User Interface Design (UX) – Content – Just the Message
This set of guidelines may be used for evaluating websites as they develop or for examining sites by others. It addresses Usability, User Interface, and Communication. There is more to UX, please see other posting by me and watch for new posting on the subject in the next few months.
While this article is not explicitly about SEO, applying the standards here will only be good for SEO.
Usability
Do the graphics communication or supplement the message and purpose of the page? What is the desired balance between the graphical message and the text message?
People scan web pages. They do not read them. So, layout should be rhythmic and language should be concise. Break up traditional paragraphs by using subheadings, bullet lists, and short paragraphs.
Do not over do the breaking up of the page text. If it is a bullet item, then it does not need to be indented. Use one method or the other.
Font styles, sizes, and alignment should be consistent, and generally controlled by the style sheet. Avoid in-line styles. Using more than three different fonts in one page requires very high design skill. Keep it simple.
Link text should contain clear, action words that indicate what the link points to. Avoid using “Click Here” and other test that refers to the document. Remember, the user should be aware of the message, not the website.
Links to non-web formats, such as PDFs, should be identified by noting the format in the link text.
Users associate underlined text with links. So, do not underline text that is not links, this includes headings, page and section identification, and titles in general.
Color for emphasis and differentiation is under used in web pages. The twentieth century used italics and bold to differentiate. The twenty-first century uses color.
Communication
The purpose of every page should be clear to the user. Good questions to ask when creating and reviewing pages include:
• Is it clear what this page is for?
• How is it different from other pages?
• Is this message necessary?
• What is the first thing I notice on this page and does that match what should be the first thing a user notices?
• Is there anything distracting me from the main purpose of this page?
The language of the site and any system messages should be written in clear terms familiar to most users. Avoid jargon and overly technical terms.
Do not invent syntax. Do you mean “or” or do you mean “and”? Do not write “and/or”. It is one or the other. More distracting yet is “inside/outside”.
Do not over use punctuation. Users are not generally computer programmers. The comma is understandable. “Jim ate rice, the brown kind.” Parenthesis have a purpose, but can be just distracting. “Jim ate rice (the brown kind).”
Strunk and Whites. The Elements of Style belongs on every proofreader’s desk.
All text should be proofread for spelling and grammar mistakes.
User Interface
Link text should contain clear, action words that indicate what the link points to. Avoid using “Click Here” and other test that refers to the document. Remember, the user should be aware of the message, not the website.
Links to non-web formats, such as PDFs, should be identified by noting the format in the link text.
Users associate underlined text with links. So, do not underline text that is not links, this includes headings, page and section identification, and titles in general.
Help user to avoid errors. For example, if data need to be entered in a specific format, provide clear instructions for doing so. Do this consistently. Examples:
Home Phone _________________ +1 (607) 555-1212
URL ________________________ http://www.mydomain.com
Does the text wrap around images correctly? Is it spaced away from borders and other graphical edges?
Did you use H1’s for page titles, H2’s for sub-headings, etc.?
Does each page have a unique <title> ? Does the title match the page content and purpose. Remember, these are the words displayed by search engine returns and the default words stored in bookmarks.
