5 Tips for User-Friendly Website Design
Sometimes you can visit a website and tell immediately that it hasn’t been updated in years. Other times, you may not be able to put your finger on it, but it makes you want to leave. User-friendly websites are more than just easy navigation. Below are design tips that help make your visitors want to stay, learn more, and become fans of your work.
Don’t crowd your space. A busy website means that the viewer doesn’t know what is most important and visitors want the information they’re looking for to be easy to access. Don’t make them work for it. This means you must determine what is the most important service or product you provide and put it in the visual spotlight. Make sure you have all the info they may be looking for, but not all in one place. This is by far the most common web design mistake according to a recent GoodFirms’ survey.
Navigation should be EASY. Don’t hide options to see more of your site. It can be frustrating to get to a page that doesn’t clearly allow you to find what you need. Pretty landing pages that don’t have a menu or direction will make a visitor want to leave. Clever is great in design – clever that stumps your viewers is a big mistake.
Avoid fancy fonts that are hard to read. We love a fancy font too but clarity needs to be the priority. Also, when uploading a special web font to your site, keep in mind that it adds to the download speed.
Use whitespace. The space you give to text and illustrations makes a huge difference. It’s truly a staple for all things design because it provides direction, focal point, and calm. You can have loads of technical or industry specific information, but by using whitespace appropriately, it won’t look as daunting to the viewer.
Always incorporate a call-to-action in your design. For example:
a. In a pricing section, include “buy now”
b. When telling a great story or providing details, add “learn more”
c. Invite email engagement with “sign up today”
d. Encourage supporting a great cause with “donate now.”
This chart shows the most common web design mistakes according to a survey from GoodFirms:
It’s also important to stay on top of trends. These days, visitors are using phones and touch screens more often than you might think. Is your site mobile friendly? Are they able to scroll for information or do they continually have to go back to the menu? Is your site ADA compliant? Check on your own site as a potential customer would see it.
When we build websites, you can be sure that we implement the best in visual and navigational design for your product or service. Are you ready for an update with something fresh and relevant? Contact Laura Coyle: laura@342mad.com or call 941-544-5878.