Usability Vs design mixed with modern techniques July 16, 2010 No Comments
The age old argument of design over usability is one that should never really exist; both sides of web development can easily be merged to go hand and hand to create functional and pretty sites.
The designer will always want to use as many graphics and images as possible potentially slowing down the load times of the site. Flashy JavaScript, giant header images and video can also cause load bottlenecks but sure do make a difference when it comes to looks, and there aren’t many people who can’t appreciate a nice looking site. Read the rest of this entry »
Lower your bounce rate with these Usability tips April 8, 2010 No Comments
The biggest battle on the web is getting qualified visitors that are interested in what you are selling or what you have to say. To win the war you have to retain those visitors and try to get them to buy or use your service. The most effective way to retain your visitors is to have a site that’s usable, easy to navigate and has content that is readable. A sites functionality and concept should be easy to pick up and should interact with the visitors in a way in which they would expect. Read the rest of this entry »
Is content strategy really necessary? March 28, 2010 1 Comment
Content, content, content – as an avid reader of the redsauce.com blog, by now you should know that that’s what we’re all about!
On top of our usual blog writing and article wizardry, you might be surprised to learn that there’s actually much more that goes on in our little content team. Clever, clever things happen in our grammar-filled brains which involve a lot of cogs turning and cause a lot of headaches. In fact, I don’t think I’ve had to concentrate this much recently since I watched the first series of Lost!
While we rant from the rooftops that content is king, content strategy is just as important, even if it does cause a lot of paper wastage and worn out Biro’s in the short term! Your content could be the most amazing ever written but if you don’t have a good content strategy it could all turn out to be a massive waste of time and effort! Read the rest of this entry »
Tips for a better looking blog March 2, 2010 No Comments
Well done you have a blog, and you’re writing it frequently. But it looks awful. Slap!
So what can you do? Read on…
Start with a decent theme – If you understand CSS etc really well you can make your own, if you’re a complete novice, shop around online for themes you can buy and install yourself. It’s really easy to do, and there are loads of tutorials online to show you how. If you’re in between a newbie and a pro, then take the most simple theme going and adapt it, that way you wont have to write any new code and but there is a wide scope to play about. Just make sure it looks unique and memorable, brand it for yourself. Read the rest of this entry »
Why Does Usability matter? February 10, 2010 No Comments
If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you’ll understand that content is highly important, however, so is how it’s presented. By making your site more usable, you can increase conversion. Even small changes can make a big difference.
For example by having a less deep header, you can gain more screen real-estate for important content above “the fold”. By having a consistent style for links, you save the user any confusion as to what is a link and what is not.
When I design a site, there are so many things I have to think about. By diverting away from the norm, you can immediately complicate the user’s experience on the page. If you’re interested in making your own site more usable, there are plenty of great books out at the moment.
I recently read two great articles about the subject, one was from a UX (user experience) designer who was annoyed by the complexity of the American Airlines website. Have a read here. The other is a brilliant deconstruction of “Smashing Magazine” by another designer. Read this one here.
By taking the time at the design stage, you will reap the benefits massively down the line. By offering an easy to use site, visitors will return again and again.
Being too Flashy November 24, 2009 No Comments
As an aspiring Flash designer at college, a full portfolio site made in Flash seemed to be the way forward. Enhanced interactivity, animations, music, and general amazing things could happen in Flash. Looking back, and even with improved Flash indexing capabilities on Google, I can see that was all a very bad idea…
A full site made in Flash, may look snappy and (sometimes) easier to create, but going overboard with all the amazing things we know Flash is capable of becomes somewhat off-putting and distracting. Plus Google is still not a huge fan of Flash navigated sites. Nowadays I find nothing worse than a site with a ‘please wait’ loading bar before you’ve even reached the homepage, I’m not sure how I used to put up with it when the internet was much slower! Let’s face it, if someone who works with and enjoys Flash finds their patience tested by these things then how will an everyday internet user react? Probably by clicking the back button on their browser and heading for the next site on the search result list.
Flash is an amazing tool however, and is certainly not to be dismissed at all. With many ordinary sites Flash is best used in moderation, perhaps a simple animated banner, or if you’re really ‘flash’ (ahem) a fun game or interactive element. Never go over the top with buttons that have animations longer than your readers attention span and leave the heavy Flash developing to the experts creating amazing games and animated content. If you really want to use Flash, keep it simple and directly beneficial to your site.
