A note on Website usability.

I visited a website they other day, that will remain nameless. My task was to find a particular page where I could submit some information for a service request. Now knowing that we deal with websites everyday, and that we have been around the website block many many times, we think that we would be able to navigate even any navigation structure put in front of us.

But to my utter surprise and frustration, I could not locate this page. Anywhere. There were hundreds of pages on this site, but my little old page was buried. Never to be found.

In frustration I called the company and had to actually have the customer service rep walk me, click by click, to the page I was seeking. It turned out the page was only accessible by click on a general topic link from the home page, and then scrolling down through a list of over 300 links, in alphabetical order, to another category link, and then finally the eighth link down in the right column was my target.

The moral of the story is thus. Make sure your website is usable by the users. Seems simple enough. Yet many companies, and government agencies make the fundamental mistake of creating a website with no logical way to find information.

How many customers could your website be turning away in frustration?
How quickly can a user find the information they are looking for on your website?

These are fundamental aspects of a website that if not handled properly, lead to a bad user experience.

About obu Web Technologies, inc:
Founded in 2003, obu Web Technologies has quickly become the leading professional website design company in Arizona. Many clients have turned to obu Web for progressive web design, search engine optimization, and internet marketing services. obu Web Technologies’ business friendly approach as help many growing businesses achieve a positive return on investment for their web design dollars. Located in the heart of the Arizona Tech community. 13951 N Scottsdale Rd. Suite 132, Scottsdale, Arizona, 85254 www.obuweb.com