25 Point Website Usability Checklist
Website Usability Checklist
With ever increasing congestion in the digital platforms, with millions of websites adding to it on daily basis. The most challenging task of the business owners is to develop websites that standout. Below are the few pointers that will help you assess the website usability of the websites.
Accessibility
- Site Load-Time is Reasonable: Sites should come in under 100KB; 60KB is even better. Do not make people leave.
- Adequate Text-To-Background Contrast: Eyes and monitors vary wildly; Do not ruin user’s eyesight. Good, old-fashioned black-on-white is still best.
- Font Size/Spacing is Easy to Read: Ideal size for text is uncertain but err on the side is slightly too big. White-space is a designer’s best friend.
- Flash and Add-Ons Are Used Sparingly: 5 minutes for a plug-in to load; Use new technology sparingly; Search engines support standard HTML/CSS.
- Images Have Appropriate ALT Tags: Search engines understand images by ALT Tags. Critical for images in key content, like menu items.
- Site Has Custom Not-Found/404 Page: A white page with “404 Not Found” is a way to lose customers. A custom 404 page is a way to guide visitors to content.
Identity
- Company Logo is Prominently Placed: A logo should be easy to find; People expect it and they might like it.
- Tagline Makes Company’s Purpose Clear: What do you do? Describe with a Tagline. Make it in few words and avoid marketing jargon.
- Home-Page is Digestible in 5 Seconds: Visitors want to get the basic gist of home-page in few seconds. They are a fickle bunch.
- Clear Path to Company Information: “About Us” page seems outdated. People need an easy way to learn more about you.
- Clear Path to Contact Information: List your contact information as text, not in an image, easy for search engines too.
Navigation
- Main Navigation is Easily Identifiable: Main navigation must be easy to find, read, and use. Make it clear when navigation is many.
- Navigation Labels Are Clear and Concise: “Contact Us” label or “Communicate Online with Our Team” label! Navigation should be short, to the point, and easy for mere visitors.
- Number of Buttons/Links is Reasonable: If you have 7-or-so menu items, think hard about their necessity. If you’ve got 3 layers of flyaway JavaScript menus, just start over.
- Company Logo is Linked to Home Page: People expect that. Video of users clicking on a logo over and over is available.
- Links are Consistent and Easy to Identify: Links should stand out; Make them either blue or underlined; But use links sparingly.
- Site Search is Easy to Access: “Search” still works best for most sites. Make sure it’s prominent and keep the button simple and clear.
Content
- Major Headings Are Clear and Descriptive: To set content apart and keep it organized with Major & Minor Headings. Use them at least for SEO benefit.
- Critical Content is Above the Fold: The imaginary line where the bottom of your screen cuts off a page, is called Fold. “What you do?” should fit on that first screen.
- Styles and Colors Are Consistent: Layout, headings, and styles should be consistent site-wide; Colors should give the same meaning. Do not confuse customers and lose them.
- Emphasis (Bold, Etc.) Used Sparingly: It’s a fact of human cognition: try to draw attention to everything and you’ll effectively draw attention to nothing.
- ADS and Pop-Ups Are Unobtrusive: Integrate them nicely into your site, else your content may suffer. Don’t try to force ads and pop-ups down peoples’ throats.
- Main Copy is Concise and Explanatory: Look at your home-page – can you say the same thing in half as many words? Nobody cares if you can “leverage your synergies”.
- URLs Are Meaningful and User-Friendly: Descriptive URLs are good for visitors and search engines. But don’t need to re-engineer an entire site.
- HTML Page Titles Are Explanatory: Search-engine visitors identify sites by Page titles. Make them descriptive, unique, and not spam them with full of keywords.
Websites promote your business 24/7 and 365 days, it is important what you are putting out there and is it making your audiences AMAZED? At Intransure we build websites that are not just visually stunning but also creates user experience that engages your customer like no other.
Write a mail at [email protected] or call us at +1 929 900 8026 and let us tell you how we can add value to your business.
