Having a website is essential for businesses in today’s digital world. But having a website that looks good isn’t enough; it must also be usable and intuitive to navigate.
Poor usability can lead to frustrating user experiences, leading visitors away from your site and potentially resulting in lost customers or sales.
Fortunately, there are some simple design principles you can use to improve the usability of your website.
By following these principles, you’ll create an attractive and easy-to-use web interface that will keep visitors engaged with your content and help them find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.
1. Navigation
The navigation of your website should be intuitive and easy to use by visitors.
Consider using a top-level navigation menu that is easily visible at the top of each page, so users can quickly navigate to different parts of the site without having to scroll or search for it.
Make sure the labels are clear and descriptive, and avoid making menus too long or cluttered; a neat, straightforward navigation bar will help visitors to move around the site more quickly and easily.
2. Visual Design
Make sure your website looks good visually as well as functioning properly.
Choose an attractive color scheme, font size and layout that reflect your brand identity, while also making it intuitive for visitors to find what they’re looking for.
Also pay attention to the structure of your page, making sure it’s easy to read with clear headings and sections.
Ensure text is broken up into paragraphs and lists, as this will make it more readable.
3. Mobile Optimization
Nowadays, many people browse the internet using their mobile devices instead of a desktop or laptop computer.
Therefore, it’s essential to make sure your website is optimized for mobile use.
A good way to do this is by making sure the website displays properly on various screen sizes and devices, so visitors can easily access it whether they’re using a tablet, smartphone or laptop.
4. Searchability
A search bar at the top of your website can be an invaluable tool, allowing users to quickly find what they are looking for.
Make sure the search bar is clearly visible and easy to use, with a field large enough for visitors to type in their query quickly.
Also, consider using predictive search technology to help suggest relevant content as people start typing in their queries.
5. Accessibility
Don’t forget that some visitors may have a disability that affects how they access your website, such as vision impairment or hearing loss.
Make sure you design the website with accessibility in mind, by providing alternative text for images and videos and using fonts that are easy to read.
It can also be helpful to ensure that people can navigate through the site using only their keyboard, and consider creating additional audio versions of content if possible.
6. Feedback
Don’t forget to ask your visitors for feedback on the usability of your website. This could be through a simple survey or poll, or even an email address where they can contact you directly with any suggestions or issues they’ve spotted.
You can also monitor how people use your site by looking at analytics data such as page views and clicks.
By looking at this feedback, you can better understand what’s working and what areas are lacking within your website.
7. Testing
Last, but not least, make sure to always test your website before going live or implementing new changes.
This can be done manually or with automated testing tools that will check for usability and design issues.
Make sure you have a group of testers who are representative of the people likely to use your site, such as different age groups, genders and backgrounds.
Also, consider running usability tests on both desktop and mobile versions of the website.
For a more hands-off approach, it’s a good idea to start using tools that allow you to track changes, such as bugs, that can help automate the feedback process.
To make sure your budget is appropriate for all the tools needed for success, consider planning first.
From web dev costs to bug tracking tools, iron out how much you’re willing to pay early on.
Conclusion
By following these principles of website usability, you can create an attractive and easy-to-use web interface that will keep visitors engaged with your content.
If done correctly, this will result in better user experiences for all visitors to your site, leading to more conversions or sales.
Additionally, by making sure the website is accessible to everyone regardless of any disabilities they may have, you ensure no one is excluded from using it.
With a little bit of effort and creativity when designing the website’s layout and navigation structure, you should be able to improve its overall usability significantly.
