Time for part 2 of 35 covering my usability and design analysis, Site Emphasis.

Typically, when designing a website, there should be a desired action or purpose of site. Everything should be geared to get the visitor to achieve that action or purpose, and surprisingly this is easier said than done. This is because we are all victims of what I like to call the Entropy Factor.

Entropy

Entropy on a website is similar to how a physics instructor would describe it. It is simply a measure of the disorder of a system. With websites, two common enemies create entropy, time and lack of a defined purpose. When I check a websites emphasis, I am really looking at it’s level of entropy. Is it staying on topic? Does it have a clear purpose? Are their too many distractions? Will the visitor be able to find what they are looking for? Has the level of entropy become so disorienting, that it will most likely fail a visitor?

Everything Confirms

I was recently asked to take a look at this home loan site. I have been getting a lot of these lately, and I thought it would use it as a good example of low entropy, high site emphasis. Notice how the logo, the introduction message, and the menu items all compliment the sites purpose.

The website is all about getting a better rate. They offer advice on how to find better rates for various financial resources. The message is clear, and depending on what kind of rate you are trying to improve, it’s a simple one click on the menu to be on topic. Looking below the main introduction, the home page only compliments the topics more by offering descriptions of the menu items. This is often where many webmasters get messed up.

Avoid the Entropy

Most webmasters can achieve this type of clarity with the logo and menu, but then they always seemed compelled to introduce the entropy.

• They slap in ads that could be off topic, and at least off site
• They give visitors too much information on the home page
• The offer links, blogrolls, or other non valuable information in regards to their site
• They simply remove focus by adding too much content

Another way to understand it is to think about the red text scenario. Imagine a sales page with red text everywhere. The person that created the page is yelling at you all over the site, “Look here, look here, no look here”.  Add too much red text, and its emphasis on the most important item is lost.

Staying Well Tuned

Another important factor to keep your site well tuned is to make sure the site continues it’s layout, and its site emphasis throughout the site. Don’t confuse your visitors with alternate design themes or alternate messages. Make it easy to get back to the home page, and make it easy for them to navigate so they know where they are at all times. Looking at the home loan site again, and at one of their internal pages, Rate Updates, you can see that everything is as you would expect it. The layout is the same, it has the same menu, and the page title matches the menu items text. The only thing you can find on this rates page, with exception to one Google ad, is articles about interest rates. No surprises, and desired content revealed. They are staying on topic, and keeping the visitor happy.

Site Emphasis

Looking at the example I gave you I’m sure you are thinking that this is a little obvious, but take a look at your own site. I would bet you will find many distractions, and a level of entropy bordering on high. It’s easier said than done, and knowing what is a distraction and what offers real value can often be difficult to decide. Here is a good reason to do ongoing usability testing, and another reason to really study your analytics.