10 Usability Principles to guide you through the
Posted by: siddesigner on: September 29, 2008
- Motivate
Design your site to meet specific user needs and goals. Use motivators to draw different user “personae” into specific parts of your site.
- User task flow
Who are your users? What are their tasks and online environment? For a site to be usable, page flow must match workflow.
- Architecture – it’s 80% of usability
Build an efficient navigational structure. Remember – if they can’t find it in 3 clicks, they’re gone.
- Affordance means obvious
Make controls understandable. Avoid confusion between emblems, banners, and buttons.
- Replicate
Why reinvent the wheel? Use ergonomically designed templates for the most common 8-12 pages.
- Usability test along the way
Test early in design using low-fidelity prototypes. Don’t wait until the end when it’s too late.Know the technology limitations Identify and optimize for target browsers and user hardware. Test HTML, JavaScript, etc. for compatibility.
- Know the technology limitations
Identify and optimize for target browsers and user hardware.Test HTML, JavaScript, etc for compatibility.
- Know user tolerances
Users are impatient. Design for a 2-10 second maximum download. Reuse header graphics so they can load from cache. Avoid excessive scrolling.
- Multimedia – be discriminating
Good animation attracts attention to specific information, then stops. Too much movement distracts, slowing reading and comprehension.
- Use a stats package
Monitor traffic through your site. Which pages pique user interest? Which pages make users leave? Adjust your site accordingly.
