Small business advice - Hamilton, ON

I recently came across an article on what people most dislike ( OK hate ) about web sites.
The article is at infoworld.

Many companies are losing potential customers because their web sites are annoying or distracting. People don’t have much patience when they are busy and looking / browsing on the Web, according to Theresa Cunnington, senior usability consultant with services firm iFocus.

“It doesn’t matter how cool a Web site looks, if users find it impractical they will head to your competitor’s site, which is only a click away,” Cunnington said.

Flash animations are an obvious example of what users hate in a Web site; the “skip intro” button is the most used button on the Internet.

“Users hate flash because it’s a barrier to the site.”

I agree with this point totally, animations and motion video can distract and dilute your message.

Cunnington said Web sites are constantly torn between form and function and as technology changes, new variants on old issues stand out, and new problems emerge.
Head of Comunet’s Web site design, Damien Coyle believes design is crucial for an effective Web site.
“You need to represent your corporate image, which should reflect company ideals,” Coyle said.
“Not everyone is going to access your site so you need only address the target audience.”

The top five Web site quirks that users hate the most, according to iFocus are:
1. Invasive advertising: Cunnington says users widely despise ads that cover content, ads that flash wildly and ads that chew broadband.
2. Re-inventing the wheel: people do not want to have to learn how to use a site before they can browse it, Cunnington said.
3. ‘Leap of faith’ links: that means disclosing information on content and file size.
4. Attention-deficit Web sites: “Users have a special hatred of flashing icons and banners, because they draw the eye away from what is important and hinder their progress,” Cunnington said.
5. Too long of a page: “A common mistake in Web design is to just [convert] a brochure to the Web. But the Web is its own medium, and communication has to change to reach users. Users are known to read 25 percent slower on the screen than on paper, read fewer words and don’t like long pages which require scrolling down,” she said.

Another problem is when an Internet surfer misses key information on the web page. “We are now seeing right-column blindness, where users do not see information and links down the right hand side of the screen. This occurs because the right hand column has become known for advertising,” Cunnington said.

New Canadian research shows that good or bad web site design is noticed in 1/20th of a second

In an article I first noticed from the BBC and then later at techtree, the amount of time it takes to come to a decision about first impressions of a web site is just 1/20th of a second or 50 milleseconds. This means that if people believe a website looks good, then this good and positive quality will spread to other areas such as the web site’s content. Or if the web site looks 2nd class or of bad design, a person may move on before even reading the content.

A study conducted by Canadian researchers, published in the journal “Behaviour & Information Technology,” were pleasantly surprised by their findings.

“My colleagues believed it would be impossible to really see anything in less than 500 milliseconds ” -Gitte Lindgaard, Carleton University

Fast conclusions
The Canadian team showed volunteers glimpses of websites, lasting for only 50 milliseconds.

The volunteers then had to rate the websites in terms of their aesthetic appeal.

The researchers found that the speedily formed conclusions closely matched with opinions of the websites that had been made after much longer periods of examination.

The Canadian team wrote that visual appeal can be assessed within 50 milliseconds, which means that web designers have only 50 milliseconds to create an impact on users.

Under the guidance of Dr Gitte Lindgaard, Carleton University, Ottawa, the team showed volunteers 50 millisecond glimpses of Web sites, and asked them to rate the sites basis their aesthetic appeal. Users were then asked to examine the site carefully, and provide a second rating. The researchers found the 2 ratings closely tallying.

Dr Lindgaard expressed surprise at the results, adding that her colleagues believed it would be impossible to really see anything in less than 500 milliseconds or 1/2 a second.

And just why do first impressions last? According to the researchers, it is due to what psychologists would call the “halo effect”. This translated in common terms means that if people believe a website looks good, then this positive quality will spread to other areas such as the website’s content.

Also as people like to be right, they will carry on using the website that made a good first impression - further confirming that their initial decision was correct.

Lindgaard warned on basis of the study that unless first impressions are favorable, visitors will ship out of websites even before they can get to know what the website has to offer and that is to your competitors advantage.

If you would like a free web site consultation please visit Office Activate web design services.