How to improve your website: 6 Steps to make it user friendly

1. Keep it simple. Remove unnecessary images since it allows the important information to stand out.  This will create a balance to make your page more visually appealing and easier to read and follow. When people look at your page their focus starts on the top left, goes to the right and then focuses on the text of the page. Most people focus on the text rather than the images.
2. You should have a clean background. The background color you chose should have the ability to estimate the overall appeal of the website.  Remember step one of keep it simple. A lot of texture and graphics in the background can be distracting. The more texture you add to the background, the less noticeable your text and images become to the viewer. The problem we run into is that people use a color for the background and do not contrast the text color to make it stand out. You can almost never go wrong black text and white background because it’s easy to read. Be careful when using the colors red and yellow. They stand out, but tire your eyes quickly.
3. You should have a toolbar for easy navigation. Most web users look for the toolbar across the top, down the left the left hand side of the page, or at the bottom.  Never forget to add a link back to the homepage on the toolbar.
4. Your page should be easy to read.  You can do this by breaking up blocks of text and by creating short paragraphs. You should think of what the key points on each page are and create headings and subheadings. When doing this you should only use one or two fonts. You should select one font for your headings and subheadings and another for the body text.
5. Make sure your page has NO horizontal scrolling. I know I don’t like when I have to scroll left or right to read a page because it’s annoying, so if you’ve got it, lose it. Vertical scrolling is ok if you have to have it. If you have a lot of information you should put that information on to another page and provide links. Remember, you run the risk of a person missing vital information that falls below the screen if a user decides not to scroll down to view it or skips certain sections because there is too much to read. Try to keep all your important information above the fold.
6. The 5 second rule. As a society we are impatient and when it takes more than 5 seconds to connect to a website we move onto the next page. Users want to make contact, and make it quick since everyone has limited time. You need to ensure that your pages load as quickly as possible. This can be achieved by eliminating unnecessary graphics.

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