How to Improve the usability of web product
Usability can make or break a web product, HipMunk, a flight search engine is one of the best usability example i can quote here which thrives on it. So what are the basic aspects of usability -
Navigation
Do users find your site easy and simple to navigate? Most owners tends to develop the website on their needs which meets their requirements, that’s a very common mistake. You may be highly comfortable in navigating your site, does new visitor also find it easy to navigate?
Take time to detach yourself and imagine how a newcomer would be trying to navigate your site. Ask someone who’s not familiar with your site to find specific information. Get them to think aloud as they do this, so that you can see where confusions arise and why. Difficulty in navigation is one sure way to drive visitors away and hand them over to another, friendlier, competitor website.
Add a sitemap
A sitemap is a navigational tool that also helps put your site high on the list of search engine rankings. Guide visitors in a tour through the site and teach them how to get from one point to the next with the use of this visual aid. Visual aids support navigation and are a great way to bring users directly to the page where the merchandise is chosen and on to the next to complete the purchase.
Excessive Adverts
Too many adverts is big turn off than a lead generating feature. It give pages a cluttered look which may discourage visitors who want a clean and structured presentation.
Also, too many adverts leaves the user the with an impression that the site owner cares more about making money than providing a useful online service, and create a bad user experience.
Ask yourself if your website provides credible information/solve the critical pain point for visitors to act upon your calls to action to buy.
Browser Compatibility
Users prefer to browse on different browsers through various devices. So your website must be capable of accommodating the mainstream browsers like Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari Thus, after designing your site, put it through a trial navigation run and use all the functions that would normally be done by clients of each browser type.
Check for problems with pages loading or operating properly and see if visuals, graphics, animations and links function accordingly.
-Marina, vcBytes.com

