Essential Features Of User-Friendly Web Design

Undoubtedly, the improved product performance can boost revenue and sales for businesses. However, sometimes it is not enough to satisfy your intended audience. For your product to be successful, you need it to look well and ensure a seamless browsing experience for users. In other words, it needs a certain level of user-friendliness. But what do we mean when we say that a website is user-friendly? Typically, it all boils down to usability.

Website usability vastly increases its chances of success. Despite this, many companies are still making the same old mistake of neglecting usability issues. As a result, their users have a nightmare looking for the information they need on a website. But how to make it really usable for all of the target audience? What are the qualities of a user-friendly site? In this posting, we have decided to take a look at some of the essential usability features that every website should have in order to be more appealing for visitors and stand apart from all competitors. So let’s start!

What is Usability?

In simplest terms, usability refers to making it simple for users to find the information they are looking for easily and quickly. Ideally, all their interactions must be intuitive, retaining a high level of polish. This what we expect from any web design, don’t we? This characteristic should never be overlooked as it increases your chances of success online. Luckily, there are numerous ways to improve the usability of your site. Below we have collected some of the best usability recommendations that will help make your site user-friendly.

How To Improve Usability Of Your Website?

Usable Forms

A user-friendly site means usable forms. They are crucial for generating leads, allowing people to interact with the website. So in order to get the most out of it, you will need to make sure that all your forms are accessible to everyone and easy to use. Here are several simple recommendations on how to do that:

Using adequate validation
Displaying on-screen notifications on completion
Offering suggestions and tooltips
Keeping the number of fields to a minimum
Following the form design principles
Using correct labels for fields

Contrasting Color Palette

A user-friendly site is about color contrast. The lack of contrast makes it not easy for users to read your content. The right contrast between text and background (black & white) is what makes your content easy to read, approachable, and legible. This basic web design principle should never be ignored.

Clean Code

A user-friendly site means clean code. Strong adherence to the relevant web design standards and best practices will make your website more dependable and robust, making it easier for you to troubleshoot or locate problems (if any). In addition, clean code ensures that your site runs smoothly across all browsers and works faster.

Error Management

A user-friendly site means keeping users informed of what’s happening on a site. Displaying on-screen error messages and notifications is a cornerstone of good usability.

Comfortable Navigation

A user-friendly website is about good and clutter-free navigation. This is one of the most critical aspects of usability. Simple JavaScript or HTML menus appear consistent and work seamlessly on all platforms. Also, try to minimize the number of menu items in order to not overload the users.

Browser Compatibility

A user-friendly website behaves and appears consistently across all browsers. Fortunately, modern browsers ensure maximum compatibility. Despite this, inconsistency is a widespread problem as even the most reputable websites often suffer from it. You should know that browser incompatibility may have a negative impact on website’s usability as well as on your brand as a whole.

Load Times

A user-friendly website works fast. An average visitor will not wait forever for your site to load. If it takes too long, he or she will most likely leave it and move on to something else. Website load speed is crucial for good usability. Besides, it directly impacts how search engines rank your website.

High-Quality Content

A user-friendly website is about good formatting. A typical user does not read each and every word on your site from top to down. Instead, most people will read through key parts of the page. So make it easier for them to do it by breaking down text into lists and bullets, and by using paragraphs, headings, and subheadings.

Information Architecture

A user-friendly website means well-planned information architecture. This refers to how information is organized and displayed on a site. In this case, try to look at your website from your users’ perspective. The correct use of categories and sections will allow you to present your content in a way that is comfortable for visitors.

Accessibility

A user-friendly site is the one that is accessible to all categories of users, including the elderly, disabled, or blind people. Simple web design techniques targeted to these people will make your site available to a wider auditory (screen-reader readiness).

Responsive Design

A user-friendly site is the one that is mobile compatible. First of all, check how your site appears on a mobile screen. With more and more users accessing the Web via mobile devices, building a mobile-friendly website is a must-have!

Key Takeaways

A first impression always counts. It is what determines the future success. The vast majority of first impressions are design- and usability-related. While there are no universal one-fits-all design solutions that guarantee a successful website, it is yet possible to work on aspects that build a great first impression, such as navigation, content, and usability. At Loonar Studios, we have enough skills and experience to help you with each and every aspect of your website design. Contact us if you have any questions. Stay tuned!

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