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Site usability is crucial but it is often overlooked by web designers, how many times have you clicked off a site exasperated with the lack of structure and confused about where its heading......
User experience and user perception are critical issues to Web site design, they influence and affect many other issues relating to site usability, function and navigation.
There is an increasing expectation by users on the importance of receiving a good and satisfying experience from a site, however many designers have focused primarily on technology and navigation features designed to make the site work, rather than issues which directly impact the user's experience.
Some people will accept poor usability if their goals are met and if the total experience is great. This would appear an important concept in the theme of site functionality as it suggests the acceptance of usability is moderated by overall experience.
This implies that site structure should mirror user tasks, not company structures.
Consistency, Accessibility and Clear Navigation are three of the important rules in effective site design, also designing a from the users perspective must be considered otherwise it's one click and your gone....
My fellow student, Terry Kavanagh, has much more to say on this subject.
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For a web site we generally mean how easy the site can be used,
If we design a site with usability in mind we generally mean that the site loads quickly and the content of the site is structured in such a way that the user finds it easy to use, to get the information that the site offers, ease of navigation, and a pleasing experience for the user.
If we get these components right we will:
Thereby increasing the user perception of satisfaction and hopefully, bringing them back to the site for a repeat performance.
To maximise usability we need to engineer the site as carefully as possible,
This will include such things as:
Know your users.
To achieve these ends we must observe users in the act of accessing the site and the ease with which users can use the site, we must remember, if the user is lost so are we, it’s only one click and we are gone
We can set up usability tests to identify user requirements, observe how other sites have built in usability, and generally pay attention to user needs.
The use of ‘everyday’ English instead of technical jargon, using clear and easy to read text, simple sentence structure and reducing ambiguous content, use of active voice, active verbs.
If we manage to achieve this approach we will maximise the user experience\ satisfaction and hopefully get repeat visits from the user as well as positive ‘word of mouth ‘ recommendations which may increase our exposure and ranking.
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