For anyone beginning a web site design or redesign project, there is one question that should always be asked throughout the project: Am I doing everything possible to make this the most user-focused site it can be? If the answer is no, then you need to stop what you are doing, identify these areas of improvement, and take action. Because no matter what your measurable goal is for the site, you will never be able to reach it unless you have a truly user-focused web design.
You may not be familiar with a term like user-focused web design. However, the concept makes perfect sense once you hear it. Each section of your site, each web page, each word, each form, each image ? the entire contents of your site ? must be designed in such a way that makes your site as appealing and easy to use as possible for your visitors. This evaluation must applied to everything from your logo to your typeface to your image choices. .
One common pitfall that prevents a site from reaching its potential is by employing too much technology. It is very simple these days to add a lot of bells and whistles to your web site. You might be tempted to add videos, RSS feeds, Flash modules, Twitter streams, chat boxes photos, logos, and text to your site. These are all very useful on their own, but when you put them all together on the same web page, your site will become much slower to load. And with today's high speed connections and expectations of instant gratification, someone will exit your site rather than wait for it to load.
Additionally, putting all of these elements onto your page is too distracting. You need to define a goal of each web page on the site and then choose only the elements that help you reach that goal. Are you trying to sell a product on a page? Then ask yourself whether the video you are putting on the site will really help convince them to buy, or will it take their mind off the purchase process and possibly cost you the sale. You need to ask this same question about each item you consider placing on any page: how will it help contribute to my page goal?
Making a web site search engine-friendly is a very wise thing to to do, but there is such a thing as overdoing it where design is concerned. One of the most important factors in ranking well on the search engines is having text that reflects important keywords describing your site. Some designers take this notion too far and design sites that are so text heavy that no user wants to use the,/ And they may write sentences that don't read well, all in order to get more keywords on the site. These tactics will drive users away.
Overall, simplicity should be the goal when designing your web site. ?Less is more? is typically an accurate adage where web site design is concerned. You want to give a visitor all the information or incentive they need to stay on your page and buy your product or request an estimate or download your white paper or read your article, but not so much that their mind begins to wander or they become frustrated with their experience.
To that end, you should make sure that if you are offering something on your site, like a free download or a product or service for sale, that you are designing that process to be as easy as possible. Many sites lose potential sales and downloads because they take a simple process that could be achieved in one page and spread it out over five. Remember that your visitors value their time, and the more pages worth of forms they must fill out, the more you are wasting their time.
With a clear understanding of why user-focused design is important and what to avoid in your pursuit of it, you will be wondering how to make sure your actions are the correct ones. The best way to do this is to solicit the help of independent parties. This could come in the form of putting together a small focus group on your own. You can solicit willing participants through a site like Craigslist. Bring people in, ask them to try and complete a few tasks on the site, and then interview them about their experience. You will pick up many great insights. Or you could contact a usability expert. Usability professionals study all manner of web site functionality to see what works best. They can evaluate your site and offer helpful hints to making it more productive. Executed properly, your web site design could be your best resource in promoting your business or your personal brand. Knowing the benefits of user-focused design is an important first step in maximizing that potential.
You may not be familiar with a term like user-focused web design. However, the concept makes perfect sense once you hear it. Each section of your site, each web page, each word, each form, each image ? the entire contents of your site ? must be designed in such a way that makes your site as appealing and easy to use as possible for your visitors. This evaluation must applied to everything from your logo to your typeface to your image choices. .
One common pitfall that prevents a site from reaching its potential is by employing too much technology. It is very simple these days to add a lot of bells and whistles to your web site. You might be tempted to add videos, RSS feeds, Flash modules, Twitter streams, chat boxes photos, logos, and text to your site. These are all very useful on their own, but when you put them all together on the same web page, your site will become much slower to load. And with today's high speed connections and expectations of instant gratification, someone will exit your site rather than wait for it to load.
Additionally, putting all of these elements onto your page is too distracting. You need to define a goal of each web page on the site and then choose only the elements that help you reach that goal. Are you trying to sell a product on a page? Then ask yourself whether the video you are putting on the site will really help convince them to buy, or will it take their mind off the purchase process and possibly cost you the sale. You need to ask this same question about each item you consider placing on any page: how will it help contribute to my page goal?
Making a web site search engine-friendly is a very wise thing to to do, but there is such a thing as overdoing it where design is concerned. One of the most important factors in ranking well on the search engines is having text that reflects important keywords describing your site. Some designers take this notion too far and design sites that are so text heavy that no user wants to use the,/ And they may write sentences that don't read well, all in order to get more keywords on the site. These tactics will drive users away.
Overall, simplicity should be the goal when designing your web site. ?Less is more? is typically an accurate adage where web site design is concerned. You want to give a visitor all the information or incentive they need to stay on your page and buy your product or request an estimate or download your white paper or read your article, but not so much that their mind begins to wander or they become frustrated with their experience.
To that end, you should make sure that if you are offering something on your site, like a free download or a product or service for sale, that you are designing that process to be as easy as possible. Many sites lose potential sales and downloads because they take a simple process that could be achieved in one page and spread it out over five. Remember that your visitors value their time, and the more pages worth of forms they must fill out, the more you are wasting their time.
With a clear understanding of why user-focused design is important and what to avoid in your pursuit of it, you will be wondering how to make sure your actions are the correct ones. The best way to do this is to solicit the help of independent parties. This could come in the form of putting together a small focus group on your own. You can solicit willing participants through a site like Craigslist. Bring people in, ask them to try and complete a few tasks on the site, and then interview them about their experience. You will pick up many great insights. Or you could contact a usability expert. Usability professionals study all manner of web site functionality to see what works best. They can evaluate your site and offer helpful hints to making it more productive. Executed properly, your web site design could be your best resource in promoting your business or your personal brand. Knowing the benefits of user-focused design is an important first step in maximizing that potential.
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