To properly use the principles of good web design, we have to first understand the interaction of users with the website, their thoughts, and the main patterns of user?s behavior.
How do users think?
Users’ habits on the website are not different from customers’ habits in a store. Visitors look at each new page, scan some texts, and click on the link that captures their interest or slightly resembles what they are searching for.
Most users look for something interesting and clickable. With web design services, you can create every page of your website. But, when the page does not meet users’ assumptions, the back button is clicked, and the searching process is continued.
Users appreciate credibility and quality.
If the users are provided with a high-quality content page, they will be willing to compromise the content with the design and advertisements of the site. This is why well-designed websites with high-quality content don’t get a lot of traffic over the years. So, the content is more necessary than the design that supports it. Therefore, do not invest all your money in web design services. Save some to pay creative content creators.
Users scan. They don?t read.
Examining a web page, users look for some fixed anchors or points that guide them through the page content.
Users are impatient and urge on instant gratification.
If the website does not meet users? assumptions, the designer will not get his job done properly, and the company will lose money. The higher the cognitive load and the less intuitive the navigation, the more willing the users will be to leave the website and look for alternatives.
Users don?t make optimum choices.
Users don?t go for the quickest way to get the information they are looking for. Neither, they linearly scan the webpage, going in a sequence from one site section to another. They select the first reasonable option. Once they find a link that appears as it might lead to the aim, there is a great chance that it will be suddenly clicked. Optimizing is difficult and takes a long time, while satisficing is more efficient.
Users follow their insights.
In many cases, users muddle through rather than reading the information a designer has offered. ?If we find something that works out, we stick to it. No matter, if we think how things work, as much as we can use them. If your audience acts like you are designing billboard, then design perfect billboards.?
Users want to have control.
Users want to control their browser and depend on the constant data presentation throughout the website. For example, they don?t want the new windows to pop up unexpectedly, and they want to get back with a ?Back? button to the website they have been to before. Thus, it is a good practice not to open links in new browser windows.
Don?t make users think.
When creating a site, you must avoid question marks. The web page should be self-explanatory as the users make decisions consciously, thinking about pros, cons, and alternatives.
If the navigation and site architecture are not intuitive, the number of question marks will grow and make it harder for users to understand how the system works and how to go from point A to point B. A clear structure, recognizable links, and moderate visual clues can help them find their path to their aim.
Don?t waste users? patience.
When you are offering your visitors some tool or service in every project, try to keep your user requirements minimum. The less action will be required from users to test a service, the more likely a random visitor will actually try it out. Let the users survey the site and discover your services without forcing them to share private data.
Remove barriers perfectly, don?t require registrations or subscriptions first. Registration of a user alone is enough of a hindrance to user navigation to cut down on incoming traffic.
Focus users? attention
Some features of the user interface draw attention more than others. Obviously, images are more attractive than the text, just like the boldly marked sentences are more attractive than plain text. You can attract users with the help of web design services that include unlimited style options.
When you focus users? attention on particular areas of the website with moderate visual elements, your visitors get from point A to point B. The fewer question marks your visitors will have, the better orientation sense they will have. They can also develop more trust towards the company the site represents.
Web users can quickly recognize edges, motions, and patterns. This is why video-based advertisements from a marketing perspective perfectly do the work of capturing users? attention. With web design services, you can even maximize your first impression with users.
Make your writing effective.
It is important to adapt the writing style to users? browsing habits and preferences. Long text blocks without keywords and images marked in italic or bold should be skipped, and exaggerated language should be ignored.
The optimum solutions for effective writing are:
- Use concise phrases.
- Use a scannable layout.
- Use simple and objective language.
- Use white space
White space does not only help to reduce the cognitive load for the visitors but makes it possible to understand the information presented on the screen. When visitors approach a design layout, they first scan the page and split the content area into digestible pieces of information.
Complex structures are difficult to read, scan, examine and work with. It is better to use the white space solution to separate two design segments. The use of white space results in a well-scannable layout that gives the content dominating position it deserves.
