Elements of Good Website Usability
Usability is one the most important components that drive traffic to a website. By making your site easier to use, your visitors will have a better experience, which can encourage them to visit more frequently. Usability means having a user-centered design that meets goals, requirements, and mental models of prospective users.
Read on to learn to how to implement the concept of usability on your website.
Relevant Information
Too much irrelevant data forces visitors to leave your site immediately. Prevent this from happening by limiting the number of words that appear on your pages in half. Shorter content improves readability and helps visitors find the information they want. Keep things simple and go directly to the point.
Scannable Layout
Design your webpage with skimming in mind. You can do this by making your heading and titles interesting. This technique is helpful, as users tend to read the first few words of the content when they’re scanning a website. You can also use the inverted pyramid writing style to place the most important information on top.
Webpage Consistency
Create a consistent experience to keep visitors at ease. SEO agencies say that consistency makes a website easier to use, as visitors don’t have to learn new tricks when moving around the page. Maintain consistency in the layout of webpages, the language of the content, user-interface elements, and the visual treatment of elements.
Bulleted List and Text Formatting
Bulleted lists and proper text formatting attract attention, as they help speed up reading. These also break down information in detached parts and highlight important phrases and keywords. Consider breaking up long or big chunks of information into bulleted points and highlight important information in bold and italics.
Website Loading Speed
The average user has no patience for pages that take too long to load. Slower page response time translates into a bad experience and results in a bounce. You can boost speed by using a faster web server that can keep up with traffic.
Whether you’re building or remodeling a website, usability should always be a priority. It is also important to understand mental models to determine how users expect you to present the content and other elements on your site.
