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Posts Tagged 'design & usability'

Navigation Design - The right architecture will find!

November 23

Hi, thanks for the visit - hope that you will find useful information. Leave a comment but if you have any comments on the subject.

The main elements of a website is in any case, the navigation, because the best content of little use if they can not be found. Goal in the navigation design is intuitive, the target audience and content relevant to developing menus.

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Transparency and improve sales in online stores!

May 17

An important criterion for successful online stores is to be as transparent as possible for customers. The potential customer should as much helpful information for ordering, after the expiration of the order but also for handling of complaints and returns are available. That should take each be online stores, in my view part to cooperate with further confidence-building measures the customer that the "fear of buying". And the best part is that this much can be accomplished with relatively little effort.

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Posted in eCommerce

Navigation Architecture: Show the user where he is!

April 28

It has in recent years already gotten around that we intended to show users where they are and so can orient a user within a site easy. But as easy as it sounds, so often ignored this requirement and there are some subtleties here that still have not got around everywhere.

Active menu item to select
The standard it has become one of select active menu items. Here is this selection make visually evident. The difference between select andnot selected menu items should be immediately recognizable look at one. In addition, it should be noted that navigation is working levels with emphasis in all. Time and again we see websites in which the main menu item is selected beautiful, but from the second or third level break from the visual chaos.

Breadcrumb Navigation integrate
Navigation. The more complex and deeper the navigation structure of a website is, the more important is a breadcrumb navigation. This can create some problems from the neck and has created a global reference point for the user. darstellen. However Bread Crumb should never be the only navigation option. In my view, are the "breadcrumbs" for quick orientation and in an emergency can also abuse this too much for users to navigate.

Each side their menu
Each side should be assigned to a menu item. Especially on the home page, you often see the subitems are displayed in the menu anywhere. This results in pages that are more or less in the "vacuum" space. Classic examples of this offer, for example, the pages of a banner link to home about, but then no item will be assigned. The user clickt on appropriate banner and then has no clue where he is. Same time, the "Home" page is only one page and should not contain numerous sub.

Back button not forget!
A classic: the site should not use the "Back" buttons work in the browser. Therefore, strictly implement next buttons in the right places. With the right places, I mean that the button aufscheinen only there to where he was needed. Such a link is Back on the home page rather pointless. Only on the detail pages on a "read more" link and not the menu's are accessible from my point of view makes sense.

Integrated Sitemaps
Way the user a nice overview of the site structure to provide further provide an integrated Sitemaps. die man in den letzten Jahren immer öfters sieht. By that I mean this global, integrated in the footer Sitemaps that you often see in recent years always. Zwecken nutzen. Honestly, I have no idea how things publicly says that, but this ichfinde quite handy and along the way, these Sitemaps good to use SEO purposes as well.

Conclusion:
These were a few tips to the user, the Web site to guide you through better and less internetafine users through the site without cause frustration. in bestehende Websites eingebaut werden sollen. Of course, the whole with increasing complexity and depth of navigation more difficult and it is particularly tricky when nachträgich navigation levels on existing sites will be installed. It is better to take into account at the beginning of a project already one level more.

Increase sales by better ordering processes

25 Mar

Website. The ordering process is the most important part of any eCommerce site. For this reason, it makes sense to devote himself more intensively on this, because each optimization can increase conversion rates and higher revenues lead to.

Seek and ye shall find ... or not
The user should order the goods are made easy as possible. It starts with the fact that the most important purchase for items to be clearly designed and clear.

The ordering process begins with the "Add to Cart" button at the specified product. Therefore should be employed on the product page that this button is placed well visible.

Therefore:

  • Button must have a unique label, the, the user to animate the Click.
  • The button should be designed graphically striking, and placed as high as possible in Sofortsichtbaren area of the site.
  • In addition the actual cart are clearly labeled. For the user must be clear what happened after adding a product to the shopping cart. Questions like: Where has landed the product? Where is the shopping cart? How can I continue with the order? must be already answered in the run-through concept, design and descriptions.

Example for adding to cart to visualize a beautiful Tirol, for example, the advertising of your brochure order elected. Through a Javascript animation order button flies in the direction of the basket. Thus the user is immediately clear where the selected products can be found. In addition, brochures already selected are marked by a gray button.

Tirol Werbung - Visualisierung des Bestellvorgangs

Tirol Werbung - visualization of the ordering process

Logically, that the above-mentioned points for the Checkout button, so the "Checkout" button in the cart shall be deemed accurate. This could cause even the additional ("You can order process, each time to cancel) a positive impact." Since, however, vary depending on the target group and design, I can recommend here to carry out more tests. Based on the results you may well decide whether the addition is needed or not.

An online shop is not a supermarket
Although in supermarkets, the sale of candy, etc. at the box works very well is the online shop not for. The online shop, we have unfortunately not have the advantage that each purchaser on the ticket must pass. On the website it is much easier to cancel the purchase, it is sufficient a simple click on the red X top right of the browser, banners or other links. Precisely for this reason should be avoided all distractions in the ordering process. - Schnack ” kann auf der Website betrieben werden, allerdings nur bis max. That is, cross selling, product placement and similar "bells - and whistles" may be the site operated on, but only up to max. to shopping basket. Once the customer has decided to purchase and the purchase process begins with all the distractions should be avoided.

Very nice is the industry leader released from the Amazon. Once on the button "Checkout" clickt, page will open its own what to buy is only necessary information. Without using the Back button of browser it is not even possible to return to the previous page.

Konzentration auf das Wesentliche bei Amazon

Focusing on the essentials at Amazon

Trust and transparency are important
Confidence-building measures can help inhibitions about an online order of time. For this one could now safely write a separate review of each item. Maybe I'll do it once, but since much is self explanatory I'll leave now, even with a sampling of some points are not exhaustive.

  • eCommerce Certification
  • Privacy Policy put on the website
  • Additional costs such as shipping fees, transparent and early in the ordering process identify possible
  • Possibilities of exchange and return state
  • Payment of target countries to adapt. If only credit card available, this can be a hindrance.
  • Integration of descriptive help text
  • Reference to a Service Hotline
  • Clear description of the steps in the ordering process.

Testing, Testing, Testing
In addition, ongoing tests of details important and extremely interesting. sehr viel bewirken. In order processes can often little things like the color and positioning of an order button cause very much. In order to be sure whether a development but actually represents an improvement it makes sense, for example, something with the Google Website Optimizer abzutesten Sun
In addition, one course from the major operators can be quite inspiring, because here one can assume that very many usability tests were conducted. But even then ... test, test, test ... there is no Pauschalrezepte and it do not work must have the same thing. Age, origin and affinity of the target computer can greatly Details on individual units of varying detail the performance impact solutions for.

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Posted in eCommerce

Optimization of registration processes

February 11

The design of registration sites, unfortunately, very often far too little attention. It often happens that a lot of work in the development of the design of a website is inserted, but it bases as Registrieungsseiten are unfortunately forgotten. Precisely in such situations, it happens that such pages are then inserted in Schedule 0815 by the programmer into the existing graphical grid. Then just count the Registirerungsprozesse on the main pages of many sites is - but it eventually to new customers - that seems a bit incomprehensible. Therefore you should take your time and consciously take into account the relevant page in concept and screen design.

In this article I define registration pages as an information site whose mission is to provide the attendees the necessary information and convince. The actual registration form is usually a separate page. At very short forms, such as: Newsletter registration but it can also make perfect sense, both on one side to represent.

As a little inspiration, I now list on potential elements / contents from registration pages. Of course, not all elements for any purpose useful to each will serve any purpose after the registration, in part, different points will be more relevant than others.

  • Elevator pitch

This is a brief summary of the possible meaning of the website / application, etc. for you to register. In Flickr, for example, the "Show your photos. Look to the world. "

  • General Description

A general description of the product should preferably be formulated vivid and easily understood. Descriptions can be in this case very well convey with the help of icons. Below I've shown an example of TripIt. This site is implemented the model in my view.

  • List of services

Listing of the services and functions to the Registering available to help the user to register to convince himself.

  • Listing the benefits to the user

here is the same as for the services at the point about it. However, this should benefit the users of its registration has highlighted clearly would.

  • Call to action

With a visually prominent button it is done with the greatest possible user easy to get to the registration form. I think it's even better if a small version of the form is integrated directly on the registration page. Thus, for example, the User name and email address queried directly. After completing this data, the user can be guided to a detailed form with the remaining fields. This procedure reduces the one hand, the reluctance to begin the registration process, on the other hand can form abortions are recorded and sent by email to a later date, a Reminder. In this case, dispatch of emails will be accepted directly in step with the checkbox.

  • Testimonials / References

Testimonials and / or references are especially in commercial services has become standard. Satisfied customers provide confidence and affects certainly positive.

  • Tour / Screenshots

Virtual Product Tours are ideal for software products. Especially in this segment, it is often difficult for the user to have an idea of what to expect. This can be counteracted with screen shots and virtual tours very well.

  • Show the necessary steps to completion

Under the motto "In 3 steps to your Web site, these steps are listed directly on the registration page. This one takes the user right at the beginning of the fear of endless forms and more complicated to use.

Examples:

Flickr Registrierungsseite

Flickr registration page

Tripit

TripIt

Linkedin Registrierungsseite

Linkedin registration page

Optimization Tips page form, I have summarized in a previous post. This is available here: increase conversions through better forms .