After we’ve planned your website and looked at how to make the site user-friendly for your users, a number of web page designs will begin to emerge, but not all of them will have a User Friendly Web Design. Internet users are accustomed to certain standards when it comes to the structure of websites and webmasters must pay attention to this when setting up their web project.
Screen size and device type are another factor that influences the layout of the page and therefore the browsing experience of users. Also, take into account that the number of mobile users is constantly growing and that the display of a website is different on a smartphone. Finally, when designing your site, make sure that access and navigation are as easy as possible for visitors.
The Web: Between Conventions and Conviviality
The ease of use of a homepage is an integral part of the site’s ergonomics. This is referred to as “usability engineering”, i.e. computer ergonomics, its functionality and ease of use. A site that is easy to understand and easy to use is perceived as user-friendly. To do this, you must take into account current web design standards, without forgetting the technical limitations that may be imposed on you.
The accessibility of a website also plays a big role in user-friendliness. An accessible website is characterized by the following factor: almost all users can easily navigate the site, regardless of their technical, cognitive, physical or other abilities. The criteria to be considered are set out on the webaccessibilite.fr website.
1. Formatting
The formatting of a homepage depends on the theme or industry of the website. Nevertheless, there are trends and styles that are specific to each sector. Typically, large companies opt for a standardized design, with a portal and content classification separated into different columns, as well as a navigation menu at the top of the page. For small and medium-sized businesses, it is increasingly common for websites to display rich content.
The main rule of thumb for layout is to present your homepage in a clear way. Users often get lost on a crowded page, so make sure to distribute the content evenly. To achieve this, it goes without saying that the content must be concise, readable and not redundant. In addition, longer texts should be structured with paragraphs and headings.
When it comes to images and videos, they need to be integrated in an organized and logical way, according to predefined patterns. The easier it is for users to find their marks on your website, the more enjoyable their experience will be, which will keep them coming back to your website.
Web design standards have been established for a long time. These standards define what modern web design is and what it should look like. For example, many websites are inspired by the user interface of social networks such as Facebook or some well-known blogs. Taking inspiration from these websites is relevant as many Internet users are comfortable with such interfaces and are used to them.
Nevertheless, while websites with many animations were very popular not so long ago, the new trend is towards a clean and minimalist design. This enables users to have a quick overview of the entire site, but your web design still needs to keep its own footprint and a personal touch.
2. Navigation
The aspects that concern the appearance of the website are also applicable to navigation, it must be clear and easy. A well-executed navigation scheme is characterized by a certain speed and intuitiveness. Internet users must be able to recognize the structure of the menu at first glance and understand it. A simple navigation bar is sufficient in most cases, but it should not be overloaded with menus and submenus. If you choose a drop-down menu, it must remain readable. A clear and consistent navigation structure makes navigation easier and ensures that your users keep a good overview.
Create the navigation links using icons for example. You can also change the appearance of the mouse cursor when users go to the menu (hover effect). Also, make sure the sub-parts of the menu include short descriptions and make sure that links to other pages match.
3. Technical aspects
The technical phase of setting up a web page is equally as important. For navigation to go smoothly, the content of the site must be well set up. Make sure the content is well integrated because display and download errors give an unprofessional image and leave a bad impression to visitors. If the content is bulky, it can lead to a rather significant and unpleasant loading time. This is a real call for concern because the patience of Internet users is put to the test.
It is therefore important to regularly check that the navigation on your site is going smoothly. User hardware requirements is another technical factor to consider. A website should ideally be able to display on any device connected to the Internet. This means, for example, that a website should not depend on its operating system. To develop content, no specific software should be used. The site should also not require too much computing power, at the risk of penalizing users who have devices with slow processors.
5. Responsive Web Design
With the democratization of smartphones, it is increasingly important that websites be displayed in a way that is adapted to each medium and different screen sizes (computers, tablets and smartphones). In the past, web pages were non-responsive and only had a static presentation. The formatting of such pages was rigid and did not adapt to large screens. In addition, the display was such that users only saw part of the website on smartphone screens.
An adaptive design is preferable because it allows the content to be displayed optimally, according to the different formats. However, the current versions only adapt to the screens of the most common models. As they are not suitable for all screen formats, there is often a large part of the space that is lost.
Responsive Web design is much more flexible: here, the construction of a web page is adapted on a case-by-case basis to the size of the screen. It is therefore “responsive” Web design, which uses the entire size of the screen. It is not for nothing that it has become a standard in Web design: unlike adaptive or static Web design, responsive Web design uses grid formatting. This grid not only adapts to the format of any screen, but also highlights the main navigation elements of a page. This ensures a great user-friendliness for visitors, regardless of which device is used.
Common mistakes in web design
Mistakes are part of the learning process. But some are to be avoided at all costs, especially if you want to get a head start on the competition:
- Pop-ups: Until recently, it was fashionable to bring up a small window on your screen every time you followed a link. Since then, this practice is often frowned upon by Internet users and the majority of them completely disable pop-ups using browser extensions.
- No contact: offer your visitors a panoply of ways to contact you. This option should be quick to find and without having to do too long a search.
- Missing links: Links that lead nowhere are irritating and greatly increase the rate of visitors who leave your website. Once your website is live, regularly check that your links are working properly.
- Content that has fallen into disuse: Many websites still display content that is no longer relevant. Pay attention to keeping your website’s content relevant and current.
- Poor browsing: the user expects speed on the Internet above all. If they don’t find what they’re looking for quickly enough, they leave the site and go to a competitor’s site. That’s why there should be a display bar at the bottom of your page, which redirects the visitor to other important parts of your website.
- Too much variety of typography and colors: Websites need to have a homogeneous and harmonious overall presentation. Web design beginners often tend to use too many fonts and colors from the vast array of choices available to them. A common rule to follow is not to use more than three different fonts and that they match well. The same goes for colors.
If you avoid these mistakes and follow the basic rules of usability, your website will have a good basic structure. However, your internet presence will only be fully consistent if it is presented nicely, and the choice of colors is convincing.