Usability 101- My Misconceptions Revealed Part III
After beginning work at a digital marketing firm, I discovered that writing for the web is different than writing for offline mediums. What I didn’t know was that web content must be presented to users in a way that encourages them to stay on a site. My second misconception did just the opposite.
Misconception #2: In order to hold someone’s interest online, include as much information as possible on the homepage so that the user won’t leave.
This misconception breaks some of the cardinal rules of content usability. Just as users need concise, meaningful content, they need an even easier way to digest it. This means that layout is extremely important.
What I’ve learned: Uniformity, consistency and manageable chunks of information are the hallmarks of good content usability. Most importantly, it’s essential to create a webpage that does not overwhelm, confuse or annoy the end user causing them to bounce to another site.
My next post will discuss this very tenet. Users don’t want to work for their web content. If they do, they’re apt to bounce. Stay tuned.
