In our company, we make sure that we don’t just create a fancy website design, we also consider the functionality and experience that it should offer to your customers. Here are some tips on website design based from Nielsen/Norman, Human Factors International.
- Do not obstruct or compete with user’s critical tasks.
- Present elements related to specific tasks based on frequency, importance or sequence.
- Use buttons and links consistently. Always use the same label for the same function.
- Pages should push no unexpected animation or sound at users.
- Allow users to purchase without registering.
- Lay out objects hierarchically to match the user’s expected task flow: left to right or top top bottom. Most users start by scanning the content area.
- Ensure manageable page lenghts. Don’t use scrolling on home pages and make sure interior pages are fewer than 2.5 screens.
- Ensure that pages can be easily printed and that printing does not cut off critical information. If this is not practical, provide a printable version.
- Don’t design critical information os it looks like advertising.
- Don’t force users to hover over something to see options.
- Link names should communicate the content of the page they link to. Avoid generic links such as Click Here and More.
- User your user’s vocabulary.
- Write content that is short and simple, correct, in the active voice and interesting.
- User bulleted lists, introductory summaries, clear titles, and stand-alone chunks to facilitate scanning.
- Display a search box in the upper-right corner of every page.
- Chunk search results into categories.
