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Five usability principles for Web design
By Ilise Benun
2003-09-02
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Guidelines to keep in mind when designing a site.
- Consistency. To prevent confusion and anxiety, a
site should be graphically and interactively consistent from page to page,
section to section, even sub-site to sub-site (for larger sites). Pages should
share the same basic layout grids, graphic themes, editorial conventions, and
hierarchies of organization. Users shouldn’t have to remember what the
elements mean from one page to another, which means using the same buttons or
interactive icons, the same terminology, the same organization of actions
throughout the site to help to reduce memory load.
- Interaction. Interaction should be predictable,
visible and reversible. When the user clicks a button, something on the screen
should change so the user knows the system has registered the action. When
possible, offer a preview of the results of an action. Any delay intrudes on
users' tasks and erodes confidence in the system. Users feel more comfortable
with interfaces in which their actions do not cause irreversible consequences.
Users should feel confident exploring and know they can try an action, view
the result, and undo the action if the result is unacceptable.
- Instruction. Design that promotes multiple, open
channels of communication between the company and the consumer establishes
trust and credibility. So go ahead and tell people what to do. Don’t make them
think, guess or wonder. Some users like more instruction than others; that’s
why knowing your users is essential when it comes to assisting their process
on a site. Help them find information quickly and easily. Use text links,
title tags, or hovers to give instructions. Let them know how long something
will take to download and where their system is in the downloading process.
- Choices. Offer users more than one way to find
what they’re looking for. Allow them to choose the method of interaction that
is most appropriate to their situation and then support alternate interaction
techniques. Within the same user group, some may prefer text links over
graphic links. Some may always use the search field first, while others may go
for the index or site map. Flexible interfaces can accommodate a wide range of
user skills, physical abilities, interactions, and usage environments.
- Control. Personalization is the ultimate in
control, especially on sites visited or used regularly, such as
transaction-oriented sites. Allowing a user to personalize the site for their
interests and preferences can make the interface feel comfortable and familiar
to each one, which leads to higher productivity and user satisfaction.
Allowing users to decide how the page is laid out, which elements are hidden
and which are visible, can save them time and hassle when accessing frequently
used functions. Text size is another element many people have personal
preferences for. People with vision problems like to have consistently large
text displayed, but many sites take control of text size through CSS.
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