When engaged in ecommerce web design, it's easy to lose focus of your end user's experience. You can easily get caught up in the glamor of designing your site and forget about usability. And unfortunately, if you don't make usability a priority with ecommerce web development, you may decrease your chances of making a profit.
What is Usability?
It's the functioning and navigation of your site. With website shopping carts, it's important that the pages load quickly and give easy access to all ordering options.
Visitors to your site shouldn't have to "guess" at how to order your products. The shopping pages should be clearly layed out and easy to navigate. Otherwise, you will lose sales just because your site isn't user-friendly. Keep the shopping experience fun and stress-free!
Test Usability Often
Whether you're designing your own site or plan to hire a web designer, you should test the site's usability as often as possible. Make sure all links work as well as the contact forms. Use test orders to check the shopping area for bugs.
Check follow-up pages and e-mails to make sure they come through properly after an order. Also, check to be sure your images and pages load quickly from several computers (not just your own).
Searches
If your site offers multiple products or many pages of information, add a search feature to ensure visitors can easily find what they need. Perhaps they're looking for a specific product or tip but don't want to sift through your link menus to find it.
Having a search box on each page gives them quick access to whatever they need. Search boxes can be imbedded in your HTML code easily, and some are offered free through Google and other sources. Ask your designer about a search option before starting on your design if possible. It will be much easier to include it in the original design.
Avoid Clutter
Ecommerce web design is all about results, but too much clutter can turn off potential customers. Internet users are often in a hurry and need to find information as quickly as possible. A cluttered web page or shopping area will only frustrate your visitors.
Keep each page simple with the bare necessities to get your message across. Focus on a particular goal for each page so your visitors will know exactly what the page is about.
Graphics and Loading Time
Also, limit the number of images on each page. Too many images can cause the pages to load slow as well as distract visitors from your sales copy. If using images for products, include a thumbnail image on your main product page and then offer a link to enlarge the photo.
The thumbnail will load quickly, and the larger image can be used as a selling tool. Without clutter, your pages will load faster and be more appealing to those that are in a hurry.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Pardue
What is Usability?
It's the functioning and navigation of your site. With website shopping carts, it's important that the pages load quickly and give easy access to all ordering options.
Visitors to your site shouldn't have to "guess" at how to order your products. The shopping pages should be clearly layed out and easy to navigate. Otherwise, you will lose sales just because your site isn't user-friendly. Keep the shopping experience fun and stress-free!
Test Usability Often
Whether you're designing your own site or plan to hire a web designer, you should test the site's usability as often as possible. Make sure all links work as well as the contact forms. Use test orders to check the shopping area for bugs.
Check follow-up pages and e-mails to make sure they come through properly after an order. Also, check to be sure your images and pages load quickly from several computers (not just your own).
Searches
If your site offers multiple products or many pages of information, add a search feature to ensure visitors can easily find what they need. Perhaps they're looking for a specific product or tip but don't want to sift through your link menus to find it.
Having a search box on each page gives them quick access to whatever they need. Search boxes can be imbedded in your HTML code easily, and some are offered free through Google and other sources. Ask your designer about a search option before starting on your design if possible. It will be much easier to include it in the original design.
Avoid Clutter
Ecommerce web design is all about results, but too much clutter can turn off potential customers. Internet users are often in a hurry and need to find information as quickly as possible. A cluttered web page or shopping area will only frustrate your visitors.
Keep each page simple with the bare necessities to get your message across. Focus on a particular goal for each page so your visitors will know exactly what the page is about.
Graphics and Loading Time
Also, limit the number of images on each page. Too many images can cause the pages to load slow as well as distract visitors from your sales copy. If using images for products, include a thumbnail image on your main product page and then offer a link to enlarge the photo.
The thumbnail will load quickly, and the larger image can be used as a selling tool. Without clutter, your pages will load faster and be more appealing to those that are in a hurry.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Pardue
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