10 ways to make your web site user friendly

Posted by Rob on 19 Jul 2008 in | Permalink

Usability is often overlooked during the planning period of a web site, yet it’s one of the most crucial aspects to the success of any site. An unusable site will usually fall flat on it’s face and result in a costly rebuild for the owner but what can you do to avoid this?

Here are a few tips to make your site usable for the majority of your visitors:

Where’s the navigation?

The sites main navigation block should be immediately obvious to everyone when they first arrive at the site. It’s also a good idea to keep your main navigation in the same place on every page so the visitor can easily find their way around, no matter which page they are on.

Is the text easy to read?

With larger monitors and screen resolutions becoming commonplace small font sizes can be hard to read so use a sensible size. If you really need to use tiny text (say around the 10 pixel size) at least use a scalable font sizing method such as EM or %’s so the visitor can change them if he or she wants to.

Are HTML heading tags used to define sections of content?

The non-use of HTML headings still happens, particularly with amateur designers who don’t understand the significance. Always use a correct heading structure in your documents for page headings, section, and sub sections where applicable.

Is the text copy jargon free and comprehensible?

Unless you want to totally alienate your visitors don’t use corporate jargon - ever! No-one understands it, no-one cares for it, and no-one likes it. Write in a clear, easy to understand way.

Is the content up to date?

What sort of impression will your visitors have if your home page is two years out of date? Probably not a good one, so keep everything relevant and timely. If it’s out of date your probably don’t need it.

Does the site tell the visitor what they want to know?

People want to know all sorts of things. How much is that product? How can I get it? How quick can you deliver it? If you don’t tell them they will just go elsewhere, you can’t always rely on them contacting you with a question so give them as much as they want.

How easy is it to contact the site owner(s)?

You should have a contact link that’s easily accessible from every page, ideally put one in your main navigation so it’s easy to find. If you provide a contact form try not to burden people with twenty questions just to ask you a question, that will just put people off. If you need specific information try to keep it to a minimum.

Does it work with Javascript turned off?

Not everyone has Javascript enabled so if you have any critical site elements, such as navigation menus or other fancy widgets, provide a NOSCRIPT alternative.

Does it work with Flash turned off?

Although Flash is widely available you should always provide an alternative for presenting the information. Often a simple transcript will suffice but if you have more complex information such as graphs and data there’s really nothing you can’t present with plain HTML.

Avoid clutter!

Try not to cram too much information into a small space, the chances are you will confuse people too quickly. If you have a lot to say, provide a summary and continue on another page. There’s also nothing wrong with using a bit of white space to give your content breathing room and that will help making it easier to read.

Well that’s a start to making your site a lot more usable! Making your site easy to understand and use will not just benefit your visitors but help in the overall success on your online presence.