Web Design by a User for the Users

By taking a step back from the design process and seeing the internet from an inexperienced surfers point of view, web designers are able to create sites that will attract users not for the useless gizmos but for their sites comprehensive information and usability.

A website has to be designed with all levels of experience in mind, to do this it must be simple and easy to navigate. A user must be able to navigate to and from the homepage with ease without hundreds of pop up windows appearing or without having to click on numerous links which will leave users feeling lost. Preferably, good web design should make use of a static menu or site map which can take the user back to the homepage with ease and allow them to move around without having to go through scores of pages. The search tool is also a valuable tool for users allowing them to locate the information they require within a matter of seconds; however the results the search tool produce can often be irrelevant to the keyword you are searching. For instance, from previous experience, if "Postage costs" is typed in the search results may turn up news articles hidden within the site rather than producing the actual page with the information required. The main point being that if a search tool is to be used on a site it is more likely to be used to locate obvious pages or information rather than random news articles.

The content of a site should also be simple; keep it uncluttered and easy on the eye. For the content make sure that it is kept up to date, site blogs and news pages can be popular but if they are not updated on a regular basis they will fall off the readers radar and depending on what the site is about, not having up-to-date relevant information can cost the website its credibility.

Although they are already on the demise websites with flash intro’s can be annoying for users and often doubles the time such a task would ordinarily take. Websites that take an age to load can be very annoying, and unless the user wants to use this specific site they will look elsewhere.

Simple web design may be the solution to usability, but this does not necessarily mean boring. Some of the most unique websites on the internet follow a very simplistic navigation system and layout but still remain fun through their use of photographs, images, and styling. The fun factor of a website is probably of 20% importance when deciding what makes a good website, yet the suitability of a fun website depends entirely upon the demographics of the websites target market and what the company wants to achieve though the website.

When using retail websites it is incredibly useful when the potential customer is presented with all sizes, styles, colours, and brands. This can be very helpful for a variety of reasons, it allows for quick filtering of the products through the selection of different factors until you are left with what you are looking for. Another useful strategy is when products are grouped into themes not only does this allow customers to identify with said themes but it can expose them to alternative items or entice them to buy more than what they had originally logged on for. Where a site has a lot of products or results it is much more convenient if you can view all these on one page rather than having to work through 12.