Web Design - Consideration for Increasing the Usability of the Website

The usability of a website is one of the prime concerns of the website owner as well as web designer. It is only when the website is used that the visitor is going to buy what is offered through the website. This means that the usability plays a pivotal role in the success of the website. Some of the considerations for increasing the usability of the website are as follows.

• Relevance of Search Box
As the reach and penetration of the internet increases, the number of websites is going on increasing. In these situations the visitors have very little time to go through the entire website. The visitors usually want to reach the webpage with the information they require in the least possible time. One of the smartest and quickest ways to make the visitor reach the desired page is through the search box. The eyes of most of the visitors move in an F pattern. This implies that it is better to place the search box on the top left side of the page. The search box should be big enough to accommodate at least 27 characters. The search box should be clearly visible and at the same time with easy utility. The search button should be placed appropriately and at the same easy to use.

•Punch line
The mission and the philosophy of the company website should be mentioned in a phrase or a group of words. This group of words or phrase should have as much least number of words as possible. This is very necessary because a visitor is usually at your website for a very less time. This time duration can go up to a maximum of 8 seconds. This implies that the impact of the phrase, group of words, or punch line should be such that the visitor is tempted to visit and read the other web pages too before leaving the website.

•Readability
The webpage should be easily readable. Studies have revealed that most of the visitors do not go through the entire content of the website. On the contrary they just scan for the text in bold, titles and lists. For better usability the designer should take into consideration the movement of the eyes when the visitor visits the website.

•Use of Graphics and site maps
Use of graphics is good if it is in limitations. Excessive use of graphics can confuse the visitor and harm the revenue generation prospects. On the other hand the site maps help navigation by helping the visitor to locate the webpage. The site maps list the web pages in an organized manner.

•Use of JavaScript and CAPTCHAs
If the web browser that the visitor is using is not of the latest technology, excessive use of JavaScript can be an impediment. So JavaScript has to be used in limitations. The CAPTCHAs on the other hand can be at times very irritating. At times the operation required in the CAPTCHAs may be very difficult to execute. It is better to avoid CAPTCHAs.

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