If the website we've loaded doesn't appear instantly we start sighing and tapping our fingers, if the load process takes more than a few seconds we hit that back button and disappear for something that gratifies us faster.
Worse still, if something isn't where we expect it to be we not only can't see it, but we can't be bothered searching for it either. If the menu isn't where we think it should be, most people simply get frustrated and mutter about the web designer 'hiding things'. I've seen people searching for the 'home' tab on a web page that was there, just not where they thought it should be - and they couldn't find it!
What does this mean to the owner of any website? Well, you need to know what people want, where they expect it to be and then make it really easy for them to get at it!
If you're really interested in the way people view websites then following web-usability expert, Jakob Nielsen's blog at is a good start. Read Steve Krug's book 'Don't make me think' and read Lesleywriter's blog for more information about what turns people off and why some things make it hard for people to read even well-written content.
Understanding your reader is critical to your website working to market your products and services online.
No comments:
Post a Comment