5 Key Web Design And Usability Principles
The major focus whilst building an effective business website is to keep the web design aesthetic as well as user friendly.
It is a difficult balancing act, but the overriding purpose of a website should always be to serve the customer first before things such as SEO. Most websites have a 30-60 percent bounce rate after a user lands there from a search engine or other type of off-site link. This means that up to six in 10 visitors leave without navigating to any other pages on that site, and most will never return.
Were going to discuss 5 design aspects that can enhance the look and user-friendliness of a site to decrease bounce rates and increase conversion rates.
Make The First Impression Count
No matter what type of product or service is being sold, a commercial website represents that business and should showcase what is being offered. When visitors arrive there for the first time especially if the visitor is arriving there via a search for the specific product or service being offered there are a number of questions that are running through their minds at the subconscious level:
Does the site seem trustworthy and is this company stable?
Does the site appear professional and credible?
Does the site appear to be welcoming and friendly?
Does the site have what is being sought?
While a snappy design might not be the single most important factor in the success of a website, and sometimes too much emphasis is put on what a site looks like instead of how it works, design does play a very important role in creating a good first impression.
A study published by Stanford University on this very issue found that consumers rate a websites overall design as the single most influential factor in determining credibility.
The data showed that the average consumer paid far more attention to the superficial aspects of a site, such as visual cues, than to its content. For example, nearly half of all consumers (46.1%) in the study assessed the credibility of sites based in part on the appeal of the overall visual design of a site, including layout, typography, font size and colour schemes.
In other words, the visual design may be the first test of a sites credibility. If it fails on this criterion, Web users are likely to abandon the site and seek other sources of information and services.(Bold emphasis added.)
Website Design Tips
With the results of the Stanford study in mind, below are a few suggestions that lend themselves to great website design:
Layout A layout with page elements organized in an orderly grid fashion makes pages easy to navigate and absorb. White space/empty space should be incorporated as an intentional design element to give the page a clean appearance and avoid the perception of clutter.
Typography Legibility is the key. Reading type on a screen is quite different from reading on a printed page. For example, most readers prefer a serif font when reading printed text, but prefer a sans serif font when reading onscreen as serif fonts can appear blurry. For this reason sans serif fonts are preferable. Put some thought into font selection, size and colour to make it easy on the reader. Also, keep in mind that readers tend to scan web pages to pick out highlights, so keep paragraphs short, use section headers and bullet point lists to organize content.
Colour Scheme A carefully considered colour scheme can pull together and complete an overall design. Choose two to four complementing colours to highlight page templates and marketing materials. Avoid using sharp colour contrasts in an attempt to make elements jump out, as the effect is often more distracting and annoying than attention grabbing.
Animation, Flash and Multimedia avoid the overuse of gadgets. Flash animation and multimedia can grab attention, but can also distract from the purpose of the site. Users with non-compliant browsers will simply go away, and there are accessibility issues for visitors using mobile devices and tablets.
While design is important, it should also be kept in mind that for a business website the ultimate aim is to sell a product or service, and great content supporting that product or service is what keeps visitors on the page.
Maintaining Consistency
Once the first impression hurdle has been passed, visitors will begin navigating to other pages of the website, so it is important to keep the site design elements consistent from page to page. Elements include: colour scheme, font styles and sizes, layout structure, graphics and navigation link placement. While layout structures may necessarily change, such as from a home page to a product page for example, if other elements such as navigation links, headers and logo placement remain consistent, visitors will not feel lost going from page to page.
Using Images
Imagery transmits subconscious messages to viewers and quite often that message is not the one intended. This is why the use of stock photography should be avoided unless the chosen image clearly complements the product or service being offered by the website. A picture of shiny happy people used on a webpage because it was inexpensive and easy to find can actually have a detrimental effect on the page viewer, who on a subconscious level sees no connection between the attractive models in the picture and the product or service they are on that page to learn about.
Images can be a powerful design element, but should be used wisely and sparingly. Too heavy a reliance on graphic images can distract from content and make the design look cheesy and amateurish.
Page Navigation
User friendliness in navigating from place to place and an easy-to-use search function to help users find what they are looking for are the biggest factors that keep visitors on a website. People will give up and leave if they cannot easily find exactly what they are searching for, so the navigation structure in the design of a website should be kept as simple and intuitive as possible.
Include navigation tools in both the header and the footer of site pages.
Use breadcrumbs on every page so visitors can see their navigation trail.
Place the search box near the top of each page.
Include intra-site links within page content as a navigation shortcut. (Also great for SEO purposes.)
Do not use complicated Javascript or Flash for navigation for the reasons outlined above about browser compliance and device accessibility.
The general rule of thumb for a proper navigation structure is to keep it as simple as possible for visitors to find their way around a site.
by: kirti
Importance Of Data Security Devices And Services Of It Companies Good Engineering, Mba And Mca Colleges In Pune Sticker Printing Products For Marketing And Learning Purposes Skin Problems And Sports More Competitive Already Have Man And Van Inside Coulsdon As Opposed To Clutte What Can I Do If I Was Hurt At Work And My Employer Has Not Helped Me Yet? - Workers Compensation At Anyone With A Job And A Bank Account Can Apply For A Fast Payday Loan In Most Cities A Hollywood Party Is So Much More Fun With Smashing Invitations And Party Supplies Top Choices For Great Cuba Holidays With Added Adventure And Excitement The Causes And Solutions To Dry Hair Is Ultrasonic Cleaning Safe For All Gems And Jewelry Guidelines And Tips In Planning A Banqueting Menu Durolane Injections Are A Treatment For Osteoarthritis And An Alternative To Osteoarthritis Surgery