Minesweeping

Looking for a way slow down your visitors? Make them mine-sweep. Making a visitor mine-sweep is the opposite of what we really want, but all too often it is the way many sites are designed. What is mine-sweeping? It’s when a visitor has to move their mouse all over your site to figure out what is clickable, and what is not. This is when using text instead of a graphic can be a big plus.

Make it Easy to Get What They Want

Making visitor work to get your desired action is what you are trying to avoid. It reminds me a little of the old Tootsie Pop ad, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of the Tootsie Pop”. In this case though, your desired action is still the yummy center, but with ever lick/click a visitor is more likely to throw out that hard to chew outer core. Don’t let your site be that outer core. Make it yummy, and make it easy to get to what they want.

Use Text Instead of Hard to Read Icons When Linking

An example is when a visitor has multiple choices, and they are all represented with icons. Many times, trial and error is required to know what the icons mean. They may be clear the designer, but it isn’t always to the visitor. This is where a text link can be far superior. If your graphic doesn’t load due to user preference, or because the type of device used, the desired action may not even occur. “No yummy center?”, leave site.

Personally, I love seeing graphics on sites. It’s how we differentiate ourselves. The trick though, is knowing when and how to use them.