1. Motivate
Design your site to meet specific user needs and goals. Use motivators to draw different user “personae” into specific parts of your site.
2. User taskflow
Who are your users? What are their tasks and online environment? For a site to be usable, page flow must match work flow.
3. Architecture — it’s 80% of usability
Build an efficient navigational structure. Remember — if they can’t find it in three 3 clicks, they’re gone.
4. Affordance means obvious
Make controls understandable. Avoid confusion between emblems, banners, and buttons.
5. Replicate
Why reinvent the wheel? Use ergonomically designed templates for the most common 8–12 page types.
6. Usability test along the way
Test users with low fidelity prototypes early in design. Don’t wait until the end when it’s too late.
7. Know the technology limitations
Identify and optimize for target browsers and user hardware. Test HTML, JavaScript, etc for compatibility.
8. Know user tolerances
Users are impatient. Design for a 2–10 second maximum download. Reuse header graphics so they can load from cache. Avoid excessive scrolling.
9. Multimedia — be discriminating
Good animation attracts attention to specific information, then stops. Too much movement distracts reading and slows comprehension.
10. Use a stats package
Monitor traffic through your site. Which pages pique user interest? Which pages make users leave? Adjust your site accordingly.
