Site usability is, um, next to godliness.
It's a good time to be a sports fan these days. Every time I want to find out the score of last night's New York Mets game, I have half a dozen places to turn to. If I want highlights or a story, I can turn to newspaper pages, Yahoo!, ESPN.com or Fox Sports.
Several years ago, I may have only turned to ESPN.com. These days, however, I find myself hitting up the Yahoo! Sports page every day.
Why? Simple navigation. The ESPN page navigation has gotten so complicated, it's almost turned me off from the site completely. If I weren't already familiar with the ESPN.com navigation, I would probably never go to the page. (I find myself going there less and less, and when I do, it's not to read up on sports news, but to check out its jokey Page Two sub-site.)
For marketers, site usability can be key to delivering your message. First off, if you're going to buy ad space, make sure people can see it clearly. If your ad simply looks like clutter on a page, you may not want to advertise there.
For your own sites, while you may not have to clutter up your page with as much content as ESPN, it's important to work hand-in-glove with usability experts to judge if your page can be navigated quickly and easily.
Here are some quick usability tips for your homepage:
1) Don't clutter your page. If you have lots of information, spread it out using clear links and sidebar navigation.
2) Limit scrolling. Nobody likes to scroll unless there's content they absolutely need. And be honest, they may not need to absorb everything you have to say. Choose wisely.
3) Make sure there's a clear path to your homepage. 'Nuff said.
4) Creative is good. Abstract may not be. Check out the Leo Burnett homepage. I get it. They're creative. They flaunt it. Most importantly, I get it.
Dear readers: Any tips to share? Post 'em!
Comments
I couldn't agree with you more. My favorite site is actually CBS Sportsline but I know what you mean. I can't believe ESPN still uses pop ups. Their front page is way too busy and its hard to find things.
Posted by: Joe McMackin | September 12, 2007 2:16 PM
Good point. Too many companies, large and small, are completely oblivious to the adverse affects of bad website design. Usability can affect sales, donations and perceptions of a company.
Marketing people do realize the marketing potential and power of a website...but they seem to often overlook the detrimental effect of a badly designed website. A super good lookin' website is nothing if it can't be used - it's simply a waste of money.
I found a great usability resource here: Web Pages That Suck.
Learning by the mistakes of others is not only very educational...but fun!
Posted by: Kevin Jessop | September 12, 2007 8:12 PM
Ha. Some of those sites are quite amusing.
Posted by: Daniel B. Honigman | September 13, 2007 12:48 PM
I'd like to learn more about how other corporations are doing their intranet sites, and are they incorporating RSS into these. How does RSS fit into reaching corporate communication objectives?
Posted by: cathy | September 27, 2007 9:02 AM
Cathy -
Don't worry; something may be in the works soon for ya!
Posted by: Daniel B. Honigman | November 9, 2007 8:54 AM