Basic rules for creation sites for usersBasisregels voor website design voor gebruikersBasic rules for creation sites for usersBasic rules for creation sites for users
Lately, website usability is the favorite subject for a lot of people to talk. It is very popular word especially if you work in IT sphere.
Usability, user-friendly – it is a kind of mantra for project-managers, designers and developers. It is not enough just create a web site or a program, which will do certain functions, everybody feel the need to improve their sites, to make them easier and more pleasant to use, to increase their conversion rates etc.
De laatste tijd praten veel mensen graag over de gebruiksvriendelijkheid van een website. Vooral als je in de IT branche werkt is het een populair woord.
Gebruiksvriendelijkheid – het is een soort mantra voor projectmanagers, ontwerpers en ontwikkelaars. Het is niet genoeg om gewoon een website of programma te maken dat bepaalde functies heeft, iedereen vindt dat hun website beter moet worden; makkelijker te gebruiken, zodat hun conversatie cijfers omhoog gaan.
Als de gebruiker voor het eerst de website bezoekt moet deze niet hoeven nadenken over hoe de website werkt, maar meteen beginnen de site te gebruiken en kunnen vinden wat hij of zij zoekt. Zorg ervoor dat de gebruikers geen hoofdpijn krijgen van het vele nadenken, zorg voor toegang tot de nodige informatie. Als het niet duidelijk is, is het niet gebruiksvriendelijk – dat is het idee.
Er zijn veel definities voor deze term en omdat gebruiksvriendelijkheid heel subjectief is probeert iedereen het zo letterlijk mogelijk uit te leggen. Er zijn duizenden boeken en artikelen geschreven over dit onderwerp, maar ik wil graag stil staan bij Eric Reiss omdat ik een tijd geleden een college van hem heb bijgewoond en ik ben nog steeds onder de indruk.
Lately, website usability is the favorite subject for a lot of people to talk. It is very popular word especially if you work in IT sphere.
Usability, user-friendly – it is a kind of mantra for project-managers, designers and developers. It is not enough just create a web site or a program, which will do certain functions, everybody feel the need to improve their sites, to make them easier and more pleasant to use, to increase their conversion rates etc.
Lately, website usability is the favorite subject for a lot of people to talk. It is very popular word especially if you work in IT sphere.
Usability, user-friendly – it is a kind of mantra for project-managers, designers and developers. It is not enough just create a web site or a program, which will do certain functions, everybody feel the need to improve their sites, to make them easier and more pleasant to use, to increase their conversion rates etc.
When user first time visits the site he should not think about how it works, he should immediately start using it and easily find info he needs. Don’t make users strain their brain, don’t make them think; just provide them with the access to necessary information. If it’s not obvious it is not usability – that’s the main idea.
There are lot of definitions for this term , and since usability it is a kind of not measurable and pretty subjective thing, everybody try to explain it as literary as they can. Thousands of books and articles are written on that subject, but now I’d like to stop on Eric Reiss since some time ago I had possibility to visit his lecture and still quite impressed.
Eric Reiss, one of the most influential figures on the European information architecture/usability/user experience scene.
The lecture was devoted to a set of rules (Eric calls it a dogma), following which will help to create sites for users, free from the dictates of technology and fashion.
Here are those rules:
- Everything that exists only to meet internal politics of a site owner must be eliminated.
- Everything that exists only to satisfy the designer’s ego must be eliminated.
And no matter how creative designer is.
- Usability must never be sacrificed in the name of style guide.
- Anything that does not correspond to the page content must be eliminated.
- Content must be possible to read, possible to print, possible to download.
- Any feature or technology, which hinders the freedom of site navigation, must be corrected or eliminated.
- Any interactive object that forces the user to guess its purpose must be corrected or eliminated.
- No additional software, apart from the browser itself, must be required to get the site to work correctly.
- No visitor must be forced to register or send personal data unless the site owner is unable to provide a service or complete a transaction without it.
Can you remember now how many sites personally you left after you got lost in its navigation nets, how many sites irritated you with their “genius” flash intro or banners? No, I don’t think you remember those sites. You just closed them immediately and forget about their existence. That’s normal reaction, but that’s not what site owners expected when they launched the site.
So it may sounds silly, but simple control If site structure, design and content are following these rules will help to make it better, easier and more popular.
Eric Reiss, één van de meest invloedrijke personen op de Europese informatie architectuur/gebruiksvriendelijkheid/gebruikerservaringen markt.
Het college ging over een aantal regels (Eric noemt het een dogma), en als die regels opgevolgd worden kunnen websites gebouwd worden die makkelijk toegankelijk zijn.
Een aantal van deze regels:
- Alles dat alleen op de site staat voor de interne politiek van de eigenaar van de site moet er niet op staan.
- Alles dat alleen op de site staat voor het ego van de site’s eigenaar, moet er niet op staan.
Het maakt niet uit hoe creatief de ontwerper is.
- Gebruiksvriendelijkheid moet nooit opgeofferd worden in de naam van stijl.
- Alles dat niets te maken heeft met de inhoud van de pagina moet er niet op staan.
- Het moet mogelijk zijn de inhoud te lezen, printen en downloaden.
- Alles dat de vrijheid van de navigatie op de site hinder moet gecorrigeerd of eraf gehaald worden.
- Elk inactief object dat ervoor zorgt dat de gebruiker moet raden waar het voor is, moet gecorrigeerd of eraf gehaald worden.
- Er moet geen aanvullende software, behalve de browser, nodig zijn om de site correct te laten werken.
- Alleen als het nodig is voor de eigenaar van de website moet een bezoeker zich registreren of persoonlijke gegevens achterlaten.
Kunt u zich herinneren bij hoe veel sites u geïrriteerd raakte omdat u de weg kwijt raakte of dat u zich ergerde aan de flash intro of de banners? Nee, ik denk niet dat u zich die sites herinnert. Waarschijnlijk heeft u ze meteen afgesloten en bent u vergeten dat ze bestaan. Dat is een normale reactie, maar het is niet wat websitebouwers verwachtten toen ze hun site lanceerden.
Dus misschien klinkt het gek, maar als de structuur, het ontwerp en de inhoud van de site deze regels volgen wordt de site beter, makkelijker en populairder.
When user first time visits the site he should not think about how it works, he should immediately start using it and easily find info he needs. Don’t make users strain their brain, don’t make them think; just provide them with the access to necessary information. If it’s not obvious it is not usability – that’s the main idea.
There are lot of definitions for this term , and since usability it is a kind of not measurable and pretty subjective thing, everybody try to explain it as literary as they can. Thousands of books and articles are written on that subject, but now I’d like to stop on Eric Reiss since some time ago I had possibility to visit his lecture and still quite impressed.
Eric Reiss, one of the most influential figures on the European information architecture/usability/user experience scene.
The lecture was devoted to a set of rules (Eric calls it a dogma), following which will help to create sites for users, free from the dictates of technology and fashion.
Here are those rules:
- Everything that exists only to meet internal politics of a site owner must be eliminated.
- Everything that exists only to satisfy the designer’s ego must be eliminated.
And no matter how creative designer is.
- Usability must never be sacrificed in the name of style guide.
- Anything that does not correspond to the page content must be eliminated.
- Content must be possible to read, possible to print, possible to download.
- Any feature or technology, which hinders the freedom of site navigation, must be corrected or eliminated.
- Any interactive object that forces the user to guess its purpose must be corrected or eliminated.
- No additional software, apart from the browser itself, must be required to get the site to work correctly.
- No visitor must be forced to register or send personal data unless the site owner is unable to provide a service or complete a transaction without it.
Can you remember now how many sites personally you left after you got lost in its navigation nets, how many sites irritated you with their “genius” flash intro or banners? No, I don’t think you remember those sites. You just closed them immediately and forget about their existence. That’s normal reaction, but that’s not what site owners expected when they launched the site.
So it may sounds silly, but simple control If site structure, design and content are following these rules will help to make it better, easier and more popular.
When user first time visits the site he should not think about how it works, he should immediately start using it and easily find info he needs. Don’t make users strain their brain, don’t make them think; just provide them with the access to necessary information. If it’s not obvious it is not usability – that’s the main idea.
There are lot of definitions for this term , and since usability it is a kind of not measurable and pretty subjective thing, everybody try to explain it as literary as they can. Thousands of books and articles are written on that subject, but now I’d like to stop on Eric Reiss since some time ago I had possibility to visit his lecture and still quite impressed.
Eric Reiss, one of the most influential figures on the European information architecture/usability/user experience scene.
The lecture was devoted to a set of rules (Eric calls it a dogma), following which will help to create sites for users, free from the dictates of technology and fashion.
Here are those rules:
- Everything that exists only to meet internal politics of a site owner must be eliminated.
- Everything that exists only to satisfy the designer’s ego must be eliminated.
And no matter how creative designer is.
- Usability must never be sacrificed in the name of style guide.
- Anything that does not correspond to the page content must be eliminated.
- Content must be possible to read, possible to print, possible to download.
- Any feature or technology, which hinders the freedom of site navigation, must be corrected or eliminated.
- Any interactive object that forces the user to guess its purpose must be corrected or eliminated.
- No additional software, apart from the browser itself, must be required to get the site to work correctly.
- No visitor must be forced to register or send personal data unless the site owner is unable to provide a service or complete a transaction without it.
Can you remember now how many sites personally you left after you got lost in its navigation nets, how many sites irritated you with their “genius” flash intro or banners? No, I don’t think you remember those sites. You just closed them immediately and forget about their existence. That’s normal reaction, but that’s not what site owners expected when they launched the site.
So it may sounds silly, but simple control If site structure, design and content are following these rules will help to make it better, easier and more popular.
That is a very good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.
Brief but very accurate info… Thank you for sharing this one.
A must read article!