Web usability

1
Web usability
2
Whats the right way?

• No one right way to design a website.
• If something is confusing or hard to use, most
  people wont use it.
• Designing, building, and maintaining a website
  isnt easy.
• Its like golf There are a few ways to get ball
  in hole, but a million ways not to.

3
Dont make me think

• A friend who has no interest in the subject of
  your site and barely knows how to use BACK button
  could look at it and say, Cool! Its about
  _________.
• obvious hmmmm obscure
• JOBS EMPLOYMENT OPS JOB-O-RAMA
• SEARCH FIND FEELIN LUCKY?

4
Create a clear visual hierarchy

• The more IMPORTANT something is, the more
  PROMINENT it is.
• Most important headings are larger, bolder, in a
  distinctive color, set off by more white space,
  closer to the top of the page, or some combo.
• VERY IMPORTANT
• A little less important
• Nowhere near as important

5
Think logically

• Six to eight top-level links
• Things that are related logically are also
  related visually. You can group similar things
  together under a heading or put them in a clearly
  defined area.
• THINGS TO DO IN PHOENIX
• Art galleries
• Museums
• Parks
• Shopping

6
Omit needless words

• Succinctly explain the purpose of your site on
  the home page. Try a brief intro saying what the
  site is.
• Get rid of as much happy talk (welcome to our
  site, arent we great) as possible.
• Hardly anybody reads mission statements.
• Try to eliminate instructions on how to use your
  site by making it as self-explanatory as
  possible.
• Have other people look at your home page to make
  sure your message is clear.

7
Page titles

• I(nformative) M(atch) P(rominent)
• Every page needs an informative title.
• Title should match what was just clicked.
• If you click on a link or button that says Lug
  nuts, you should go to a page named Lug nuts,
  not Spare parts.
• Title should be prominent.

8
Links and link colors

• Links can be a distraction.
• Dont write paragraph filled with links that
  invite your readers to go elsewhere.
• Choose custom link colors that closely match your
  text color.
• Reading onscreen is hard enough without
  struggling with distracting link colors scattered
  across the page.

9
Designing links

• Use links to reinforce your message, not to
  distract readers or send them off chasing a minor
  footnote in some other website
• Most links should point to other resources within
  your website
• Its generally a good idea to have links to
  outside sites open in a separate browser window
• Poor Click here for more information on placing
  links within your text
• Better Web links are powerful but can cause
  problems if they are placed carelessly.

10
Usability testing

• If you want a great site, youve got to test.
  Find someone who hasnt seen it before.
• Testing one user is 100 percent better than
  testing no one.
• Testing one user early in the project is better
  than testing 50 users near the end.
• Test over and over, not just once. Make
  something, test it, fix it, test it again.
• Almost anyone who uses the Web will do.

11

• THE END