Written by: Emil Atanasov
Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The other day I had a call with a client and as part of our conversation we touched on several usability topics. It was very evident right from the start that my client did not really understand why usability is so gravely important for a successful website today. For people with little technical knowledge, especially in the area of web development, a website is just a website - if it looks good, then it has to be good.

But looks can be, and often are, deceiving. Nonetheless, to a small businessperson who is running a website the general (mis)conception is that if their website is perceived as good-looking then it is also usable. There is a reason for that. When one creates a website for oneself or their business, one may often forget that he/she will not be the actual person visiting and using the website, so they create something that makes them happy and strokes their ego. Yes, they may end up with a beautiful, snazzy website...and so what after that? Are we entering a competition for good-looking websites? Or are we entering a harsh business world where a high-rate of conversion of your visitors to clients is what will make the difference between staying afloat or going under during this time of recession and economic crisis?

Of course, the answer is evident - at least for those running a business in which the website plays a major role. Remember, if your website will be just eye-candy that never brings you enough clients or customers, then you might as well abandon it and save yourself the expense. It is a fact that those who stay on top of usability techniques and implement them to improve the experience of the visitors of their website continually increase the number of people who become their clients or customers.

It may seem like I'm proposing that the terms usable and beautiful are mutually exclusive when talking about websites. That is not the case. I am merely suggesting that, unfortunately, most web designers have none, nada, zero knowledge about what makes a website usable. The focus is very often on superficial things that large studies in usability have shown over and over again actually distract the visitor and prevent him/her from actually getting to the information they came to look for in the first place. Twenty seconds later, they have already hit the back button to go to the search engine results and you lost a potential client. I don't believe that's the story that most business owners want to attribute to their website, but it happens ALL the time. Just make a point to note what you do when you look for a product or information on the web next time.

To be a little more specific about some of the things that make a website design unsuccessful, and which have to do with usability, here's a short list of examples:

• incorrect font size, type, and color;
• poor choice of colors and lack of contrast in crucial areas;
• misuse of white space;
• excessive quantity and poor location of action content, such as Flash animations, videos, and others;
• poor organization of the content;
• too much or too little content;
• poor usage of numbered and bulleted lists;
• confusing navigation, i.e. menu;
• badly styled links, both visually and substantively; and many others.

These are just a few examples - in reality, there is a lot more to be thoughtful about when designing a website. This is why it's so important when you talk to a web designer or developer to make sure to inquire about what kind of usability techniques they used when creating the website.

Hopefully, you know how great it is to be in true love that encompasses both looks and substance. All I wish for you is to be in true love with your website, too, and to help others fall in love with it as well!

Onward and Upward,

Emil

Copyright ©2008 Emil Atanasov

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