Skip to navigation | Skip to content

Share your knowledge. Make a difference.

Is your website user friendly?

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 9 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #3391 in Business, #53915 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

How you can improve your websites usability

 

I'm a freelance Web Designer and created this lens to help you improve your website so it can be more user friendly. The more user friendly, the longer people will stay on your website and the more likely they are to bookmark it and send to their friends.

The are several things you can do on your site to make it enjoyable and accessible for all. For a business this is crucial as it gives people a better opinion and appreciation of your product and/or service.

Think of your website like the guest bedroom in your house 

Is it inviting and comfortable? Are you considerate and leave everything they need like shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, hair dryer? Is it clean with fresh sheets, vacuumed carpets and a sparkling bathtub? Did you take the time to decorate with pretty artwork, fresh flowers and a pleasant colour scheme? Did you invest in a good mattress so they have a comfortable sleep? Are you thoughtful and leave a guide to restaurants in town, numbers for taxis and bus schedules? Do you always keep your guest bedroom nice expecting to have visitors?

Or is your guest bedroom dusty, dated, wallpaper peeling off the wall, bed piled high with papers books and other junk? Is the closet so crammed full of crap they can't hang their clothes? Does the mattress have busted springs sticking out? Does the bathroom have a broken toilet you never bothered to fix? Do you make excuses to your guests like you plan to fix it up but you've just been so busy? Is your guest room this way because you didn't expect any visitors and therefore didn't invest any time or money into fixing it up nice?

Your website also needs to be inviting and comfortable. It should look like you made an effort to ensure it's functional and aesthetically pleasing. That you are thoughtful of your customers and created a website with useful information and made it easy to find what they are looking for. Your websites should look like you expect a lot of visitors, are professional and proud of your business.

Your homepage 

This is where users will decide whether to look further into your website or hit the back button. A visitor to your website should be able to know exactly what your business is and what they can find in your website just by your homepage. This should all be accomplished in a short, precise paragraph of text, a good header and meaningful images.

Avoid using "welcome to my site" it is meaningless. Sum up your website in that welcoming heading. For example; I designed a website for a company that delivers farm fresh blueberries to offices. So for their main heading it reads "farm to office blueberries in under 32 hours"

The homepage content should be freshened up on a regular basis, feature a service or product, let them know of an upcoming event or sale, give them a reason to keep coming back to your site to see what new things you have to offer.

Examples of great homepage design 

Get inspired

Provided are links to a few website I feel have excellent homepage design. Not only do they look great, they are clear, uncluttered and sum up the site well.
Realasponse
Smart design and navigation. They allow users to click the video instead of auto playing it when you load the homepage.
31three
Beautiful design and simple layout. This link provides a great example of using your headline to sum up your websites product or service.
Illiana's Chihuahuas
Clean layout, cute design and simple navigation.
Cork'd
Simple layout, good design and easy to see what the site is about.

Navigation 

It's important for your navigation to be organized, easy to use and clearly labeled. Menu's usually go on the top of the page under your logo and header or on the left hand side. It doesn't have to be on the top or to the left however that is the place most users look to find the main menu. Regardless, your navigation needs to be consistent on every page.

If a main page has subpages, the first page users see should be treated like a homepage, brief, concise text that explains what is there and each subpage should be easy to see and click on.

It is a good idea to have a different colour for visited links so your users know where they have been. The title of each page should have the name of the page they are at, so if it is services at the top it should say services. If your site is very large with many subcategories then it is a good idea to let them know where they are for example: products>books>fiction>new releases.

Web bloopers 

Learn common mistakes made in websites so you can avoid them in your own.
Web Bloopers: 60 Common Web Design Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them (Interactive Technologies)

Web Bloopers: 60 Common Web Design Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them (Interactive Technologies)

by Jeff Johnson

Amazon Price: $48.40 (as of 10/12/2008)

Get to the point, remove the fluff 

Resist the temptation to use hyped up marketing language or "marketese". It is meaningless and says nothing of real value about what you do. Make your content meaningful, concise, clear and to the point.

People scan websites quickly to find the information they are looking for so keep your paragraphs short (up to 5 lines). Use bulleted lists and subheadings to break up text. There is no need to go into lengthy descriptions, only include relevant content.

Use laymen's terms 

Try to use laymen's terms when describing your product or service so anyone can understand. I recently visited a technology website for my father, he wanted me to explain what they do. I spent 20 minutes going through their site (it was only 5 pages) and I couldn't figure out what service their business provided even in their services page! They used a lot of "marketese", vague descriptions and industry terms only an expert in the field would understand.

When describing your product and services be specific and clear. Remember not everyone knows what you are talking about so use language everyone can understand.

Declutter your website 

Each page should be clearly laid out and easy to read. Cramming as much information, images and ads as you can into your site will overwhelm and confuse people. Have a focus and stick to it. Although Google ads and other affiliate ads are a good way to earn extra money from your website, don't let them take away from your content by stuffing as many in as you can.

Don't make me think 

Excellent book on how to make your site more user friendly.

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Appr to Web Usability, 2nd Edition

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Appr to Web Usability, 2nd Edition

by Steve Krug

Amazon Price: $26.40 (as of 10/12/2008)

Accessibility 

Accessibility in your website means it accommodates those with disabilities whether it be visual, hearing or mobility. If you feel it's important for your site to be accessible then consult your Web Designer to make the necessary changes. If you manage your website yourself there are several online resources and books you can read to improve equal access to your site.

Some simple things you can do to make your site more accessible:
  • Font size - Avoid using tiny text that is hard to read. Also use relative font sizes (such as %)instead of absolute (pixels). Relative font size allows the user to resize the text using their browser

  • Consider those who are colour blind - avoid colour coding your navigation

  • Use greater contrast between text and background colour - for example; avoid using light grey text on a darker grey background

  • Subtitle videos for the hearing impaired


Accessibility Resource 

Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance

Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance

by Jim Thatcher, Andrew Kirkpatrick, Mark Urban, Bruce Lawson, Shawn Lawton Henry, Michael R. Burks, Cynthia Waddell, Christian Heilmann, Richard Rutter, Bob Regan, Patrick H. Lauke

Amazon Price: $31.49 (as of 10/12/2008)

Contact and F.A.Q 

Allow your customers to contact you, provide an email address or phone number that is easy to find on the site. Have you ever visited a site and had more questions but couldn't find an email or any way to contact them? It can cost you business if clients can't easily contact you at any point in your site.

Frequently asked questions are a great way to answer anything a client might need to know about your business. However do make it actual frequently asked questions!

Like this lens? 

View my other lenses on business websites

featured lens 10 Best Things You Can Do on Your Business Website

I'm a Freelance Web Designer and created this lens to help you make good decisions about what should go into your business website. Over the years I've come to see what my successful clients all have in common, especially when it comes to how they wa...

featured lens How to Create an Attention Grabbing Homepage

Your homepage is the front door of your website and curb appeal is everything. The purpose of your homepage is to give an overview of what visitors can expect to find in your site. If it doesn't grab their attention they will hit the back button. Th...

featured lens 10 WORST things you can do on your business website

I am a Freelance Web Designer and created this lens to help people avoid the mistakes many make on their business websites. If your site is selling a product or service then you want to make sure your site is user friendly.  The last thing you...

featured lens How to get a custom website for your business on a budget

I'm a freelance Web Designer and created this lens to help you in the process of getting a website for your business. Including the planning stages, how to shop for a Web Designer, how to get an accurate quote for your website and insider tips! Ther...

Vote on this lens 

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Latest from my blog 

www.shannoncdesign.com

Get useful tips and information to help you with your business website.

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

Ask the designer 

Questions or comments? I would be happy to answer them

jasmineann

Excellent advice and well presented. Adding to faves and 5 stars. Thank you :)

Posted July 04, 2008
scottywott

Very well written collection of information, Shannon. I shall recommend you!

Posted July 03, 2008
poddys

Very good advice. Layout, using laymen's terms etc, it's all very important. I know what turns me off a web site, so I try to avoid the same in my own. 5***** for some very good advice.

Posted June 20, 2008
ElizabethJeanAllen

Very informative. I have 3 websites and have built several for friends. You're right. It has to be user friendly or a click in and out is all you'll get.
Great lens.
5 *
Lizzy

Posted June 03, 2008
thomasa

Hi, I am trying to figure out what is a subpage?
Do you have it here?

I hear people talk about subpage all the time on squidoo but I don't know how to find it?

Posted May 12, 2008

Related topics: Is your website user friendly,  accessablility,  example user friendly website,  Business,  more

X
ShannonC

About ShannonC

I am a freelance Web Designer and Artist located in Vancouver B.C. I've created several lenses sharing my industry knowledge to help businesses with their websites and have plans for more.

To view my online portfolio for web design visit:
www.shannoncdesign.com



ShannonC's Pages

See all of ShannonC's pages