There are so many components that come together to synthesize a valid website. Everything from the colors used, and typography to the spacing between lines of content aesthetics determine how successful and purposeful a company website and online presence is.
The one problem that many websites still face is that they are not built with users in mind. Instead of focusing on search engines and repetitive content and keywords, creating an environment where content is accessible, purposefully built and user centric, is key. This is why some websites, even with a fantastic and modern design, may fall short when compared to sites that put their efforts in user valuable information and user-friendly interfaces with purpose-built action points.
The best way to challenge the topic of web usability is to understand what makes a website usable for visitors. By understanding those benefits, you can create a masterpiece that facilitates every one of your business or organization’s goals.
Let’s explore why a user-oriented approach to design creates an environment that promotes everything from your content to your company or brand itself.
Starting With a Solid Foundation
The main reason digital projects are so troublesome is that they repeatedly have to go back to the drawing board. Many groups take an approach that forces them to draft a website completely before they can test how successful it is.
This type of development can be likened to a construction company that creates entire houses before seeing if the buyer wants these structures; it’s a costly process that requires everything to be torn down if there is but one imperfection.
By focusing purely on the user experience, it’s possible to lay a strong foundation for a website that promotes itself from the start. This reduces the overall cost of construction while drastically streamlining the amount of work needed to create testable websites.
Avoiding Common and Costly Mistakes
Staying in line with the construction example, websites focus on web usability first, much like construction companies that focus on resident-friendly designs first and foremost. They can establish guidelines that can be followed during the drafting process, which in turn makes it so usability can be factored into the equation. This practice helps to avoid common mistakes that can end up being incredibly costly to a website.
For example, it promotes an environment where the entire project has a sense of coordination. Individual designers may work on a logo, text appearance, color schemes and cross-device functionality. Each one of these individual parts will cross-reference a project strategy, which in turn allows them to perform the most efficiently while creating a product that meshes together with minimal conflicts.
Moving back the construction analogy, this prevents a house from being built with a Greek-style bathroom, a Southern-style openness and a Cathedral-style windows. Each builder coordinates to avoid having to redo conflicts in vision.
Other mistakes like using impractical or immature technology, making risky style choices and caving to commercial pressures can also be avoided. This idea of a user-oriented blueprint makes for a strong website that prevents a website from falling into numerous pitfalls that are incredibly costly to free itself from.
The website design should reflect the brand, corporate culture and company beliefs, it needs to emotionally engage its users and be consistent in look and feel with all other offline marketing efforts.
Building an Enduring Website
The last major point to touch upon is the longevity of any given website. Usability takes precedence over design and technology, as websites tend to use backward-compatible components.
By focusing on smart choices that promote user interaction, it’s possible to create an effective website that can last more than just one or two years. These simple principles of usability are what allow websites from 10 to 20 years ago to continue working even when they use things like responsive web design.
Building a digital foundation that will allow your company to grow and reflect that growth online is key.
The Bottom Line Concerning Usability
By focusing on usability in the beginning, you can create a site that avoids many of the problems modern websites face while dramatically cutting the cost and time of development. This results in a more successful website for both your users and your business, which means that it’s a situation where everyone wins.