Website Usability Is a Must

Your website is only as good as your users say it is. If your website is not user friendly it will not be successful. There are several things to consider as you plan and design your website. This article will show you how to create a website that is user friendly; consider it a website usability checklist.

Vertical and Horizontal Scrolling…

Once upon a time all websites used only vertical scrolling. Vertical scrolling is great and usable for people who will be viewing your website from laptops or desk top computers. With vertical scrolling the user scrolls from the top of the page to the bottom of the page; we’re all familiar with this. Laptops and computers generally use a mouse, arrow keys, or a touch pad to scroll with. Not all users will be using laptops and computers to view your site, however. Users who are using more modern devices may have trouble viewing or navigating your site if it only allows vertical scrolling.

Horizontal scrolling is becoming more popular and the Costa Coffee website is a great example. It is the modern, up to date way to scroll. Many users will be viewing your website from devices that are more advanced than laptops and desktop computers. They will be using mobile devices such as iPhones, tablets, etc. These more modern, up to date devices use touch screen technology. The user can scroll with the swipe of a finger rather than by mouse. Most touch screen devices use horizontal scrolling. If your website does not implement horizontal scrolling then users who need to scroll horizontally will be out of luck. They will have difficulty viewing your site and will most likely click away to another site that does allow horizontal scrolling.

Screen Size…

When designing your website it’s important to remember that not all users will be using a device that has the same sized screen. Some users will be using devices that have small screens, and some users will be using devices that have larger screens. As you design your site, be sure to test it on all sorts of different types of devices. If the screen resolution is poor, or if the content will not properly fit on certain sized screens, you will need to make adjustments.

Accessibility to Links and Information…

When a user comes to your site you want to make sure that they can find everything that they are looking for. You also want to make sure that all of the information and all of the links that you want them to see are highly visible. Users may overlook important aspects of your site if they are not in plain sight. Users will not search for long. If they cannot quickly find what they are looking for they will click away. They will find another site that displays information more clearly. Be sure to place all important information and links at the top of your main page. This includes your contact information, product information, and links to navigate your site. Users click on your site because they have interest in whatever it is that you offer. If they cannot easily find more information on the topic or item they will become frustrated and probably navigate away from your site.

Text Color and Brightness…

When designing your website keep your users eyes in mind. Bright colored backgrounds and text may look pretty cool from a decorative point of view, but they may be hard on your user’s eyes. If your viewers have to squint to read your text they will not stick around to see what it says. Likewise, if your background color is so bright that it hurts their eyes they will click away. Use user friendly background colors and stick with well contrasted text color.

Text Size…

Text size is almost as important as text color. If your text is too small users will have a hard time seeing what it says. If your text is too large it will take up too much space and could be considered annoying. Stick with normal sized text for content. When it comes to things that you want to be highly visible, such as titles, increase the text size slightly or make it bold.

Test, Test, Test, and Test Again…

When your website is in its final stages of development be sure to test it on several different types of devices. Have your friends and family test your site and ask them for their honest opinions. Is the site easy to navigate? Is the text too big or too small? Can they scroll alright with the device they are using? Are the links working alright? Is the background color blinding? The more opinions you can get the better. Make adjustments to your site based on what others are saying about their experiences. After you’ve tested the site and have made those adjustments based on their feedback your site will be ready to be launched.