Summary: Having established in the last reading that most web users simply scan webpages - as one would a billboard – opposed to actually reading them, Krug begins this reading by explaining to designers how to design websites that resemble billboards, in the sense that they work effectively at a glance, without being scrutinized over. The five steps he lays out for success with this method are: Create a clear visual hierarchy on each page, take advantage of conventions, break pages up into clearly defined areas, make it obvious what’s clickable, and minimize noise. As the best websites typically follow these guidelines, the best way to sum it up, taken directly from the text, is to not bother “re-inventing the wheel”. The author then goes on to reiterate that (and explain why) users prefer mindless choices. So preferable is navigation that requires little to no thought, in fact, that Krug states in his second “law of usability”: “It doesn’t matter how many times I have to click, as long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice.” Given that knowledge, we can discern that numerous, simple steps are better than fewer, more difficult steps in site navigation. The reading finishes with Krug explaining at length his third “law of usability”: “Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left.” He states the biggest offenders in the area of needlessly verbose sections are “happy talk” (self-congratulatory, content-free small talk) and instructions. By reducing the amount of text accompanying these and other areas, overall noise is reduced, useful content is more prominent, and pages become shorter, requiring less scrolling.
Response: All good advice. Most of it seems to be common knowledge at this point (the importance of visual hierarchy, conventions, minimizing noise), but some comes as a surprise (users prefer several mindless choices over fewer that require thought). Some of it seems contrary to our nature as designers. Removing unnecessary text is especially hard for me, as I find I tend to throw a lot of words into sites to pad out what little I know about design, as long as we’re being brutally honest with ourselves. Something to work on, I suppose.
Relevant Links:
Fantastic post that lays out everything about visual hierarchy, from its history to its use in modern design, with helpful diagrams illustrating important points.
A list of ten important web design conventions with explanations of how they make for a good website, using Amazon.com as an example.
A short article that states tips for concise writing, including reducing needless words, and choosing strong words to replace several weaker ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment