It is important to pay attention to little details that make
the site easier to use by visitors. Sometimes small details
make the difference, and the user likes our site better than
other sites, just because he feels comfortable navigating
it, and finds what he wants easily. Of course, it depends
on the audience you expect for your website. For instance,
if you have a website for professional designers, then you
do not need to keep it that simple. Users will find their
way and probably enjoy that sophisticated and strange menu
system that is a piece of art. But if you expect a general
audience, it is better to keep things nice and simple. The
site usage should be intuitive. This is a list of several
aspects you should consider:
· Let the user adjust the font size, avoid using
fixed font sizes in your stylesheet. If you use fixed fonts,
at least make them big enough so they can be read by people
with sight problems.
· Make the forms clear and avoid crowded pages. Insert
text hints when necessary so users always know what they
have to input in each field. You may also use a small help
icon next to the form field that users can press to get a
pop-up with more information about the field usage.
· If you use menus, make sure they are easy to use.
It is better if they are not too sophisticated if the site
is for a general audience.
· Use the ALT and TITLE attributes in images. This
will also help you with positioning your site in search engines.
· Make sure the site content is easy to access. This
means that you placed the pages in the logical menus or submenus.
Try to think as the user would think. You may ask someone
else to use the site and give you feedback, since it is hard
to realize if content is easy to access for others.
· Minimize the number of clicks to get to destination
pages. Try not to nest pages inside menus, then submenu,
then submenu… .Two or three levels should be enough
for most cases.
· Contact Us page should be accessible from all pages.
Include a form in the page so users can send you comments.
If they found trouble using the site, they will probably
tell you and you can fix the problem for future users. It
is also a good idea to include a “Comments about this
website” link in all pages footer so users can send
a message to the webmaster.
· Choose the colors wisely. Different color schemas
may help identify different areas of the site, for example.
· Make sure text is easily readable. Do not use too
similar colors for text color and background.
· If you have long pages, insert Back to Top links
in the page body.
· Keep design consistent throughout the site. This
also helps you define an identity for your website.
Sergio Roth is an experienced freelance web programmer. You
can contact him for hosting and website development services
at
http://www.ayreshost.com.
