A very basic article posted on my blog, but none the less, a nice read for those just getting into web design. Enjoy!
Instantly improve usability of your site
No matter what your site is about a very important key to a successful site is usability. You don’t have to be a marketing professional to make your site users friendly, all you may need is a little guidance if you are not sure what you need to do. Here are some tips to help you keep your site user friendly.
Home: When you design a home page, keep the home link accessible to the user, make sure they know where it is at all times and on every page of your site. A good tip is to keep it in the same place on each page.
Links: If you are going to have links on your site. Make sure they look like links. The underlined blue text you see on sites is a link. Designers don’t like it much but users love it because it makes it clear that the word or a phrase is a link.
Text Size: Designers sometimes use small text to save room but if the text is too a users won’t stay on a site because they have a hard time reading the text. Keep the text at a normal size about 11 will be ok.
Navigation: Navigation is the key to any site. Place your navigational bar on the top of the page under your logo or maybe even down on the left side of the page. Never change location of the navigation that would defeat the purpose for easy navigation.
Orientation: If you have a site that has a lot of pages and many different products you want the user to know where they are as much as how they got there. You want to make sure your site has a click path. It shows how they got there in case they wish to go back they can find their way again.
Content: it is really not a factor in usability but it is a main part of the site. Keep the information pertinent because most users don’t read as much as the scan. Keep it short and to the point.
Placement: Place features where users expect to find them. The user understands that each is different but try to keep in uniform with other sites so the users will not have to search for it. Also, keep banners small and on the top of a page. Keep your search box on top to the right.
The 30 Second Rule: This applies in this context, in 30 seconds a user should know what site they are on and exactly where they are on that site.
Search: If you have a lot of pages on your site, give your users a search box. Place it on the right side of the page where it is easy to find.
Speed: There is nothing more annoying that having to wait for something. Keep your site flowing and keep your Flash effects to minimum. A user wants to be on a site that is speedy.
Digg:
http://digg.com/design/Instantly_imp...y_of_your_site
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