Websites and Usability

The key to good website design is usability.

• Easy and pleasant to read• Content should be clear and easy to

understand• Content should be skimmable (web users on

read about 28% of anything on a given page)

Seven Principles of Usability

1. Keep it Concise

• Concise does not mean “simple.” • Get to the point quickly and make your points

clear. • Avoid run-on sentences and overly lengthy

paragraphs.• If you must elaborate on an idea, consider

creating a new page to just focus on that specific concept.

2. Use Headings to Break Up Long Articles

• Internet readers inspect webpages in blocks and sections, or what is called “block reading.”

• When we look at a webpage, we tend to see it not as a whole, but rather as compartmentalized chunks of information.

• We tend to read in blocks, going directly to items that seem to match what we’re actively looking for.

Eye-tracking Study

3. Help Readers Scan Your Webpages Quickly

• Use the inverted pyramid writing style to place important information at the top of your articles.

4. Use Bulleted Lists and Text Formatting

• Users fixate longer on bulleted lists and text formatting (such as bolding and italics).

5. Give Text Blocks Sufficient Spacing

• Use “white space” effectively by spacing out ideas.

• The spacing between characters, words, lines and paragraphs is important. How type is set on your webpages can drastically affect the legibility (and thus, reading speeds) of readers.

6. Make Hyperlinked Text User-Friendly

• Hyperlinks can be a great way to add interest to your site.

• They allow you to reference ideas, define terms, and provide context without actually inserting them into your text.

7. Use Visuals Strategically

• Using visuals effectively can enhance readability when they replace or reinforce long blocks of textual content.

• Users, however, also ignore certain images, particularly stock photos merely included as decorative artwork.

• An eye-tracking study reported a 34% increase in memory retention when unnecessary images were removed in conjunction with other content revisions.

• Make sure images you use aid or support textual content.

• Avoid stock photos and meaningless visuals

Before you post…

• Consider organizing your thoughts in logical chunks by first outlining what you’ll write.

• Develop simple and concise headings.• Use keyword-rich headings to aid skimming• Consider how you will use visuals thoughtfully

and effectively

Works Cited

• Gube, Jacob. “7 Practices for Improving Your Website’s Usability.” Mashable Tech. 12 September 2011. Web. 6 November 2012.