Creating a beautiful website is great – but if your website doesn’t work well or isn’t fast enough, your users aren’t going to stick around. Turning things around, a super functional website that looks outdated or clunky can hurt your credibility too. Striking the perfect balance between design, or form, and usability, or function, is essential when it comes to creating an impressive digital experience for your users.
Begin with Function
If you have to prioritise one or the other, prioritise function first. Yes, your website needs to look great, but making sure it actually works is even more important. Put your energy into creating simple navigation, a logical layout and super speedy load times. You’ll want your users to navigate your site quickly and without any confusion.
Speed Matters
A slow-loading website is the biggest possible turn-off for your users. Statistics show that 40% of users will abandon a website and leave if it takes more than three seconds to load – so speed couldn’t be a more important factor. Compressing images, reducing any unnecessary scripts and using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify bottlenecks can help keep your website moving quickly. A fast site will also boost your search ranking performance. A web designer Exeter and the wider area, such as https://exeter.nettl.com/web-design/, can help with solutions to slow-loading sites.
Design for Mobile First
With the majority of users conducting nearly all of their online browsing using their phone or tablet, it’s a great idea to start your web design process with small screens at the forefront of your mind. Keep buttons tap-friendly, menus accessible and easy to navigate and content easy to read, even on small screens.
Keep it Simple
Nobody wants to spend forever searching for a specific page or trying to ‘figure out’ exactly how to navigate your website. Each click, scroll and interaction a user makes with your site should feel natural. Use clear labels, limit distractions and keep your site structured in a consistent way to help visitors find what they need without thinking too hard.