Introduction
Remember the last time you visited a web site seeking information about a product
or service only to leave in frustration because the site was confusing or difficult
to navigate? Unfortunately, this is a very common experience. It is not uncommon
for people to abandon their shopping carts or bolt from a web site after being
stifled by an inconsistent and confusing user interface. Creating a good user
experience can mean the difference between success and failure. This article will
explore what it takes to create a highly usable web site.
Keep it Simple!
Simplicity is perhaps the cornerstone of web design usability. This means everything
on your web site should be easy to access and obvious. We cannot over emphasize
this! Visitors to your site will not have the patience to figure out how to navigate
your site or get the information they want. If it is not obvious or easily accessible,
they will go elsewhere. Here are a few web design usability guidelines for keeping
things simple:
Your web site should be self-explanatory.
To quote Steve Krug from the title of his excellent book on usability: "Don’t
Make Me Think".
The User Should Be In Control at All Times.
This is an extremely important principle. Visitors to your web site should be
treated like honored guests. Do not impose on them. Stay focused on what is important
by keeping your web site design clean and simple. This means you should not force
them view pop-up windows with advertisements or to listen to background music
or wait through a Flash animation because you think its cool. Respect their time
and their intelligence.
Your web site should be fast loading.
Do not over burden the main pages of your site with bloated graphics or animation
that make your site slow loading. Most visitors are willing to wait 8 to 10 seconds
for a page to load. Frustration levels will quickly rise if every page takes a
minute or more to load.
Create a Consistent User Experience.
Keep the user interface as consistent as possible from page to page.
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