Usability

There are several important factors that can either improve or limit the usability of your website.

Speed
Users prefer sites that load and respond to their input quickly. To improve speed you should avoid the unnecessary use of Flash, graphics and other “heavy” elements.

Resolution
Which type of page layout is better – “elastic” that adjusts itself to the browser window dimensions or pages with a fixed layout? The answer to this question will depend on your priorities. “Elastic” design uses most of the window space and is effective for presenting large portions of information that are split into several blocks, or, for example, complex tables. But in many cases page width should be limited. Just imagine several text paragraphs occupying the width of a 19’’ monitor!

Navigation
Your site should have intuitive and user-friendly navigation. Users should never get “lost” in your website. A well-planned site structure and visually emphasized navigation elements (menus, links, search forms) significantly increase usability. When navigation elements are uniformly located throughout the pages, users won’t waste time looking for them. You might also consider using the page headline to indicate to the user where they are currently browsing in the site.

Contents
Information content is an essential part of a website, so it must be done correctly. Text layout and fonts for headers must be chosen as carefully as they would for a print publication. The texts themselves should be brief and meaningful. Big pieces of information look better when broken down into several linked pages. Consider using the services of a professional editor/copywriter for writing news and articles.

Graphics
Graphic design elements are used to organize contents visually, help users read and recognize different parts of a page, search for information and navigate the site. The use of graphics generally improves presentation and helps better communicate your brand message to the user.

But if you put too many colorful buttons, banners etc. on the page, it can have the undesirable effect of distracting the user’s concentration away from its content. Graphics can also limit the speed of a website.

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