Many organisations limit the success of their websites, purely because their branding guidelines do not provide enough colours for designers to utilise. In this post I’ll show you how a limited colour palette can affect the success of a website. Good calls-to-action I recently wrote an article for UX Booth about Good call-to-action buttons. In [...]
Tags: e-commerce, navigation
So you’ve got a lovely website where your customers can get all sorts of useful information. But sometimes they just want to call you or email you with a question. The approach you take to being contacted can have a big effect on customers’ perceptions of your organisation. In this post, I discuss contact details [...]
Tags: forms, navigation, web writing
Your website is just a series of inter-linked pages, but some of those pages are very different from others. In this post, I’m going to talk about pathway (or gateway) pages. I want to help you to identify pathway pages and explain some considerations you should make by discussing real examples. So what’s a pathway [...]
Tags: navigation, web writing
I recently wrote an article for UXBooth about call-to-action buttons. In the article, I discuss the following factors: Prioritisation Language Positioning Colour Size Restraint You’ll need to read the article on the UXBooth website if you want to get access to those pearls of wisdom.
Tags: e-commerce, forms, navigation, shameless self-publicity
We use the Back button all the time, often without noticing. As soon as we realise we’ve taken a wrong turn, we reach for the Back button. However the Back button has long been regarded by web designers as the user’s crutch. As though it is only used to help them get out situations caused [...]
Tags: navigation
You should never need to write ‘click here’ on your links. This post explains the reasons why. Your links should be obvious In a previous post I advised you to let your hyperlinks shine. This is because your links should be obviously visible on the page. When we’re looking at a web page, we shouldn’t [...]
Tags: navigation, trigger words, web writing
Using 1,2,3 links is often a result of lazy web design. In many cases, it’s the web equivalent of asking your users to rake through bargain bins. They don’t know what’s in each bin, they have to rummage through them in order to find out. Often however, 1,2,3 links are the most appropriate option. I [...]
Tags: iPlayer, navigation, search, trigger words
In web design, we often automatically think of blind users when we talk about web accessibility. But a lot of disabled users are not blind. Some people will use a keyboard to navigate your site despite being able to see the screen. Unfortunately browsers aren’t that great at highlighting the link that is in focus. [...]
Tags: navigation, quick tips
I think that the commonly used expanding left hand menu is innapropriate for most of the sites it’s used on. In this article I explain why and propose an alternative.
Tags: navigation
Hyperlinks are what holds the web together. Without links, the web would not be a web. An important part of good web site design is the visual treatment of your hyperlinks. You’ll be doing your users a favour by making your hyperlinks instantly noticeable. Allow your users to quickly understand what their options are on [...]
Tags: navigation, trigger words
I noticed an advert the other day for Channel 4 Watch online internet catch-up service. It reminded me of a common problem on the web – branding things with names that nobody understands. Channel 4 have done the right thing. Their offering is the Ronseal Quick Drying Wood Stain of the catch-up TV world. So [...]
Tags: catch-up TV, iPlayer, navigation, trigger words
I was discussing Gerry McGovern with a friend recently. We both like the way he writes about good web content. However my friend felt that he couldn’t really see a difference between Customer Carewords and Jared Spool’s trigger words. They are both similar I agree, but I think there are differences. I’ll attempt to describe [...]
Tags: Gerry McGovern, Jared Spool, navigation, trigger words, Usability testing, web writing
There was a time when I thought fly-out menus were the work of the devil. But I’m a little older now and hopefully a bit wiser too. I’ve seen that they can have some benefits. For example they can certainly help make up for poor 1st level categories. On one website I tested they definitely [...]
Tags: navigation
Using good sub-headers will help your users find the information they are looking for. It’s like navigation but without the clicking and the cool roll-over effects. Sub-headers help users decide whether to stay Your web pages will not be read word for word. In many cases your user is looking for a single piece of [...]
Tags: navigation, tips, trigger words, web writing
Many UK TV broadcasters now have catch up TV on their websites. I’ve worked on a few of these projects myself. Images tend to feature heavily in the design of such sites and are usually pretty useful. When you’re looking for your favourite programme it can be easier to find it when images are well-used [...]
Tags: catch-up TV, navigation, tips, trigger words
I'm an independent usability specialist based in the UK.
I help people make their websites easier to use.
