Images vs. content
Images and content must work together to provide the user with a satisfactory experience. Relying too heavily on images and other media can be distracting, especially to those that really need to read more about what you’re selling before they are comfortable making a purchase. On the other hand, too much content on the wrong pages can also turn some shoppers away. A proper balance must be struck.

Content organization
Content must be purposeful and have a beginning, middle and end. Each page should expose need, show the importance, provide the benefits and, provide a call to action. Don’t forget to speak to each reader’s emotions.

Text formatting
Site content should be readable and understandable without the use of stylesheets. Don’t rely on visual gimmicks to get your point across as many often won’t render properly in plain text browsers. Read more…

• 500 web usability guidelines
• Principles Of Effective Web Usability

List of home page usability guidelines

1. The items on the home page are clearly focused on users’ key tasks (”featuritis” has been avoided).
2. If the site is large, the home page contains a search input box.
3. Product categories are provided and clearly visible on the homepage.
4. Useful content is presented on the home page or within one click of the home page.
5. The home page shows good examples of real site content.
6. Links on the home page begin with the most important keyword (e.g. “Sun holidays” not “Holidays in the sun”).
7. There is a short list of items recently featured on the homepage, supplemented with a link to archival content.
8. Navigation areas on the home page are not over-formatted and users will not mistake them for adverts.
9. The value proposition is clearly stated on the home page (e.g. with a tagline or welcome blurb). Read more…
   • Top 14 Web Usability Guidelines of Effective Web
   • Principles Of Effective Web Usability
   • Social Media metrics
   • What is usability? Why Usability is Important to You

    

Usability and the utility, not the visual design, determine the success or failure of a web-site. Since the visitor of the page is the only person who clicks the mouse and therefore decides everything, user-centric design has become a standard approach for successful and profit-oriented web design. After all, if users can’t use a feature, it might as well not exist.

We aren’t going to discuss the implementation details (e.g. where the search box should be placed) as it has already been done in a number of articles; instead we focus on the main principles, heuristics and approaches for effective web design — approaches which, used properly, can lead to more sophisticated design decisions and simplify the process of perceiving presented information.

Basically, users’ habits on the Web aren’t that different from customers’ habits in a store. Visitors glance at each new page, scan some of the text, and click on the first link that catches their interest or vaguely resembles the thing they’re looking for. In fact, there are large parts of the page they don’t even look at. Read more…

• Top 14 Web Usability Guidelines of Effective Web
• 500 web usability guidelines