By Steve Hoag

website usability

Website usability is all about ensuring site users can find what they're looking for quickly and efficiently. There are a variety of factors that play a role in maximizing site usability. Let’s take a look at a few of them:

Easy and intuitive navigation

In order to maximize usability, it is important to make sure that your navigation is intuitive. Common conventions are organizing your navigation tabs at the header and footer of every site, with main sections highlighted in the nav bar. Also, try to keep your navigation system pretty simple. People visiting your site should be able to reach important information and areas quickly, without having to dig through multiple menus.

Ensure there are no broken links or image errors

If your website uses a lot of graphics to explain concepts then you have to make sure that all the images display correctly. Nothing is more bothersome to a user than clicking on a page and finding that none of the information loads properly. The same goes for making sure all hyperlinks and forms are working properly. The point of usability is to minimize user headaches, not increase them.

Pages must download quickly

People get tired of waiting. That’s a fact. Having long page loads will drive traffic away from your site and undermine its usability.

Easy information retrieval

Most people scan web pages these days. They don’t read everything word for word. Your website needs to make the important information pop out. Use headings, link text, bold text, and bulleted lists to make important information easy to see and understand.

View User Profile for Steve Hoag Steve is a recent graduate from UW, and the Marketing Coordinator at Fast Track. He primarily has experience in the tech and start-up industries. When he's not busy promoting Fast Track, he's watching Huskies or Green Bay Packers football. You can find him on Twitter @steven_hoag .
Posted by Steve Hoag Wednesday, November 13, 2013 7:33:00 PM Categories: B2B B2C enterprise SMB web design website