Blog Topic #5: Usability

The best way to sum up usability in regards to a website is this: KEEP IT SIMPLE! A user scans the page for any information that is relevant. The links should be clearly marked and organized so they are readily available. Long blocks of text without any italic or bold words will be skipped over in favor of blocks of text with fewer words. Same goes for the overall layout. Whitespace is not a bad thing. Not every corner of the site needs to be crammed with content. Whitespace allows for the user to quickly divide content into smaller pieces of information and organize it. Testing early, and testing often are essential for solving usability issues before too much time and money has been invested into the site. When it comes to web design, doing what has proven to work in the past is the most effective approach since it dramatically shortens the learning curve.