The Importance of Simple User Interface
We as web designers are responsible for creating functional sites that bring in considerable traffic whilst keeping the attention of visitors through highly creative and accessible user interfaces. Research shows that it takes most internet users a few seconds to decide whether a website fulfils their requirements hence the need for a simple user interface has never been greater.
With countless businesses relying on quality traffic for success across the world, it is vital that these few seconds are used to appeal to the user.
There are three simple yet crucial steps that web designers can take to ensure quality user interface design:
- Consistency: There should be uniformity in user interface between all the various pages of a website. For example, if the navigation bar is on the top of the page for some pages and at the bottom for others, it can confuse the user as they aim to navigate around the site. This simple example can be enough to frustrate users and drive them away.
- Simplicity: Creative and original designs are all well and good but when it comes to user interface, complex sites are likely to drive traffic away. It is considerably easier for customers to achieve objectives with a simple and efficient user interface design.
- Labels: A common issue that arises with a lot of websites is the use of icons without labels. The designers may assume the icons are self-explanatory but this won’t be the case for intermittent web users. It is important to always label icons appropriately so as to avoid confusion.
The most popular sites on the web are the ones that fuse these vital ingredients. Facebook and YouTube are just two examples of immensely popular sites that generate high levels of traffic due to the user interface design. Both sites are easy to navigate, easy to understand and offer a consistently high level of functionality on each page.
