Successful Web Site Design, Usability is the factor
What is the difference between a successful web site design and one that fails?
It is simply the factor of the user. The users of your web site are the most important people. Forget the search engine, forget the dynamic technology, forget the interactive flash. Give your user something they can use.
The idea is simply no matter what kind of web site you are building, there's a user-centric way of doing it.
Users should be part of your design process. You should not think of usability after you build the web site.Trying to fix and test a web site after it is built is not a cost effective and efficient way of building a web site. A result oriented approach is to incorporate usability factors into your design and production process.
The benefits of placing usability factors into your project are:
- Increment of end-user productivity.
The web design is easy and simple to use, users will not have to take too much time to know how to use the web site. Take a good look at Google.
- Increment end-user satisfaction
It is important to users if they are able to use a web site. You would not want to click 10 times to reach the information you want to see.
- Reduction of long-term development costs (From fixing and testing)
Before the design is completed, your web site is built for the users. You do not have to fix it only when it is operation. Fixing a web site when it is operational is costly to your business.
- Reduction of training and support costs
If you have a good usable design, training and support will be minimal.
Usability Factors in Website Design
1. Requirements Analysis
- Set the goals and objectives for the web site design for user and the business.
- Find out what the user need and target usability requirements.
- Evaluate the the current site.
- Analysis competitor web sites.
2. Conceptual Design
- Sketch out a site design and structure.
- Conduct a user requirements survey based on your concept to find critical features.
3. Mockups
- Create visual representations (mockups) of the actual web site design.
- Evaluation of usability through survey focus groups and user tests
- Use the evaluation results to create improvise on your mockup
- Repeat this process until the design and usability goals are met
4. Production
- Build and design the entire web site.
- Evaluate functionality through testing, quality assurance, usability testing, and field testing.
- Use the evaluation results to improve the product.
- Repeat this process until the business goals are met.
5. Launch and Maintenance
- Launch the website.
- Maintain and refine with user feedback.
- Use the feedback to create new requirements, and begin major design improvements (system iteration).
6. The Aftermath
The process of refining and improving the web site will be based on feedback after the launch and maintenance of the web site. Do not adopt the mentality of if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Your competitors will become better and better. Be on the top!
It is simply the factor of the user. The users of your web site are the most important people. Forget the search engine, forget the dynamic technology, forget the interactive flash. Give your user something they can use.
The idea is simply no matter what kind of web site you are building, there's a user-centric way of doing it.
Users should be part of your design process. You should not think of usability after you build the web site.Trying to fix and test a web site after it is built is not a cost effective and efficient way of building a web site. A result oriented approach is to incorporate usability factors into your design and production process.
The benefits of placing usability factors into your project are:
- Increment of end-user productivity.
The web design is easy and simple to use, users will not have to take too much time to know how to use the web site. Take a good look at Google.
- Increment end-user satisfaction
It is important to users if they are able to use a web site. You would not want to click 10 times to reach the information you want to see.
- Reduction of long-term development costs (From fixing and testing)
Before the design is completed, your web site is built for the users. You do not have to fix it only when it is operation. Fixing a web site when it is operational is costly to your business.
- Reduction of training and support costs
If you have a good usable design, training and support will be minimal.
Usability Factors in Website Design
1. Requirements Analysis
- Set the goals and objectives for the web site design for user and the business.
- Find out what the user need and target usability requirements.
- Evaluate the the current site.
- Analysis competitor web sites.
2. Conceptual Design
- Sketch out a site design and structure.
- Conduct a user requirements survey based on your concept to find critical features.
3. Mockups
- Create visual representations (mockups) of the actual web site design.
- Evaluation of usability through survey focus groups and user tests
- Use the evaluation results to create improvise on your mockup
- Repeat this process until the design and usability goals are met
4. Production
- Build and design the entire web site.
- Evaluate functionality through testing, quality assurance, usability testing, and field testing.
- Use the evaluation results to improve the product.
- Repeat this process until the business goals are met.
5. Launch and Maintenance
- Launch the website.
- Maintain and refine with user feedback.
- Use the feedback to create new requirements, and begin major design improvements (system iteration).
6. The Aftermath
The process of refining and improving the web site will be based on feedback after the launch and maintenance of the web site. Do not adopt the mentality of if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Your competitors will become better and better. Be on the top!