Written by Yiling 2022 Cohort
People use websites every day, and it is easy to tell whether a website app is easy to use or not. However, when creating a website, people may realize it takes work to develop an efficient, usable and enjoyable website, whether for business, personal brand or information sharing.
To learn how to design a good website, we should understand people’s mindsets. Nobody “reads” the website, and people usually scan and muddle through. It means that users will click whatever they think is right without hesitation. People will make many mindless choices on the website, so it is vital to design a way that aligns with their intuition.
We do not have any space sense when using a website. However, most websites are as complicated as a building. The web designer should create a “sense of space” for users. A clear information architecture and navigation system would help a lot, and the homepage should be the fixed place, the main “lobby” of the website so that users can always go back to the starting point when the muddling through fails. Also, pages and buttons that users have clicked on should change the colour so they might have a slight sense of how much ground they’ve covered. Additionally, always provide a back button and help users predict what will happen if they click this button. A straightforward multi-layer navigation would be vital, and some simple pages that show the navigation for all the potential levels of the site would enhance usability.
Commonly, designers want to be creative. However, there may be better ideas for designing an innovative website structure. People have their cognitive patterns, and when it comes to tools like websites, humans hate new designs. So, following the conventions would be the smartest choice. Although their appearance can vary significantly, there are some essential navigation elements for the web: Site ID, Utilities, Page name, “you are here” indicator, “current level” navigation and Footer. Confirming that they are in their usual location and making sure they look like themselves. For the home page, writing would play a vital role on this part. Avoiding self-congratulatory and promotional writing to explain how great we are; however, using simple sentences to present what makes us great would get to the point and feel more relatable to the general reader. Do you have anything to add?