Picture it. You have your dream house built: the right neighborhood, the right lot size, a perfect backyard, and unforgettable views. However, the kitchen has been placed on the top floor, all of the bathrooms are half baths, and the paint is reminiscent of a 1980s nightclub. That’s the impression a poorly designed website can give. Just as in interior design and planning, your web site should be designed around the end-user, commonly referred to as the User-Centered Design (UCD) approach.

UCD in web design has been somewhat of a hit or miss with many sites existing today. Browse around the web and see for yourself. It’s easy for companies and organizations to skip over the planning phase when it comes to design in a rush to get a site up. They think the information provided on the site is the most important, or the only important, thing to the end-user.  They never think: what if my site’s design inhibits the end-user from accessing or completely digesting what I’ve provided?

After being introduced to UCD, a lot of people figure it is a costly add-on to what has already been designed, but that is horribly untrue. By taking the logical steps of an end-user, you, along with your web designer, can create a graphic workflow of how your site should be laid out and designed. Arbitrary designs only confuse the visitor or inhibit functionality, so it actually pays in the long-run to be UCD-correct than not.

The best way Digital Function proves and pitches UCD to our clients is to visit their existing site, should they have one. We act as a typical visitor and go through a list of questions:

• Is the company logo readable and viewable on the home page, as well as all pages?
• Is the navigation menu in a prominent position and easy to understand?
• Are all of the colors blending together, making it easy on the eyes?
• Are the colors friendly to the eye?
• Does the site’s layout load quickly? Or is it too heavy?
• Where do the eyes travel first on the page?
• Is the text easy-to-read and reader-friendly?
• Do they have to scroll continuously on each page to see all of the content?
• Are sub-navigation menus clear and easy to navigate? Do they compete with the top-level navigation?
• Do the graphical elements tie-in to one another (disconnected elements can confuse visitors)?
• Does the home page “wow” visitors…in a good way?
• Is the entire site an impressive representative of the brand?

By asking these questions, you begin to get a feel for how your site should be seen and clicked through by the end-user. It doesn’t require excess time or money, just a little attention. In fact, it saves time and money and satisfies the visitor. The “magic” created by a little UCD can positively affect your sales, margins, goodwill, and customer relations…without you experiencing hallucinations or side effects.