Sometimes I’ll just stare at a website for minutes on end, trying to
figure out why it’s so confusing. Unfortunately, most websites we visit
are far more complex than they need to be. I don’t mean complex in terms
of functionality, but in terms of all the types of content you are
confronted with on a single page. In addition to the basics—a logo,
navigation menus, page title, the main content, and one or two calls to
action—most web pages are simply overrun with advertisements, social
media widgets, and lures to even more (supposedly related) content.
Follow these tips to cut the clutter.
1. Reduce the bling. Upon
first glance at a web page, visitors make a quick, subtle judgment
that, I believe, goes something like this: “Look at all those fancy
widgets. They must have a team of programmers working night and day on
this thing! Woah, Bing ads. They’re connected, and rich!” These eyesores
just encourage bad design to flourish on the web.
2. Purpose should be a guiding principle of web design. Suppose
books were designed without purpose. Gone would be the days of settling
in to a good story: When squeezed into a narrow column of text, that
narrative would be drowned out by the noise of surrounding
advertisements. Before you could dive into a tale, you’d be pulled away
by the promise of another. “Who’s Pip’s secret sponsor? Oooh, A Tale of
Two Cities sounds good. I wonder if I can get that on my Kindle…” No
reader would ever finish a book.
3. Allow users to read. Currently,
the big players on the web receive such a large volume of traffic that
crowding their pages with as many opportunities to click makes
statistical sense. When hundreds of thousands of users access a web page
on a daily basis, it’s highly probable that a significant number of
them will click a link (any link will do) that either continues their
visit or sends them elsewhere via a paid advertisement. Either scenario
is valuable to the site’s owner, but not the user. Instead, focus on
making the viewer’s experience more satisfying.
4. Highlight quality and relevant information for viewers. Give
new and top content proper placement to direct viewers’ attention to
what they are looking for. This placement does not need to be image or
widget heavy.
5. Satisfying web experiences rely upon focused attention,
the kind you need in order to read and comprehend text. The more a page
is divided by non-overlapping, attention-seeking magisteria, the less
likely it is to win your attention for the long-term. While mass-media
sites can profit from visitors that are mostly just passing through,
smaller sites need to cultivate visitors who will stay a while by
creating an environment conducive to their focused attention. Remember,
most websites offer content to inform and inspire prospective customers
of a product or service.
6. Effective web design and good business are not mutually exclusive,
but that case must be made in light of what most web users are used to.
If a bigger, more established competitor employs certain tactics that
make sense given its large volume of traffic, the question of whether to
adopt a similar approach should be answered on the basis of reasonable
expectations. Few websites see explosive growth overnight, and those
that do struggle to sustain it. If you’re the little guy, the smart
thing to do is realize that the audience you’re after has already given
some of its attention to the big guy. To win (and keep) their attention,
you’re going to need to do things differently from your competitors,
things that fall in line with the unique purpose of your website, which
is where good web design starts.
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