Improving Web Design and Usability

Content

The Purpose of Web Design

Web Design According to Men

Web Design According to Women

Web Designed for Dating

Mystery of Colors

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

The Purpose of Web Design

Emphasize the content

Make visitors feel good and suggest them to come again

Provide the information in comfortable way

Be unique

Branding

Web Design According to Men

Focused on target

Systematic

Analytical methods

Visual orientation

Concentration

Details are not important

Psychical dispositions

Web Design According to Men

Instant information

Facts

Photos, charts, blueprints

Gadgets

Entertainment

What is he expecting

Web Design According to Women

Focused on relationships

Empathy

Synthetic methods

Intuition

Experience

Details are very important

Psychical dispositions

Web Design According to Women

Friendly interface

Acceptance

Pictures, beautiful graphics

Easy to get informations

Fun and relaxation

What is she expecting

Web Designed for Dating

Meet the needs both of the man and the woman

Find the consensus

Attract people to join the service

Main goals

Mystery of Colors

Hot

Fire

Stop

Warning

Error

Aggression

Daring

In Russia, red means beautiful. The Bolsheviks used a red flag as their symbol when they overthrew the tsar in 1917. That is how red became the color of communism.

In India, red is the symbol for a soldier.

In South Africa, red is the color of mourning.

In China, red is the color of good luck and is used as a holiday and wedding color.

Fresh

Youthful

New

Envy

Jealousy

Inexperience

Fertility

In ancient Greece, green symbolized victory.

In the highlands of Scotland, people wore green as a mark of honor.

Green is the national color of Ireland.

Green means “go.” When “all systems are green,” it means everything is in order.

Peace

Water

Far distances

Relaxing

Male

Sadness

Cold

In China, blue is for little girls.

In Iran, blue is the color of mourning.

The pharaohs of ancient Egypt wore blue for protection against evil.

In ancient Rome, public servants wore blue. Today, police and other public servants wear blue.

Happy

Sunny

Cheerful

Caution

Slow down

Selfishness

Provoking

In Egypt and Burma, yellow signifies mourning.

In India, yellow is the symbol for a merchant or farmer

In tenth-century France, the doors of traitors and criminals were painted yellow. Also in the Middle Ages, actors portraying the dead in a play wore yellow

Yellow has good visibility and is often used as a color of warning. It is also a symbol for quarantine, an area marked off because of danger.

Mystery of Colors: Conclusion

Colors can highlight emotions

The same colors could have different meanings in diverse cultural backgrounds

Think about aiming

Use colors wisely, emphasize the relevant content

Every page must provide the same information even when is switched to black&white (printed page)

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

When the website is not leading to the expected results, something is wrong.

Maybe you feel you have to do something with the webdesign. But you don´t know what.

Let´s point out at least the 10 most common webdesign and usability mistakes.

1. Insufficient Page Name

Problem:

The title (or name) of the page brings no information about purpose and main goals of the website. Visitors could be confused.

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

Solution:Append short watchword or small caption. It would be best on the top of the Homepage.

2. The Value of the Website is Hidden

Problem:

Visitors can´t find the answers for the following questions: What is the most important thing on the website? What is the biggest strength of its service?

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

Solution:Put on the homepage short introduction about the website. Highlight your benefits.

3. Inconsistent Navigation

Problem:

Page navigation is different page by page. Navigation menu is changing its placement. Items are disappearing.

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

Solution:Place the navigation bar (or column) at the same position. Follow the hierarchy.

4. The Graphics is Misguiding

Problem:

The graphic layout does not correspond with the idea of the website. You feel strange about the topic when you are visiting the pages.

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

Solution:Look at the other websites with the similar content. Think about the common factors and, of course, about your visitors.

5. Page Layout is not Well Styled

Problem:

Page elements are not aligned. There is a big amount of unused space.

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

Solution:Align page elements. Be consistent. Put most important informations at top of page.

6. Bad Indication of Links

Problem:

Links on the page are not clearly indicated. They don´t use text descriptions.

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

Solution:Underline the links. Give a text-description notice when the link is external.

7. Too Many Tasks

Problem:

There are too many things to do at the Homepage. We don´t know what is more important.

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

Solution:Don´t have more than 4 main tasks (things visitor can do) at the homepage. Reduce the possibility of choice to basic operations.

8. Visuals Are Not Reaching the Culture

Problem:

Photography and other graphics are not following the audience culture background which is the website focused on.

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

Solution:Use the graphics according the propositions of the audience. What is routine in Africa could be very strange in Europe.

9. Technology Designate the Visitors

Problem:

To view the page correctly visitors must install latest plug-ins and other add-ons from the internet. Many of them will not do that.

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

Solution:Build the website from the user perspective. Besides the modern technology leave also enough space for users not so friendly with the hourly updates. Presentation must be viewable on older browsers too.

10. Web Design For Effect

Problem:

You have cool website reflecting the latest trends in design, but users don´t understand it.

10 Most Common Usability Mistakes

Solution:Webdesign have to be fine, but more important is, if it is also user friendly.