The most important thing if you want to make sure that your application or your site is easy to use is « Don’t make me think« . A Web page should be self-evident, obvious and self-explanatory.
There is a big difference between how we think people use websites and how they actually use them – glancing each new page, scanning some of the text, click on the first link that catches their interest. So, three facts about real-world Web use:
- Users don’t read pages, they scan them. They are on a mission, they don’t have to read everything.
- They don’t make optimal choices. They choose the first reasonable option. They are usually in a hurry, there is not much of a penalty for guessing wrong and weighing options may not improve the changes.
- They don’t figure out how things work. Not for lack of intelligence but for lack of caring. They forge ahead and muddle through.