Where do I click? Poor user interface is poor communication

Posted 08/23/2009 in: Web communication & marketing • Interface design | 0 Comment | Permalink

Have you ever found that sometimes you just don’t know what you can or can’t click on in a website page?

For example:

• A blue headline looks like a link—because all the links on the page are blue—but is not.
• A picture can be enlarged if you click on it, but there is nothing to tell you that you can.
• A graphic looks like a button but is not.
• The color of a link is so close to the color of the text that you do not notice it.

These are typical mistakes in websites designed either by amateurs at user interface design or by graphic designers who are more concerned about aesthetics than usability.

What is the result of such a poor interface? Frustration. Your visitor will not understand whatever you are trying to communicate, and, most probably, will not even stay on the page!