Jakob Nielsen is a leader in the field of website usability. He has outlined the Top 10 Mistakes of 2005 in his article - http://www.useit.com/alertbox/designmistakes.html. Here is the short version:
1. Unreadable Text - Fonts that are too small or don’t contrast well with the background are by far away the #1 complaints.
2. Confusing Links - Stuff that looks like a link should be clickable. This means don’t underline anything unless it is a link.
3. Flash Overkill - Flash is a great programming platform, but generally people don’t use it effectively. Poorly executed in the navigation or used to create annoying movement were the most common complaints.
4. Content Not Written for the Web - Content should be short, to the point, answer users' questions and use language that anyone would understand.
5. Bad Search Functions - People like to search your website. If possible create an easy way for them to do that. Google provides a free tool for just that.
6. Browser Incompatibility - If your website doesn’t work well in FireFox, Mozilla, AND Internet Explorer you are going to drive your visitors crazy.
7. Cumbersome Forms - Complaints about forms are generally related to the length of the form and the difficulty with ‘required fields’.
8. Missing Contact Information - It is still very odd that businesses don’t prominently display their contact information. People want to do business with you – make it as easy as possible.
9. Frozen Layouts with Fixed Page Widths - When possible allow your website to flow dynamically to the width of the visitor’s monitor. Using a fixed width of over 800pixels will force about 30% of your visitors to scroll horizontally.
10. Poor Use of Images - Images that are poorly resized (too small or too large) or are of poor quality is distracting to your message. Picasa – free from Google will help you optimize your images for the web.
Bottom line, take a look at your website and focus on the following simple items. It will pay off.
• text you can read;
• content that answers questions;
• navigation and search that helps people find what they want;
• short and simple forms for registration, checkout; and
• no bugs, typos, dead links, or outdated content.
Copyright © 2008 The NW Horse Source, LLC
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