A Few Unexpected Online User Behaviors to Look Out For

Posted by usabilitysciences on July 17th, 2013

Usability testing for websites has been in existence for quite some time now, and repeated testing has thrown light on certain user behaviors which are rather unexpected, yet are exhibited by a large subset of users. Mentioned below are some such behaviors which should be given due consideration by the web design and the web development team, in order to generate a likable user experience.

The home page should not be flooded with flashy banner ads, as over time people have developed the habit of completely ignoring these ads. Instead, a piece of simple yet meaningful text can be used to advertise a product or service. It must always be kept in mind that a set of information that seems to be useful attracts more user attention than a typical advert.

• Even if the home page is extremely catchy as well as highly informative, it is less likely that a user will stay on the home page for long. It is because of the fact that the user is visiting the website with a purpose in mind, and would therefore, move quickly towards achieving his end goal. Make sure that every page of the site holds some vital information about the business and must also have elements of call to action so that the user gradually take hold of it.

• Almost all users exhibit impatient behavior, and at the slightest feeling of being misguided or getting lost on the site, these users opt to switch to other similar sites.  Hence, it is imperative for a site to have a navigation map. Additionally, take care that the hyperlinks are located exactly at a place where a typical user would expect to find them.

• In many instances, you will be warned that people dislike scrolling down the page; however, it has been observed that more often than not, users don’t even realize that they are scrolling. Therefore, it is completely acceptable to extend the content beyond the visible page length, provided the user is given an adequate hint that he needs to scroll down.

• It might appear that elaborate content leads to a better understanding. However, the fact points the other way. Precise content, which is to the point and provides useful information, is appreciated by users, and thus should be paid attention to while designing the website.

Website usability testing is usually related to optimizing the returns on investment for a business.

About The Author:

The article has been written by Ben Bishop, the Marketing Manager at Usability Sciences. Usability Sciences offers various Usability Testing services like – Website Usability Testing, Mobile Usability Testing, Website Design Testing, Remote Usability Testing, and Rapid Iterative Testing. They also offer Eye tracking, Web Usability, Card Sorting and Intercept Survey services to improve your web experience. Besides these they also take a keen interest in various online research and competitive usability research study and analysis.