Chapter 7

• Usability Guidelines
USABILITY GUIDELINES
1. Design Process and Evaluation
When it comes to the design process and evaluation, the research concludes that you
should only have useful content on your website. Any unnecessary content may hinder it
from performing well when users visit your page. During the design process, you should
also consider getting to know what your users want by gathering information between
exchanges with actual users. Listen to those suggestions that they have. Meeting user
expectations will allow you to support their needs. Half the battle is knowing what they want
when they visit a website. Involving them in this process can be a very rewarding
experience for both you and the user. You should also set goals in terms of usability and
define how you will reach those goals.

2. Optimizing the User Experience

There is a lot to think about when it comes to optimizing user experience. One aspect of a
website that can be frustrating for users is having pop-ups or other unsolicited windows.
Making your website professional can also help to make it credible to your users.. Other
ways you can optimize the user experience are to make pages with important information
easy to print, include frequently asked questions in a very obvious place, and be very
specific with terminology that might come naturally to you, but might confuse users. Make
sure to support users with how to use your website, as many of them might be new or
inexperienced users.

3. Accessibility
Make your site accessible to all people. websites must be accessible by everyone, even
those with disabilities. You can do this by using assistive technology on your page. Also
make sure to provide text for all images, animations, maps, and other media. You can do
this by containing a separate website that is text-only for those with disabilities. Be aware
that your webpage should not include screen flicker for those that suffer from epilepsy.
Make sure the information on your page can be accessed without style sheets, which may
interfere with assistive technology. Label the different areas of your page, so that it is easier
to navigate. Make sure that plugins and applets are available to everyone by testing them to
be sure. Your job as a web designer is to make sure everyone, no matter what their ability
or disability, can easily get to everywhere on your page.

4. Hardware and Software

The fourth important research-based guideline has to do with the hardware and software of
your website. There are many browsers out there, and designers should try to make their
website compatible with the most popular ones like Internet Explorer, Google Chrome,
Firefox and Safari. Find out what users want when it comes to fonts, text size, and other
browser settings. When designing your website, try to make at least 95% of the users
happy, if you can. Not only should you make your website to be compatible with browsers,
but also consider the most popular operating systems that your users might have. Research
shows that Windows XP is the most popular followed by Windows 2000, Windows 98, and
then Mac. You should also design your website with user speeds in mind. Make sure your
users do not have to wait too long for everything on your page to load. You monitor screen
resolution design is also important for usability. Consider 1024x768 pixels, as this is what
most people are using when it comes to their resolution.

5. The Home Page

Your home page will be one of the most important parts of your website. This is the page
that your visitors see first. If they don’t like what they see, they might go somewhere else.
Make sure your homepage is easy to get to—include all the most important links on it, and
make them want to stay and explore more about your company. Many users will only look at
the homepage to decide whether or not they would like to go deeper into the rest of the
content. You should also consider what kind of and how much content you put on the
homepage. If a user sees a lot of text when it loads, they will become overwhelmed. It is
also important not to put too many pictures that can be overwhelming also. One of the most
important things to include is your homepage is the purpose of motto of your website or
company. If you are planning to change anything about your website that users have
become accustomed to, you should be sure to put that on your homepage so they are
aware of those changes.

6. Page Layout
When it comes to the way you lay out the pages on your website, there are some important
guidelines to follow. Thinking back to one of the first guidelines, you should only include
what is necessary on your site. This means that you should not make your pages cluttered
with extraneous information or images. The research shows that an uncluttered page is
more easily navigated than a page with lots of stuff. Important items that you want your
users to see right away should be in the top center of the page. Any comparative
information you display should be next to each other, so it is easy to see. Don’t make your
users go back and forth between pages to compare information. Use a level of importance
that goes from high to low. The most important info should be on the top and the least on
the bottom. Make the items on a page aesthetically pleasing by lining everything up. In
addition, use appropriate page and line lengths, do not use scroll stoppers, and be
conservative with how much white space you include.

7. Navigation
One of the most used buttons on a website is the back button. Users like to explore, but
they also like to know they have easy access to the information they saw previously. Make
sure your back button works. In fact, consistently use the different buttons and links on your
webpage. Try not to confuse your user. Make sure the labels on your tabs are easy to
understand, so the reader knows where they are and where they are going. Using sitemaps
is one guideline to ensure that users can get help if needed. Another easy way to make
sure your users know where they are going is to use “glosses”. Those are the pop-ups
when you hover over a link. It tells you where you will land if you click. Tabs should be
located at the top of the page and be clearly marked. This way, if a user wants to go to
another page, it will be easy to get to. Also, be aware that research shows that breadcrumb
navigation is not often used.

8. Scrolling and Paging

When it comes to scrolling and paging guidelines, this can be a make or break feature of a
website for users. One thing that research showed should be eliminated in web design was
horizontal scrolling. This does not allow users to see all the information they need to on one
page. You have control over the scroll when it comes to your website. You can help fast
scrolling by highlighting or increasing the size of important items that are on your site. When
there is a lot of text on the page, you should use slower scrolling, so that readers will be
able to understand what they read. For images or smaller amounts of text, you can have
your scrollbar operate faster. Paging is an option you should consider to help with usability
of your website. Instead of scrolling to find information, they can instead use links that will
take them to other pages with the important information they are looking for. Create more
pages that are shorter to eliminate the need for scrolling, if you feel like you need a lot of
information.

9. Headings, Titles, and Labels

In order to help your users navigate your site better, consider headings, titles and labels that
are descriptive. While you don’t want to have a ton of words in your hearings, titles and
labels, make sure the words you do use are meaningful. It is also important to make sure
they really reflect the information your reader will find when going to that spot on your site.
Making your headings or labels unique will also help users become curious about what they
will find there. This will prompt them to click on them more often. Also, consider using the
correct hierarchy when it comes to using headings on your page. This means you should be
using appropriate heading tags where necessary. Providing clear options for your users to
choose from will also help out with your usability. If you can also highlight important
headings visually, this will help readers find the information they came for. Without following
these necessary guidelines for headings, titles, and labels, your users may become
frustrated with your website and leave.

10. Links
When it comes to the usability of links on your website, you should follow these important
guidelines. Instead of using “click here” for all the links on your page, be creative. Let the
user know what they are going to be learning when they click. Also, make sure the links you
are using are relevant to the information on the page. Try out the links beforehand to make
sure they work. If a user is looking for information, but the link doesn’t work, that can be
frustrating. You can repeat important links if you need to, but don’t overdo it. Text links are
more useful than image links, so avoid using too many image links. However you decide to
let a user know they can click, be consistent. It can be unpleasant when users don’t know
what to expect or where to go to find more information. Consider using pointing and clicking
instead of the mouse over method of clicking. Other useful guidelines are labeling internal
versus external links, using appropriate link lengths, and let the user know if there are parts
of an image they can click on for a link.

11. Text Appearance

Text is a very important part of your website, and there are some guidelines to go along with
the types, sizes and location of texts that you decide to display. It is important, in general, to
keep font formatting consistent when designing your webpage. When choosing background
and text colors, keep in mind that it is easier to read when there is a greater contrast
between the two. Using black text on a plain background made it easier for users to read in
the research that was conducted. You should also use consistent formats with text items
like times, dates, telephone numbers and addresses. This will help your reader understand
and notice the information easier. Remember to use appropriate capitalization. Avoid using
CAPS Lock too often, as this will make it seem like you are screaming at your visitors.
When it comes to bold and italic font, use it sparingly. Its purpose is to highlight important
information, and if you overuse it, then it will lose its effectiveness. When you want to attract
the attention of users, use those features sparingly. When it comes to size, use 12 points or
larger.

12. Lists
You might want to give your users quick information in the form of lists. Lists can be a great
way to tell them what they need to know without too much text. Lists are pleasing to the
eye, and the reader does not become too overwhelmed as they might when it comes to
reading multiple paragraphs of information. Make sure your reader knows what the list is all
about. Use a clear heading or title, so that they can easily find what they need to. The
purpose of lists is for the reader to scan them quickly and answer the questions they might
have as fast as possible. Place the most important items on your list at the top, so that if
readers get bored of reading, they have the most important takeaways that they need.
Never use 0 as a number when you are making a list. This could negate the information.
Capitalize the first letter of the first word on each line. The only exception would be if you
normally capitalize proper nouns within the rest of the text.

13. Screen-Based Controls (Widgets)

Some common widgets or screen-based controls that your users might come into contact
with on websites are fields to enter information, drop down boxes, push buttons, and icons.
There are many guidelines when it comes to properly using widgets for usability. Make sure
 widgets are labeled clearly, so users know what their purpose is. Use widgets sparingly.
While they are great tools to help users navigate your website, you want to make sure that
you don’t overdo it. This could overwhelm users and cause them to leave your site. Try to
minimize how much data users need to enter. Users can become frustrated if they have to
enter similar data over and over again. Use the same data entry method consistently
throughout your site, so that users know what to do. Remember to place the cursor
automatically in the first data field for easy use. Use at least two radio buttons to help users.
Users appreciate auto tabbing because it makes it easy to go from one box to the next
without having to go back and forth between the mouse and keyboard.

14. Graphics, Images, and Multimedia

When it comes to guidelines involving graphics, images and media, you should also keep
consistency in mind. Having these features on your website is helpful, but you don’t want to
overwhelm your user with too much. Appropriate graphics can really enhance your usability.
Use your images logo on the page, so that the user can identify it. Keep in mind that
multiple images may take longer to load, so don’t overwhelm your page and make your user
bored while waiting. When you decide to conduct usability testing, one thing you should test
for is to see if graphics, images and multimedia are conveying the right message to users. If
not, then you don’t need them. Give images a descriptive label to identify their purpose.
Stick to images that do not take up the whole background. This can make it difficult to
display necessary text. Any images that you do decide to use should not be too similar to
banner ads, as users tend to ignore them according to research. These features are
necessary for your webpage, but be sure to use them only when needed.

15. Writing Web Content

Content in itself is one of the most important aspects of creating a website. The content
incorporates all the information you decide you need to give your users the information they
need. Users can get bored or frustrated with too much or too little content, so it is important
to make sure everything on your website serves its purpose and does not overwhelm. It is
important to make sure that you use words and phrases that your visitors will be familiar
with. Keep in mind the audience that you want to reach, and use words that they will
understand. No matter what kind of audience you are targeting, don’t use words that are too
high vocabulary because users will get bored or confused. If you do use expert words that
have to do with the topic of your website, be sure to define them for your users. Define
anything you think your visitors will need to understand to get your message. Make sure to
use an active voice in your writing and write your instructions in the affirmative.

16. Content Organization

Organization is key to ensuring a great user experience and the usability of your website.
Depending on how you organize your content—that will determine how easy it is for your
users to find important information. When you create your page with headings and
descriptions that are clear, this will allow your users to scan information and only focus on
what they need. Make sure only your necessary information is clearly displayed. Get rid of
anything that is extra. You also don’t need to repeat yourself on every page. It is okay to
repeat very important information once or twice, but not much more than that. Put the most
important material in the top, center of the page. This is going to be one of the first places
your users look when the page loads. To ensure you are reaching multiple audiences, it is
important to display it in a variety of ways. While some like to read through information,
others might like visuals or audio files to understand what your website is all about.

17. Search

•One very helpful feature that users

appreciate is the ability to search for
information throughout your website. This
does come with some guidelines. When
using a search toolbar on your website, it is
important to remember to put the search
bar on each page of your website. This will
allow them to easily find what they are
looking for. The more precise you set your
search up to be, the better. You should also
set up each search tool to look through the
entire site for keywords. Be vigilant about
capitalizing search terms, as users might
not be aware how that affects the
information provided upon searching.
Make sure all the forms of a word or
phrase can be found. You can figure out
what kind of terminology your visitors
might use and design your searches around
common keywords and phrases. To make
the search process easier, you can include