Although Amazon has features that are both excellent and well-proven, they won’t necessarily work for others. There was an interesting scenario when Target used the same interface and functionality as Amazon for their review section. Upon the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, both target and amazon sold over 2,000,000 copies each. Amazon received almost 2000 reviews on its website – whereas Target gains a grand total of 3 reviews.
9 times out of 10 Emulation is not a smart strategy. It doesn’t mean, though, that you shouldn’t copy the design of others — But make sure you also understand why it worked for them and how it will work for you and your audience.
In 2020 with the average adult spending over 3 hours a day on their mobile phones, scrolling has become a natural habit, much more than it was in the early 2000s. It’s a common misconception that you should place as much content above the fold as possible because users don’t scroll.
ClickTale analysed almost 100,000 page views. The results showed that over 76% of users interacted with the scroll bar with a further 22% reaching the very bottom of the page.
Although it’s important not to forget that the top section of your website is your most valuable screen estate and it’s important not to just fill it with as much content as possible, but content that is engaging – Quality over quantity.
This one really bugs us! I’m sure you have all heard of Miller’s law, the theory states that the average human can only recall 7 items. A lot of designers often misinterpret this theory and take it literally and limit their design decisions by only allowing a maximum of 7 items in a specific area (navigation links, icons, categories). This is just so wrong – This theory applies to work memory not in general.
if you were shown you 10 different items on a page for 10 seconds and then they disappeared most people would only recall 7 of the items, this is your working memory. However, if the information doesn’t disappear and is presented visually on a page, people don’t have to memorise anything, it’s the same concept of reading a book.
White space also referred to as negative space, is the empty space between and around elements of a design or page layout, some people may consider white space a waste of valuable screen estate but white space should be given as much importance as active elements. When neglected it can make a website look really poorly structured, not only is white space responsible for readability and hierarchy it also plays a crucial role in accessibility, visual layout and brand positioning.
When designing a website, it’s easy to assume that everybody is like you. However, this ends up giving a strong bias and more often than not ends in inefficient design. Obviously you know a lot about your services and your website; you’re passionate about them, otherwise, you wouldn’t be starting a business. However, your users, are likely to not care that much. They have different attitudes and goals, and just want to get things done on your website.