… Is a joy forever”
Don’t go away, you are on the right page, this article IS regarding Web Usability and not an English Poetry class! Though in this case, Keats had it only partly right. Having a great looking site is a major plus point for you, people like it, they are more likely to come back to it and even sign up and use your services.
But the buck does not stop there! It is also of extreme importance that your site be as simple as possible to navigate as good as it may look. Think about it, what is the point of having a great site if your user does not know what and where to click?
Here are some of the things we feel should feature on every usability checklist:
Forms checklist: make sure your form is readable, the form attracts people’s attention and most importantly looks neat, because the neater it looks, the more chances of it getting filled.
Scroll bars: yes, they are blendable; yes, you are capable of blending them; NO don’t blend them. If your user cannot see that scroll bars chances are, he is not about to go look for it! He misses it and he misses it, and that is one less potential customer. If you must change the colour/look of the scroll bar, make it visible and in contrast colours so it is not missed
Printability: the text on your page should be printable. Why? Because printability equals coherence which is important because people print what they like.
Make links obvious: make sure that every link that you put on every page has links that are visible so that your potential clients click on them rather than lose them in the confusion.
Frames: just because they exist doesn’t mean you have to use them.
Keep everything close: even if a page is buried 9 levels into a topic on your site, make sure that the link comes up with the trail less them 3 three steps from the home page, it is less confusing and frustrating!
Space out your content: don’t cram everything you’ve written in one square inch. Because no one is going to have the patience to strain their eyes to read what you have to say even if it is the most original and fresh content ever! Space it out so it’s easy on the eyes!
“…and it will never/pass into nothingness”
