copy. Make sure that the first thing they read tells them what you do. If your company uses a strap line, put that on the homepage, if you don't have a strap line, create one that will grab the attention of the users as they come into the site. Also, remember to put clear text in the title bar that runs across the very top of the screen. This not only helps search engines find you among the millions of other websites, it serves as a reminder to your user about where they are on the site. Look up to the top of your screen now, it reads "Common Sense Web Usability - Part One".
If you have archived content, then users will want to be able to reach it from your homepage. Put in a search box, and test your site to make sure that your site's search engine works, providing the user with as many items related to their search word as possible. Remember that people may misspell words, or use slang or abbreviations when they're searching.
Your Navigation
Spend time working out your navigation. You need to be sure that the navigation is easy to find, easy to understand and easy to use. Allow users to go from any part of the site to any other part, and ensure that they can go backwards and forwards as much as they like, and that they can always get to the home page from wherever they are in the site. There are certain places on your pages that users will expect to find the navigation - stick to what works for millions of other websites and don't give your users any surprises. Along with the navigation, pay attention to any links within your site. If you are referring users to other articles or sections in your site and allowing them to link straight there, your link should be in a different colour to the normal body text. If you have a list of links that users can follow, make sure that the colour of the link text changes after it has been followed, so that your users know which links they've used and which they haven't.
Web usability is fundamental to the success of your website. In part two of this series, we'll look at how to make your content user-friendly and how the organisation of your site can encourage users to purchase your product.
Talk to The Web Marketing Group about Website Design - click here or call 01733 371750
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