Modern website users are a little complex. They expect more! They don’t want any poor quality content, broken links and static graphics. No matter whether you are designing, maintaining or updating your website, usability should be the major factor. Planning and testing are the critical aspects to improve a website’s usability. Only with thorough planning you can ensure that your website is beautifully representing your business message across multiple browsers and screen sizes.
Plan, Plan, Plan
Yes, planning is the key. Create a blueprint of what and how you want a certain element. Gather all your thoughts and ideas and discuss with your developers and copywriters. They can guide you better on how to remove all the flaws from the website and make it more user friendly.
Cut Content
Trim down the web content and add more images, videos and audios. They should be able to deliver useful message to your users so that they can have trust on you. Never force audio or video playback on you users.
Look for Dead Links
Broken or dead links are always irritating. Moreover, they can also have a bad impact on your website ranking. Google consider usability as the major aspect in web design and numerous dead links on website means that your website is no longer for users. Make sure you eliminate all such dead links by using Webmaster Tool. This tool will help you identify, fix or remove such links.
Offer Sitemaps and Search
Navigation that is reliable and accurate always delivers excellent user experience. Since there are different types of visitors, some might look for a search function and some may use sitemap to look for deep pages. So, you need to prepare your site for everyone. Make sure you place search box in the upper right corner so that user can easily find it and look for relevant information.
Instructions Should Be Clear
Remove all the obstructions that can hamper the smooth transition through your website. If you have an ecommerce website, make sure all the instructions, products, description, pricing, everything is clear and understandable. Your users should not have to think about how to use the website or place the order.
NO Complex CAPTCHAs
CAPTCHAs are essential to prevent spams and bots, but you need to ensure that it doesn’t irritate your users. It should be easy to use and read. Avoid complex CAPTCHAs showing some short video or asking to select the roads signs or something similar.
Simple, Uniform Navigation
Navigation is an important element of a website. It should be simple and easy. Users should be able to reach the information they are looking for quickly. Avoid complex navigation that confuses the user or frustrate them. The navigation menu should be at the top so users can find and use it comfortably.
Test, Test, Test
When it comes to usability, planning and testing go hand-in-hand. You plan a thing and implement it, the next step is to test it. Testing ensures that everything is settled as per your expectations. No matter what additions or changes you do, make sure you test it and prevent all the errors.
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