Reading Assignment 1: Usability

Designing Web sites like designing anything else for users is the process that involves creating the structure that works for an user in a best and easiest way.
To make this structure work a designer have to bare in mind basic principles  of usability.
The best way to do it is start with analysis of problems of existing site or analysis of client's task.

What is the need? Sell, promote, inform, entertain? All this purposes have different ways of achievement.

Now when the target audience and task is defined a designer has to create a structure that is understandable, convenient or easy to use for audience. According Steve Krug in his book"Don't make me think" the usability is a strategy that helps users to find whatever they are looking for without spending long time on that. The task of a designer is make this process as easier and as faster as possible. There are some basic principles of design that can help in this situation:"
1. visual hierarchy
2. conventions
3. breaking up pages into clearly defined areas
4. make it obvious what is clickable"

So site should be very easy to navigate, with nice layout, not too busy, with text broken into paragraphs and text that does not carry any extra information. All the titles and categories should be clearly defined.

During the process of design a designer has to think of user's previous experiences, his "predictions". If he used to find listed categories in one area  those categories should be listed all together in one area. Home button, search window, contact information- all of that should be located in easy to find places where user usually find them on other sites. User usually scans Web sites and as soon as he finds what he was looking for he focuses on this category or area of Web site. The task of a designer is to put  some marks or incorporate in site smart and simple navigation system that helps user achieve his goal.