When designing a website, it is important to consider the user first – below are 5 Usability findings by Smashingmagazine.com including form labels, user graphics, design quality, elements of credibility, designing above the fold and the best colour used for links.
Form Labels
On a contact form, it has been found that the form is more effective and usable when placed above the text field. As users read material from top to bottom, putting text above is the most feasible choice. Many forms put the text on the left of the box – however in doing this may form alignment issues.
Using Graphics – faces
The first thing that will catch the attention of a reader is the face of a person in a graphic and normally the user will glance at whatever the direction the user is looking at. Therefore, using faces which are looking at a particular heading is important in making certain points stand out.
Quality Design is an indicator of Credibility
Although there is a lot of talk that design in a website is less important than content – it is incorrect. Users do judge a book by its cover, therefore as well designed and laid out website including typography, colour, size and style is more likely to convert better than one which looks amateur.
Users do scroll
A study done by Jakob Nielsen in Prioritizing Web Usability revealed only 23% of visitors will scroll down when on a website. That is 77% of users will just look at what is above the fold (the area viewed on screen visible without needing to scroll) and from there determine to go on or move on. Therefore it is important to put your important content above the folded area. However, it is important to note to not cram all your information in – make this area accessible and comfortable to read otherwise the user will not see what they want to read. However, over time, studies have shown that users habits are changing and there has been a growth of users being comfortable to scroll than using pagination. Overall, it is important to lay out your document so it can be easily scanned.
Links is best blue
While having different colours for links will provide a website a sense of style, in terms of usability, following conventions is best. That is using blue for links. This is because when a user enters a website, they are looking for qualities which would have been on other websites. When a colour or element is similar to what they are use to, it is found more quickly and is less frustrating for the user.
