Usability
Usability... Can you work it?
Web design and arrangement of navigation is much more than just the visual look of the pages.
Good web design is about organising the information on your website to meet the needs of your specific visitors needs and your business goals. As a standard we incorporate current usability principles into our development process.
The most important aspect of usability is ensuring that the website delivers for both the visitor and your business, we complete the following as standard;
- Wireframes - every site has a functional specification delivered with the design brief
- Site paths - we design your webpages so that your required visitor paths are clear. Imagine your website as a maze - we drop the breadcrumbs! Your visitor's should never ask "How do I find ...?"
- WC3 - we develop your site to comply with web standards, to ensure the page can be read by across varied browsers and types of users.
- Disability standards - if required we can upgrade our standard process to accomodate disabled users
- Sitemap - a siteplan is a diagram showing the pages on your proposed site and how they are linked together. You use the siteplan to set paths that you want your visitors to follow. Each path should lead to a goal (like a Contact/Subscribe form). Some visitors like to browse, others like to get information quickly - so you need alternative paths to the same goals.
However we apply our expertise, we cannot really know how effective your website is, unless we test it with your end-users and visitors.
For clients that truly value the experience of their visitors, we offer additional usability services, in conjunction with established usability experts:
- User workshops - meeting with key groups of users to determine needs.
- Wireframe testing - testing the effectiveness of the paper prototypes with real users to ensure we get it right before we build.
- Prototype testing - testing of web applications during the build stage
- Advanced browser testing including disability and standards testing