5 tips for making a more intuitive website
When someone comes to your website, you want them to feel like they’ve used it before. The design should be intuitive. They should instinctively understand how to find the information that they’re seeking. This is how you create a user-friendly experience in the modern era. There are design elements that you can use to make the site feel familiar even to a first-time reader, so that they know how to navigate it and get the most out of it.
This also prevents a significant problem, which is where a website is technically useful to the reader, but very confusing and difficult to use. People do not have very long attention spans, and they’re quite busy. When they become confused by a website, they will simply give up and try another site. Always remember that people have many options to choose from. If you get them to choose your site, you need to keep them on those pages and keep their attention. An intuitive website design helps you do it.
1. Make things simple
Often, less is more. Simplicity really can be helpful. A clean design makes it easier for people to skim the website and find any links that they want to click.
2. Consider what they expect
If you’re adding things like links to product pages, navigational bars and the like, consider where users expect them to be. Do they look at the top of the page or the bottom? If they’re looking for contact information, where do they search first? Generally, placing important information in places on the site that users are likely to check makes it easier for them to find what they’re looking for. That should always be your goal when designing the site.
3. Don’t be afraid of white space
White space can be a good thing. It’s not just empty, wasted space. If you use it effectively, it can help guide the reader through the site. It also keeps the site from being cluttered and difficult to read.
4. Use terms they’ve seen before
Business owners are sometimes tempted to use specific terms that they’ve invented as part of their branding. But, on the website, it’s usually better to use the terms your readers are always already expecting. When creating navigation labels – About Us, Contact Us, Home Page, etc. – thinking outside of the box and using unique terms can actually be detrimental because users won’t know where to click.
5. Be open to changes
Look for issues with your site and be open to making updates when necessary. Maybe a page has a high bounce rate, indicating that it doesn’t have the information that users are looking for. Maybe some pages barely get any traffic, showing that they are difficult to find under the navigational structure. You can always rectify these types of issues as you seek better site performance.
If you’re interested in web design, increasing traffic and much more, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at Content Customs. We look forward to hearing from you.