Website Usability Guidelines

Website Interior Page (2 of 4)

Follow these usability recommendations:

Interior Page Layout - Fluid layouts are significantly preferred to both centered and left-justified layouts. In a recent study participants indicated they perceived the fluid layout (which the margins are not fixed at any particular width) as being the best suited for reading and finding information. As well as having a layout that is most appropriate for the screen size (for both small and large screens).

They also indicated that the fluid layout looked the most professional, and consequently preferred it to other layout conditions. Conversely, the consistently least preferred condition was the left-justified layout.

A possible reason for the lack of preference for this layout is that users had to horizontally scroll in order to see all the information on the page. As discussed above, users particularly dislike to horizontally scroll.

Website Colors - Once it was thought that bright colors were the key to success for e-commerce sites. Now, we know that this is not the case. Recent studies reveal that conversion rates improve when softer colors are used.

The e-commerce website needs to project the feeling of credit card security, shopping safety, and merchant integrity. These qualities cannot be projected when loud "Fast Eddy" colors are used. Here again, the traditional retail colors do not work well on the web.

Use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) - Use a single style sheet for all the pages on your site. One of the main benefits of a style sheet is to ensure visual continuity as the user navigates your site.

The text and basic layout should remain the same on all pages. Always use linked style sheets instead of embedded styles. By pulling style code out of your page you reduce loading times.

Key Point:
Whenever possible put your CSS and JavaScript into separate external files rather than having the script on the page. Otherwise, it could interfere with the crawlers ability to quickly find keywords within your content.

Pop-Ups Windows Rules

• Never use a pop-up on the Homepage. The intermediate page might confuse some users into not recognizing the real Homepage.
• Always use a close window logo. Some users may not know how to exit the pop-up window.
• Adjust size of pop-up window to easily read contents. Never make the pop-up window the same size as the main web page.
• Keep the content of a pop-up window to less than 140 words. If you need more text create a separate page.
• For an e-commerce website the best use for a pop-up window is to define a product term or to define a feature.
• A problem with pop-ups is that many users think the pop-up is an ad and will not click it.