5 Steps to Effective Usability

 

* This article is part of a White Paper called “HOW TO MAKE YOUR ONLINE SOFTWARE INSTANTLY USABLE & EFFECTIVE.”

Refine your site or software to improve its usability by simple tactics that can dramatically increase the effectiveness of your software.

Consider the following simple methods of improving your software’s usability:

 

1. Concise Content

Readers have short attention spans; they will not tolerate inclusion of nonessential information.

Stick with common words and phrases keeping your paragraphs as short as possible.

On usability and UX, Gartner recommends that usability and UX engineers realize that design is not just about adding features, but also is about their carefully considered removal.

 

2. Quick Clicks

Users are impatient and need software to load instantly, make sure all hyperlinks and pages function correctly.

Assist users in navigating your site by indicating hyperlinks that have previously been clicked.

 

3. Swift Scanning

Help readers scan your site by listing information by relevance, the most necessary being largest and at the top, shrinking accordingly.

Use bullet points and large font headings to provide users the option of skimming and skipping certain blocks of information they may not find relevant.

 

 

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4. Sufficient Spacing

Be aware of spacing between your fonts as well as paragraphs, test which style readers respond to best (readers like margins).

Refer to results collected in prior studies specifically regarding readers response to white space and layouts.

 

5. Deliberate Diagrams

Incorporate visuals strategically into your page, using them to replace words and content when possible.

Be selective with the visuals you include as graphics can also distract from both your content and the aesthetics of your page as well as slow down the loading process.

This article is part of a White Paper called HOW TO MAKE YOUR ONLINE SOFTWARE INSTANTLY USABLE & EFFECTIVE.”

Claim your free copy by filling the form below.

 

The White Paper covers a range of topics including:

Chapter 1: What is Usability?

Chapter 2: Usability is Crucial to Your Software’s Success

Chapter 3: Poor Usability Damages Your Product & Your Company’s Reputation

Chapter 4: The Critical Importance of Testing Early & Often

Chapter 5: 5 Steps to Effective Usability

Chapter 6: Interesting Usability Tools You Must Know About

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Jessica is the Lead Author & Editor of UsabilityLab Blog. Jessica writes for the UsabilityLab blog to create a source for news and discussion about some of the issues, challenges, news, and ideas relating to usability.