Usability is a predominant factor in any website. Your website may impress users with gorgeous elements and buttons on the screen. But it is the factor of usability that makes users decide whether to continue or leave the site. Users must be able to access your site quickly and freely. They must find it enjoyable to stay on your site.
So, how do you make your site more friendly and usable? Well, here are some tips to help you make your website more usable and productive.
Minimize Page Loading Time
Understand that people are impatient while browsing and they do not like to wait for a long time to get what they want. Websites with longer load times can frustrate users and make them leave the site. The page response time must also be as short as possible. It is better to avoid Flash and other unnecessary plug-ins or media elements that take a long time to load. Improve page performance and speed for your website to make users stay.
Provide Easy Navigation
Website usability goes hand-in-hand with navigation. Users always want to reach the content that interests them on a site without much difficulty. Hence you must design navigation that is suitable for most of them. That is, many websites follow a standard pattern of display. It is advisable to follow the same pattern of display on your site (rather than being too creative!) Only then users will find your site convenient and easy to use.
Place menus horizontally on the top of the page or vertically on the left column. Do not put too many options on the home page. Make sure users can reach the home page directly from any page within the site. Place meaningful buttons on the screen so that the button itself explains its purpose. Make sure that your services, contact information and profile are viewable throughout the site.
Organize Content Effectively
Organize your website contents in a way that it is easy for users to scan and digest the inforamtion. People tend to read texts according to the F-pattern. Hence, place the important contents in the F-shaped form, from upper left to the bottom right. Also use headings, bullet points etc to help users identify main ideas on the page. Present your contents in accordance with themes and color schemes of the website. Use appropriate spacing, font color and background to make your website more usable.
Include Site Search
Site search is an important factor in website usability. People expect help to search for content in a website. They do not like to be taken through many links to get what they want. Hence, provide a search box at the top of all web pages on your site. If possible, include a search box which is 27-characters wide with the 'Autocomplete' feature. This guideline would help users get the search terms right, even before they finish typing those words.
Offer Enough White Space
The empty spaces between paragraphs, buttons, and other elements on a page is termed as white space. White space increases readability and declutters a page. A study showed that good use of white space between paragraphs and in the left and right margins increases comprehension by almost 20%. It is of no doubt that white spaces improve user experience and website usability.
Good website design knowledge with a little touch of creativity is what is needed to make a website usable. Compare and analyze several websites to know the patterns of each of them. Observe the design methodologies of as many websites as possible. Then you yourself can create a website which is quite usable to people.
So, how do you make your site more friendly and usable? Well, here are some tips to help you make your website more usable and productive.
Minimize Page Loading Time
Understand that people are impatient while browsing and they do not like to wait for a long time to get what they want. Websites with longer load times can frustrate users and make them leave the site. The page response time must also be as short as possible. It is better to avoid Flash and other unnecessary plug-ins or media elements that take a long time to load. Improve page performance and speed for your website to make users stay.
Provide Easy Navigation
Website usability goes hand-in-hand with navigation. Users always want to reach the content that interests them on a site without much difficulty. Hence you must design navigation that is suitable for most of them. That is, many websites follow a standard pattern of display. It is advisable to follow the same pattern of display on your site (rather than being too creative!) Only then users will find your site convenient and easy to use.
Place menus horizontally on the top of the page or vertically on the left column. Do not put too many options on the home page. Make sure users can reach the home page directly from any page within the site. Place meaningful buttons on the screen so that the button itself explains its purpose. Make sure that your services, contact information and profile are viewable throughout the site.
Organize Content Effectively
Organize your website contents in a way that it is easy for users to scan and digest the inforamtion. People tend to read texts according to the F-pattern. Hence, place the important contents in the F-shaped form, from upper left to the bottom right. Also use headings, bullet points etc to help users identify main ideas on the page. Present your contents in accordance with themes and color schemes of the website. Use appropriate spacing, font color and background to make your website more usable.
Include Site Search
Site search is an important factor in website usability. People expect help to search for content in a website. They do not like to be taken through many links to get what they want. Hence, provide a search box at the top of all web pages on your site. If possible, include a search box which is 27-characters wide with the 'Autocomplete' feature. This guideline would help users get the search terms right, even before they finish typing those words.
Offer Enough White Space
The empty spaces between paragraphs, buttons, and other elements on a page is termed as white space. White space increases readability and declutters a page. A study showed that good use of white space between paragraphs and in the left and right margins increases comprehension by almost 20%. It is of no doubt that white spaces improve user experience and website usability.
Good website design knowledge with a little touch of creativity is what is needed to make a website usable. Compare and analyze several websites to know the patterns of each of them. Observe the design methodologies of as many websites as possible. Then you yourself can create a website which is quite usable to people.