by Ojo Oluwakemi

Created on: October 10, 2010

Creating a website requires understanding users’ needs, if their needs are understood; the design reflects this understanding thereby making users achieve their goals from time to time. To create a website that will make users visit always, there must be a balance between usability and functionality.

When you give users what they want or when you satisfy their needs, you are speaking their language. Speaking the users’ language on your website encourages users to visit always. How do you do that?

* Your website needs to be pleasing to eyes; attention grabbing and entertaining, memorable, effective, and efficient; with all these, users will keep coming back for more.

* Provision of easy reversal of actions ( such as “back” or “undo” menu button) or emergency closure ( such as “close” or “X” menu button) when there is any error makes users feel more relaxed and satisfied with your website, it makes them feel they are in control.

* Good structural design is very important, short sentences, paragraphs and documents are very easy to read and they give a website good structure. Users will find it easy to understand what your website is about when there are short texts, simple and explanatory short sentences.

 * Short download time pleases users, if your website is loaded quickly, users find it enjoyable and this will make them want to come back again for another visit.

 * When the arrangement of pages, graphics and logo are consistent across your website, the user finds it easy and effective to use. When the font, texts, font colors, font sizes, link and menu labels are consistent, users are encouraged to visit the website another time.

 * Forums and chat applications can be an invitation for users to visit your website, because there is an opportunity to meet with different people all over the world, learn about them and their cultures, discuss business, learn new things from each other and then make friends with them. This tends to encourage users to visit such website from time to time. For instance, so many users are addicted to visiting facebook website, because there are so many applications especially the chat applications where they can chat and mingle with friends.

* Feedback goes a long way especially it helps users to keep in touch with your website. When there is a provision of feedback, the users are informed about what is taking place on your website. This can be an automated message sent to each of your registered user. Feedback can also be sending information about what action has been done or accomplished for example, sending an email to a user after registering on your website, confirming their registration. Offering informative feedback appeals to users, because they always get what they want when they need it.

       Ease of use is very important; website with useful and updated information attracts users and makes them want to visit again and again.

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