The Importance of Web Design

Designing your website is much more than making it look pretty. The bigger the site, the more pages and information you want on it, the more complex the design becomes which requires a team of people and hard work.  In the design world, there are limitless ways to change and improve your website.  Listed below,  are some of the suggestions that RemedyOne believes are important to your site’s design.

Usability

Usability refers to the elegance and clarity with which the interaction with a computer program or website is designed. Since the user is the only person at the computer who clicks the mouse and has power over everything,  you need to make sure everything works and is user friendly.  If something on your site does not work for the user, it may as well be nonexistent. As a designer you need to remember that users do not read fully, they scan. Users analyze the web page searching for fixed points and images that will better allow them to understand the content.

Navigation

Although navigation is an aspect of usability, it is an important topic to touch on in and of itself. One of the most frustrating experiences a user can have while attempting to navigate a site is being unable to figure out where to go or where you are.  Navigation buttons should be easy to find and clear to use. If you have links on your site that do not work and take the user to the appropriate place, the user is going to get frustrated and potentially leave your site, which will inevitably lead to lost business.

Aesthetically Pleasing

Aside from making sure that your site is user friendly and easy to navigate, you want to make sure that it is visually appealing. If users are happy with your site, it’s going to reflect positively on the brand or company image. By using colors to highlight the parts of your site of utmost importance, you’re bringing the users’ eye there instead of to other areas. By using larger text, you are also attracting attention to that area, versus the smaller fonts. Most importantly, remain consistent! When navigating from page to page, users should see buttons in similarly placed areas, as well as having heading sizes and spacing the same. If you’re not consistent, you’re running the risk of confusing and ultimately losing that user from your site.

The design of your website is taking on a much larger role in the online world. It is getting harder to find a company that does not have an online presence via their website. Consumers are expecting to be able to log onto your website and find what they need quickly. If they can’t or if they have a hard time finding what they need, they may get discouraged with your site and move on to a competitor’s that is easier to manage. With the internet taking on such a huge role, many consumers aren’t leaving their homes anymore, all shopping and information services are taking place online. Consequently, the website is replacing the in-store experience that consumers used to have.  This is why companies need to make sure that their website gives off the same positive and welcoming feelings as a brick-and-mortar store would.

The web is taking over and shows no signs of slowing down. Web designers and companies need to stay on top of the trends and keep their websites up to date and attractive to consumers!