4 Factors that must be considered to Improve Website Usability

Website usability is one of the most important topics in web development. You need to design your website to accommodate a wide range of visitors. Governments have taken legal steps to pass laws which are intended to make websites more usable and professional. Education, corporate and municipal venues are also demanding that the Internet move towards improved usability. The business and public sectors are also relying on generating and maintaining user friendly sites to generate more web traffic.

When surveyed, 74% of users consider usability as one of the main considerations for coming back to a website. Having a user friendly site will give your website a good image.

Context is the main reason why there are moves towards improving the usability of websites. Internet users are looking for information and this includes the 20% of Americans who have disabilities. The Internet is often the only communication and information tool this population sectors has.

Usability factors that must be considered when developing a user-centered website include the following:

1. Accessibility. Accessibility refers to the quickness and ease of getting information from a site.

2. Download time. A website that takes a great amount of time to load will not be considered. Users will quickly note that your website has too many graphics, too much content, and is too slow to load. They will avoid this site.

3. Feedback Mechanism. Feedback is very important in assessing and improving a website. Use forms, surveys, or check boxes to gather information from your users. This goes a long way in improving your site as well.

4. Navigation. Navigational links should be provided and placed properly throughout the website. These tools guide the users on how to effectively access and gather the information they came to the website to explore.

When arranging and developing the menu of your website, remember to always keep your goals in mind. If your goal is to provide information, use the right links in the menu bar. The menu’s basic function should be connected with the goal of the website. If you are offering an array of products, include those categories in the menu bar.

The menu bar should highlight all the pages that are contained in your website. Keep the information regarding the purpose of the website on the home page and choose the contents of the menu bar to reflect that information. Keep the menu bar simple and maximize the limited space provided.
Cohesion should be a factor when designing our menu bar. It is the web designers’ choice when designing the menu bar, but keep in mind that users will need the menu bar to be easy to use.

Always consider the fonts you are using. Users should be able to customize the fonts of the entire website. Keep your fonts consistent and not too small or too big. If you are using different fonts for the menu bar, make sure they are not too different from the content fonts.

Menu arrangement is a design technique that is part of usability of a website. Use the above tips when designing your pages and menus. Keep it user friendly and center your attention on the user.