19 May 2009
What is Website Usability and why is it important. This article gives a brief explanation of web usability and why it is important, as well as giving some tips for applying it to your website.

Website Usability

What it is and why it is important

There is no point having a website if it is so poorly designed that any visitor you do manage to get soon decides to leave. Web usability is all about designing a website that is easy to use and allows visitors to find exactly what they are looking for quickly.

The following are some of the key principles of web usability:

1. Simple navigation
2. Easy to find and relevant information
3. Using the website is a pleasant experience
4. Pages are quick to download
5. Consistency

1. Simple navigation

The navigation on a site needs to be intuitive and consistent throughout the site. Some ways to achieve this are:

The navigation menu should be in the same place on each page.

Use text rather than images for the menu items. If you do use images, make sure that there is a text version as well.

2. Easy to find and relevant information

Use headings, bulleted lists and bold text.

Make sure your links are descriptive, explaining clearly where the link will take them; avoid "click here" links.

Ensure that all the information on your site is relevant to your expected visitors. If users of your site don't find the information on it useful, then they are unlikely to return to it in the future.

Your home page should state what you offer and what visitors to your site can do.

For large sites, include a site map.

3. Using the website is a pleasant experience

If a visitor to your site does not enjoy the experience, then they are unlikely to return. Your website should be uncluttered and aesthetically pleasing.

4. Pages are quick to download

Even with the increase in broadband for accessing the internet, it is still important that your website loads quickly. People surfing the web do not like to wait for websites to load and will quickly move on to a competitor's site if your site takes too long to appear.

5. Consistency

This is probably the most important principle of usable website design. Consistency helps visitors recognise the different areas of your website. It should quickly tell them that they've arrived in the right place. It can take the form of consistency in the layout of the site, in the titles of the links and the pages.

Conclusion

In summary, by sticking to these simple design rules, you should have a website that visitors will be happy to use. Before choosing a web designer, make sure that you have a clear idea of what you want your website to do, who it is targeted at and how they are likely to use your website. In this way, by focusing on what a user of your website wants, you are more likely to have a website that they will like and use. Designing a website in this way is referred to as "user-centred design".