Whether you are someone who works in web design or simply uses websites on a regular basis, you are probably already familiar with the idea of user-friendliness. A website’s content can be amazing and valuable, but if the site is badly designed, then this content won’t be easy to access. A truly user-friendly website must possess several important qualities to convey its message efficiently. Here’s how to identify whether or not a website is user-friendly or not.
Intuitive Design
This might seem like a vague quality for a website, but intuitive design is all about paying attention to the details that will subliminally influence a user. Discover Professional Web Design in Cardiff.When a person uses a website, they either consciously or subconsciously refer to previous sites they’ve visited in the past and use this experience to find their way around a new digital space. If a site is too unfamiliar and doesn’t employ intuitive design, users will grow frustrated with the inefficiency.
Compatibility Across Devices
It is no longer enough to design a website that functions on a desktop alone. So many people across the world use their mobile or tablet to access the internet and a website that doesn’t adjust to these different devices will quickly be left behind. This goes both ways, of course. If a web designer only focuses on making their site compatible with mobile devices, people who try to access it from a desktop will have trouble using it. These kinds of obstacles, if left unaddressed, can cause people to completely abandon a website over time.
Accessibility
A good website should be accessible to all, including people with disabilities. Visual impairment, hearing loss, mobility restrictions and other types of disabilities can make using the internet more of a challenge than it has to be. You can read this AccessiBe accessibility review to learn more about how software is developed to make websites easier to use. While some features pay more attention to improvements for people with specific disabilities, they also improve websites for the general user. Greater accessibility only makes websites better and should be a higher priority among designers.
Understandable Layout
Where information is placed on a webpage will determine how easy it is for users to understand. A good layout should feel natural and have a simple flow. Websites with high-quality content can still suffer from a lack of usability if the layout isn’t structured properly.
Readability
How you use text on your website can impact user-friendliness too. Huge walls of text can be intimidating. The likes of this stucco company website deliberately breaks texts into sections and pairs them with images to make the text easier to digest. Features like bullet points and infographics can also help present text in more approachable ways. Of course, the content is important too – make sure that the language is suitable to the knowledge level of your audience.
Smooth Navigation
How easy a website is for a user to navigate isn’t just about the appearance of each feature, but also how well each feature functions. This means that links should lead to the correct pages, images should load quickly, and other media should be hosted properly to avoid crashing or missing content. It may seem like a website has been designed well until you try to navigate it, at which point it might slow down significantly or cause your screen to freeze. User-friendly websites load quickly and smoothly.
A truly user-friendly website combines compelling visuals, smooth navigation, mobile compatibility, a strong layout, and full accessibility. Once these essentials are covered, you can trust that the website is reliable.
