What is web usability and why is it key to navigation?

Imagine walking into a store and the aisles are not ordered in any way, the signs are confusing and, when you finally find what you are looking for, the checkout is impossible to find. Frustrating, isn't it? Well, that's exactly what happens with websites that don't have good usability. If users get lost, they leave.

What is web usability?

Web usability is the ability of a website to be intuitive, efficient and easy to use for any user, regardless of their technical knowledge. In other words, it is what makes a website accessible, intuitive and easy to navigate, without the user having to think too much about what to do to navigate.

Good web usability allows visitors to find the information they are looking for quickly, and have a positive experience.

At this point, do you want to see for yourself what happens when the usability of a website is lacking? Just go to userinyerface.com and you will see it in a very graphic way.

Characteristics of a good web usability

If you want your website to be intuitive and easy to use, it should meet these characteristics:

• Simple and intuitive navigation: Users have to be able to easily find what they are looking for.
• Clean and structured design: The use of white space, legible fonts and a balanced color palette improve the user experience.
• Fast loading time: A slow website is synonymous with users who abandon before interacting.
• Responsive design: The website must be easily accessible from any device, whether it is a computer, a tablet or a cell phone.
• Visible buttons and CTA's: Important buttons, such as "Buy" or "Contact us", should be in prominent places and with a legible chromatic combination.
• Web Accessibility: The website must be usable by everyone, including visually impaired people.

Why is web usability relevant?

If users do not find what they need quickly, they will abandon your website and, surely, they will look for an alternative in the competition.

In addition, good usability:

• Improves user experience and satisfaction.
• Reduces the abandonment rate.
• Increases conversions (whether a sale, a reservation or a contact).
• Improves SEO positioning (Google values user-friendly websites with a good dwell time).

UI/UX: The key to a functional website

When we talk about design and usability, two key concepts are often mentioned: UI(User Interface) and UX (User Experience).

UX (User Experience) refers to the overall user experience when interacting with a website. It includes aspects such as ease of navigation, speed of finding information and the overall feeling of efficiency and satisfaction. Good usability is part of a good user experience.

UI (User Interface) is the visual and interactive part of the website, such as buttons, menus, colors and fonts. It is what the user sees and interacts with directly.

We all like to have a website that is visually stunning and different from the rest. But this is where many companies run into a problem: they are looking for so much innovation in design that it is detrimental to usability. Therefore, the challenge is to balance good web design with a smooth user experience.

We design websites that work

At Dispromèdia, we know that an attractive website is useless if users can't navigate easily. That's why in all our projects, whether corporate websites, online stores or mobile applications, we apply UI/UX principles to ensure a smooth and intuitive experience. We work with Ebasnet, our own web content creation and management platform, which allows us to create efficient, agile websites adapted to any device.

If you want a website that combines modern design and user experience, contact us.