I often get asked by new or prospective clients to go off the beaten path and non-conventional means of implementing something. Like navigation. One client wanted to use “guess who” or “mystery meat” navigation in which the user must guess what each symbol meant.
My reply was, “Why do you want to fool your customers? Chances are, they are busy and don’t want to spend the time muddling through your site to find what they are looking for.”
This, among many other requests for non-conventional methods has prompted me to put up a list of Web Usability “Don’ts” to help explain what not to do and why.
Don't do the following:
Don't hide the things I really want – One of my most hated issues with sites is the hiding of pricing for a product or service. Businesses seem to think that if they hide the actual price somewhere down the line, like making me add it to the cart, and then start the checkout process, that I am so far into it that I won’t be as fazed by the high sticker price. Wrong. I will usually go to another site before I take the time to do that, as do most people. Other items to not hide are (but not limited to):
Example Mystery Meat Navigation
- Phone numbers
- Contact information (i.e. mailing address, contact forms, etc.)
- Navigation (yes, some people still use Mystery Meat Navigation)
Don't force Customers to do what they don’t want – Formatting of phone numbers, social security numbers, etc. in forms and making users add dashes or don’t add dashes. A few extra lines of code will fix any formatting issues. Just make sure they have enough digits and add or remove the formatting as needed with code to fit into your data structure. Also requiring users to populate more than what is really required in a form is also frustrating. Users are already skeptical of adding their personal data to any site, so if you can get away with it, don’t require any fields if it is possible.
Don't force customers to watch your fancy Flash intro – Flash splash pages have been one of the top annoyances for web users since the 90’s. Most people don’t want to take the time to muddle through your Flash happiness, nor do they want to hunt for the “skip” link. Just take them to the meat of your site right off the bat.
Don't put up a site that looks like Uncle Bob developed it – Your website is often the first impression of your business. Does it look clean, usable and done by a professional? Yes, I am a website pro, and you might be thinking bias, but put yourself at your customer’s mouse – what would they think about your based on your website? If it is confusing and cluttered, they will see your business as unorganized. If your site isn’t usable, they will think you will be difficult to work with.
Don't make links look like something other than a link – Links, buttons and the like need to look like links and buttons (visit http://www.georgehutchins.com/ and see if you can find links without hovering over something). It’s as simple as that. Make sure there is good contrast and consistency, and use standard conventions. Text links are always better than buttons, and I recommend using different styling for visited links, though I don’t think they are always required, but more of a courtesy to the user.
Don't make use of visual "noise" – Busyness on a website is a visitor killer (just take a look at DPGraph). Make the important parts of your site stand out so it is easy for the user to determine where they need to go and if you can help them with their problem. Sites with lots of graphics are okay in some verticals (such as design firms, photography sites, etc.), other sites should use photographs sparingly and should complement what the site is trying to relay to the customer.
Don't hide where the user is - On your site, that is. Always let the user know, visually, where they are within your site. Breadcrumbs are a good way to show the user where they are and where they have been.
Do: Be Obvious
Remember, each new user is a beginner on your site. Make everything obvious.
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