The Design of Website Usability
The design of website usability and navigation is extremely important. All too often designers like to get fancy and make their visitors jump through hoops just to get to another page, let alone find another section. How a visitor navigates and uses a website should be simple and easy to do. It should be transparent and obvious and a completely seamless procedure.
The one thing that visitors to a website don’t like doing is clicking on link after link in an attempt to get to a page that appeared to be just one mouse click away. That is frustrating. The best design of website usability plans in advance and makes sure that this is avoided. Up to three mouse clicks to get to a page is more or less acceptable, but bordering on being too much. Keep it down to two if possible, and ideally just one click wherever possible.
Visitors to a website like things to be consistent. When one page looks different in its essential design to the one they just left, there’s an understandable tendency for the visitor to think that they have arrived on a completely different website.It can be extremely confusing, and most visitors faced with such a situation are likely to click away and find another website that serves their needs much better.
Every page of a website will have repeating elements. These are things like the masthead, or header, the footer and the navigation bar. The design of website usability and navigation should take these elements and possibly others into consideration and ensure that they actually do repeat exactly on every page. This gives the visitor a kind of reassurance. They recognise the elements immediately and know that they have not been taken to somewhere unfamiliar.
When the visitor is reassured, they are more likely to stay around. if your website is selling something, the visitor is more likely to consider buying too. Reassure the visitor through a proper and reliable design of website elements that the visitor can depend on. This alone will make the navigation of the website be perceived to be easier.
Remember, the visitor has landed on your website seeking something he or she thinks you can provide. Clicking all over the place in a desperate attempt to get to where they want to be is not fulfilling the visitor’s wishes. Always make the design of website usability and navigation a delight to use and your visitor will thank you for it.
About seoblogger:
Our SEO blogger is an expert in Web Marketing, Usability and Interface Design. He has been a vital part of The Blue Cube Communications since 2003. As the West Midlands fastest growing web marketing agency, we always strive to maximise return on investment for our customers.
