Website Usability By UUA Web Team, Information Technology Services "Usability" refers to the ease with which people can use a website in order to achieve their goal. Principles of usability help people of all abilities, using any web browser, to make the most of the content provided. Contents Summary of Website Usability Concepts "Usability" refers to the ease with which people can use a website in order to achieve their goal. Principles of usability help people of all abilities,... Choose the Best Images for Your Web Pages Usability Tip Choose images that enhance your story: engage your reader with faces or meaningful imagery. Don't Make "Coming Soon" or "Under Construction" Pages Don't create pages (or links to pages) that have no content or that are "under construction." Publishing pages that are empty creates credibility issues. Limit Your Use of Bold Text on Web Pages Use bold text sparingly. Though bold text is great for adding emphasis to a word or phrase, over time it causes eye fatigue and reduces comprehension. Make Web Links Plain Use text markup appropriately. Make Your Web Links Brief Make your link text brief. Linked text draws the eye (and underlined text on the web indicates the presence of a link). Use Empty Space in Your Web Pages Use bullet points, short paragraphs, and/or headers to increase space and improve the scannability of your text. Use Lower Case Text on Your Web Pages Don't use all-caps. All upper case text reduces reading comprehension by up to 90% and is interpreted by many as yelling. Use Meaningful Headings on Your Web Pages Use brief, meaningful headers to allow your reader to scan a page quickly for the information they need. Use Meaningful Links on Your Web Pages Make your link text meaningful. Linked text draws the eye, but generic text like "Click Here" gives no helpful information. Use Sidebar Content Sparingly on Your Web Pages Put important information in the body of your page. Studies show your material will gain visibility. Review Your Site's Usability Try to look at your congregation's website with fresh eyes, and ask yourself some basic questions. NEXT: Summary Get a print-friendly version of Website Usability, including all sub-pages.