Designing a new dating Web site soon? Tight deadlines often affect product quality, and software and Web projects are no exception. But if your site is on a subject of human relationships and dating, you really cannot afford spoiling your clients' experience with questionable design. Having nice-looking design is a must for dating products, and professional graphics is a major part of it.
Love Icon is a collection of royalty-free love icons that enables software developers and designers develop dating sites and software faster while making their projects look better, all that for a fraction of the price charged by a typical design studio. Being royalty-free, the love icons can be used on as many Web sites or in as many software products as you want without you having to order additional licenses.
The set of love icons contains images representing different aspects of human relationships. Icons for Love and Heart, Valentine's Day and Help, Arrow and Broken Heart, Heart on Fire, Flying Heart, Couple and Kiss, Present and Rose, Gift and Gift Boxes, Mailbox and Mail, Love Letter and Love Message are just a few examples of what you'll get. Included are love icons representing all signs of horoscope such as Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces, and there are images for Male and Female, Sex, Award, Romance, Party, and, finally, Wedding. Oh, and no dating site can exist without the No Photo icon!
Each of the cute icons comes in a variety of file formats, sizes and resolutions. All icons are supplied in sizes of 16x16, 20x20, 24x24, 32x32, 48x48 and 256x256 pixels. All love icons are supplied in Windows Icon (ICO), PNG, GIF, and BMP formats for fast integration with software and Web sites. Both 256-color and True Color variants of love icons are supplied with every order. The entire set of more than 60 love icons costs less than $50.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Google Analytics - Keyword Positions
One of the biggest questions advertisers have when manage their pay per click account is how much they should bid for their keywords. Bidding too high may incur too much cost and advertisers might not be able to sustain a profitable ROI, whether bidding too low might not allow their ads to be positioned at a visible spot.
There is a function in Google Analytics that allows advertisers to see at which positions their keywords receive the most visits, transactions, revenue, conversion rate, and etc.
Simply login into Google Analytics, select a report which has the proper filters applied. Then click on Traffic Sources. Within the expended pull down menu, select Adwords then click on Keyword Positions.
Now just type in the keyword that you want to analyze into the “Find keywords” box to see the stats on that keyword. Click on the keyword once, then you can start seeing the position break down on the right.
This handy little tool might not be practical for huge companies that have tens and thousands of keywords, since manually analyzing each single one of them would just be overly time consuming. But for small businesses that have a few core keywords which make up the majority of their conversions, this is a great way to get some general ideas on how much they should bid to maximize their investments.
One thing to be careful though, is not to solely rely on the number of transactions to make decisions; instead you should also take the conversion rate, and number of visits into account.
For example: let’s assume for the time period you are analyzing, your keyword have spent 90% of the time at position one and only 10% of the time at position three, so most likely there would be more transactions happening at position one than at position three.
But at the same time, the keyword might only be getting a 0.3% conversion rate at position one whereas at position three, it might be getting a 3.2% conversion rate. Assuming there isn’t a big different on the number of visits between the two positions, it actually makes more sense to lower your bid and have the keyword on position three for most of the time.
As with any other analysis process, make sure you have a sufficient data collection before making any judgements.
There is a function in Google Analytics that allows advertisers to see at which positions their keywords receive the most visits, transactions, revenue, conversion rate, and etc.
Simply login into Google Analytics, select a report which has the proper filters applied. Then click on Traffic Sources. Within the expended pull down menu, select Adwords then click on Keyword Positions.
Now just type in the keyword that you want to analyze into the “Find keywords” box to see the stats on that keyword. Click on the keyword once, then you can start seeing the position break down on the right.
This handy little tool might not be practical for huge companies that have tens and thousands of keywords, since manually analyzing each single one of them would just be overly time consuming. But for small businesses that have a few core keywords which make up the majority of their conversions, this is a great way to get some general ideas on how much they should bid to maximize their investments.
One thing to be careful though, is not to solely rely on the number of transactions to make decisions; instead you should also take the conversion rate, and number of visits into account.
For example: let’s assume for the time period you are analyzing, your keyword have spent 90% of the time at position one and only 10% of the time at position three, so most likely there would be more transactions happening at position one than at position three.
But at the same time, the keyword might only be getting a 0.3% conversion rate at position one whereas at position three, it might be getting a 3.2% conversion rate. Assuming there isn’t a big different on the number of visits between the two positions, it actually makes more sense to lower your bid and have the keyword on position three for most of the time.
As with any other analysis process, make sure you have a sufficient data collection before making any judgements.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Affordable Website Development In Atlanta
Atlanta: Can This Tech City Be Affordable?
The Southern city can shine if the e-future is within business budgets
For all of its glitzy nightlife and highbrow international events, Atlanta can be affordable when it wants to be. According to the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), the city ranks favorably in the average lowest cost of living among the nation’s 20 largest metropolitan areas.
According to Salary.com, the cost of living in Atlanta is 7% lower than Chicago, 31% lower than San Francisco, and 35% lower than New York City.
Business-wise, Atlanta comes out favorably as well. Atlanta is the Business Capital of the Southeast, and it's easy to see why. According to the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta has the fifth largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in America. As in the case of every business wishing to stay ahead in the competitive high-tech world, Atlantans want to get state-of-the-art software but don't want out-of-this-world pricing when it comes to web development.
“Our city boasts of companies like Coca Cola Home Depot, UPS, and Aflac having Atlanta as their headquarters,” said Nigel Gower, CEO of 24OnDemand, a web development company based in the city. “My plate is full and our calendar is busy as we work with local businesses by creating websites suited to their needs. We're not limited to locals – we have an international outreach – but in Atlanta, so many corporations trust a 'neighbor' company to help them in web development. I am constantly working with companies who have just started to realize that a good website can have all the features they need without costing them an arm and a leg.”
Gower notes that many companies wanting quality web development feel that they must break their budget in order to do so. They empty their wallets, only to find out that the website company then demands a high maintenance fee as well.
“Overpaying for web development in today's economic times is like mortgaging your house to pay for a high-name sports car – did you really need to make that choice? Especially when there is an acre of vehicles right next door with cars that has even more horsepower at half the price. I cringe when I learn how much some companies have paid web development firms that don't provide anywhere near the necessary tasks of a decent website,” said Gower. “Our developers at 24OnDemand provide the best web solutions in the country, but best of all, the prices are affordable.”
He cites numerous examples of corporations who overpay for a site and then walk away from maintenance and improvement.
“I'm sure you've seen the sites whenever you browse, so you know what I'm talking about,” said Gower. “Their web sites are atrocious. No fresh content, no web graphics design, very little to tell people that the company knew anything about internet technology. Yet the first thing they'll tell me is how much they paid for the site. That's like saying your major league baseball team shelled out $5 million a year for a first baseman who can't hit above .150 and can't field grounders. Who cares what you paid him? Get somebody who can do the job. Really, there's a great need for affordable but workable state-of-the-art web solutions.”
Gower's company offers website solutions that are virtually turnkey. “All the client needs to do is to let us know his business, its location, its aim and its product of service, and we're off and running.” As a recent resident of Atlanta, Gower is excited about the opportunities he had encountered. “I meet business people who have a passion for their product but just don't know how graphics design, brand strategy or the first thing about web solutions. That's why we're here. We explain things in as much detail as they need, and then walk them through all the pertinent options and let them pick and choose the website solutions they want. Then they let us sweat the details while they go on about their business. We do this in Atlanta and around the world. The web development needs we see in Atlanta usually starts with the question of affordability. Well, that's where we shine, from animation flash to search engine optimization, we can create a website that is within budgets of most companies.”
24On Demand meets the needs of companies who want to utilize the latest technologies, from online ads to keeping an in-the-website accounting log of business transactions. The company has been recognized as an innovative new corporation whose reputation is encouraging progression toward all-in-one marketing and management.
“In the financial squeeze of the day, Atlanta – like other cities – needs to do what I call 'tech homework',” said Gower. “We offer website solutions by specializing in web graphics design and other corporate necessities. Everybody needs these things, but they don't need to be paying top dollar for it. It would do well for corporations to realize that hiring a web development firm is not like buying a suit. People aren't going to be asking you its price and looking for a label. Think of it more like a crew that designs, creates and maintains a NASCAR racing vehicle. If you don't have the right tools and the proper mechanics, you'll never get into the race.”
The Southern city can shine if the e-future is within business budgets
For all of its glitzy nightlife and highbrow international events, Atlanta can be affordable when it wants to be. According to the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), the city ranks favorably in the average lowest cost of living among the nation’s 20 largest metropolitan areas.
According to Salary.com, the cost of living in Atlanta is 7% lower than Chicago, 31% lower than San Francisco, and 35% lower than New York City.
Business-wise, Atlanta comes out favorably as well. Atlanta is the Business Capital of the Southeast, and it's easy to see why. According to the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta has the fifth largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in America. As in the case of every business wishing to stay ahead in the competitive high-tech world, Atlantans want to get state-of-the-art software but don't want out-of-this-world pricing when it comes to web development.
“Our city boasts of companies like Coca Cola Home Depot, UPS, and Aflac having Atlanta as their headquarters,” said Nigel Gower, CEO of 24OnDemand, a web development company based in the city. “My plate is full and our calendar is busy as we work with local businesses by creating websites suited to their needs. We're not limited to locals – we have an international outreach – but in Atlanta, so many corporations trust a 'neighbor' company to help them in web development. I am constantly working with companies who have just started to realize that a good website can have all the features they need without costing them an arm and a leg.”
Gower notes that many companies wanting quality web development feel that they must break their budget in order to do so. They empty their wallets, only to find out that the website company then demands a high maintenance fee as well.
“Overpaying for web development in today's economic times is like mortgaging your house to pay for a high-name sports car – did you really need to make that choice? Especially when there is an acre of vehicles right next door with cars that has even more horsepower at half the price. I cringe when I learn how much some companies have paid web development firms that don't provide anywhere near the necessary tasks of a decent website,” said Gower. “Our developers at 24OnDemand provide the best web solutions in the country, but best of all, the prices are affordable.”
He cites numerous examples of corporations who overpay for a site and then walk away from maintenance and improvement.
“I'm sure you've seen the sites whenever you browse, so you know what I'm talking about,” said Gower. “Their web sites are atrocious. No fresh content, no web graphics design, very little to tell people that the company knew anything about internet technology. Yet the first thing they'll tell me is how much they paid for the site. That's like saying your major league baseball team shelled out $5 million a year for a first baseman who can't hit above .150 and can't field grounders. Who cares what you paid him? Get somebody who can do the job. Really, there's a great need for affordable but workable state-of-the-art web solutions.”
Gower's company offers website solutions that are virtually turnkey. “All the client needs to do is to let us know his business, its location, its aim and its product of service, and we're off and running.” As a recent resident of Atlanta, Gower is excited about the opportunities he had encountered. “I meet business people who have a passion for their product but just don't know how graphics design, brand strategy or the first thing about web solutions. That's why we're here. We explain things in as much detail as they need, and then walk them through all the pertinent options and let them pick and choose the website solutions they want. Then they let us sweat the details while they go on about their business. We do this in Atlanta and around the world. The web development needs we see in Atlanta usually starts with the question of affordability. Well, that's where we shine, from animation flash to search engine optimization, we can create a website that is within budgets of most companies.”
24On Demand meets the needs of companies who want to utilize the latest technologies, from online ads to keeping an in-the-website accounting log of business transactions. The company has been recognized as an innovative new corporation whose reputation is encouraging progression toward all-in-one marketing and management.
“In the financial squeeze of the day, Atlanta – like other cities – needs to do what I call 'tech homework',” said Gower. “We offer website solutions by specializing in web graphics design and other corporate necessities. Everybody needs these things, but they don't need to be paying top dollar for it. It would do well for corporations to realize that hiring a web development firm is not like buying a suit. People aren't going to be asking you its price and looking for a label. Think of it more like a crew that designs, creates and maintains a NASCAR racing vehicle. If you don't have the right tools and the proper mechanics, you'll never get into the race.”
Friday, May 15, 2009
Importance Of Keyword In Bold Or Strong Tag: Learning More About SEO tactics
The keyword in bold or strong tag specifies that it has slightly more importance than other text on the web page. These bold keywords are given a second look and taken into account by the search engines. Therefore, with specific SEO algorithms, the search engines such as Google, MSN, and Yahoo will give emphasis to the keywords that are highlighted using bold or strong tag.
The bold tag represents the encapsulated keyword in “bold” font. But, with the change of font, it does not change the semantic meaning of keyword. If you read the sentence that contains keyword inside tags for instance, then you will read encapsulated text with no special stress at all. The syntax for bold tag is:
your text is typed here .
The strong tag represents the encapsulated keyword in “bold” font. Unlike the bold tag, it changes the semantic meaning of keyword. If you read the sentence that contains keyword in side tag for instance, then you will the read encapsulated keyword louder and more boldly when compared with bold tag. The syntax for strong tag is
your text is typed here
According to Matt Cutts’s SEO video on qualities of a good site video, he said that Google treats the bold and strong tag with the same weight-age. Well, if you are into the finer details of the semantics of markup then it is prefer to use tag. On other hand, if you are into minimizing typing time then it is prefer to use tag. Therefore, tag is used to maximize the compliance with standards and recommendations.
On the internet, there are many websites that have bold the entire web page or paragraph. Many people do the same to make the letters stand out, but in return it affects their web page as they can lose the effect of using these tags. It does not give priority to the words that you may want to stand out for readers. Therefore, it is necessary to use “b” or “strong” tags to emphasize on particular keywords on a web page rather than irrelevant words. By bolding the keywords, the search engine bots scan the page and gives more importance to the keyword in the bold or strong font.
Lastly, while preparing the web page, one should not bold the entire page or paragraph by using “b” or “strong” tag. Importantly, one should only bold keywords or links with anchor text.
The bold tag represents the encapsulated keyword in “bold” font. But, with the change of font, it does not change the semantic meaning of keyword. If you read the sentence that contains keyword inside tags for instance, then you will read encapsulated text with no special stress at all. The syntax for bold tag is:
your text is typed here .
The strong tag represents the encapsulated keyword in “bold” font. Unlike the bold tag, it changes the semantic meaning of keyword. If you read the sentence that contains keyword in side tag for instance, then you will the read encapsulated keyword louder and more boldly when compared with bold tag. The syntax for strong tag is
your text is typed here
According to Matt Cutts’s SEO video on qualities of a good site video, he said that Google treats the bold and strong tag with the same weight-age. Well, if you are into the finer details of the semantics of markup then it is prefer to use tag. On other hand, if you are into minimizing typing time then it is prefer to use tag. Therefore, tag is used to maximize the compliance with standards and recommendations.
On the internet, there are many websites that have bold the entire web page or paragraph. Many people do the same to make the letters stand out, but in return it affects their web page as they can lose the effect of using these tags. It does not give priority to the words that you may want to stand out for readers. Therefore, it is necessary to use “b” or “strong” tags to emphasize on particular keywords on a web page rather than irrelevant words. By bolding the keywords, the search engine bots scan the page and gives more importance to the keyword in the bold or strong font.
Lastly, while preparing the web page, one should not bold the entire page or paragraph by using “b” or “strong” tag. Importantly, one should only bold keywords or links with anchor text.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Use the Right Keywords in Your Web Site's Content
When you are writing for your Web site, use keywords that your customers use to reach the most searchers.
Use your customers’ search terms. You may sell ”vegetable-tanned cowhide foot coverings,” “green groundcover seed,” or ”one-of-a-kind extra-special violet outer garments”, but what if your customers are searching for organic leather shoes, grass seed, and purple coats? Until you’ve built up brand recognition, you may need to change the way you talk about your product or service.
Speak the same language as your customers. Search engines don’t think the way people do. A search in Google for “house” brings up different results than a search for “home.” If you only mention “homes” on your site, you aren’t reaching everyone you should. Users query Google for “purple coats” approximately 3,600 times per month. There are zero searches each month for “one-of-a-kind extra-special violet outer garments.” More searchers will find you if you speak their language.
Analyze your site. How do you find out what words people are using to find you? Web site analytics. There are free and fee-based analytics tools that can tell you how many visitors came to your site on each keyword, which can help you decide which words to use to describe your product.
In addition to keyword analysis, Google Analytics, a free tool, will give you a wealth of information on your site visitors. This information can help you measure the effect of your SEO efforts, evaluate A/B testing data, monitor which pages receive the most visits, and assess which pages lose the most visitors. An analytics expert can help you interpret your reports and plan your course of action.
Once you know which words searchers use, use the same keywords. Add in the words that set your business apart from the others, but speak the same language as your customers to get the best results.
Use your customers’ search terms. You may sell ”vegetable-tanned cowhide foot coverings,” “green groundcover seed,” or ”one-of-a-kind extra-special violet outer garments”, but what if your customers are searching for organic leather shoes, grass seed, and purple coats? Until you’ve built up brand recognition, you may need to change the way you talk about your product or service.
Speak the same language as your customers. Search engines don’t think the way people do. A search in Google for “house” brings up different results than a search for “home.” If you only mention “homes” on your site, you aren’t reaching everyone you should. Users query Google for “purple coats” approximately 3,600 times per month. There are zero searches each month for “one-of-a-kind extra-special violet outer garments.” More searchers will find you if you speak their language.
Analyze your site. How do you find out what words people are using to find you? Web site analytics. There are free and fee-based analytics tools that can tell you how many visitors came to your site on each keyword, which can help you decide which words to use to describe your product.
In addition to keyword analysis, Google Analytics, a free tool, will give you a wealth of information on your site visitors. This information can help you measure the effect of your SEO efforts, evaluate A/B testing data, monitor which pages receive the most visits, and assess which pages lose the most visitors. An analytics expert can help you interpret your reports and plan your course of action.
Once you know which words searchers use, use the same keywords. Add in the words that set your business apart from the others, but speak the same language as your customers to get the best results.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Scoring High with Web 2.0 Development of the Websites
With the advent of web 2.0 development, the scope of establishing social links with other people have increased. This concept brings together different social communities on any common issue and share with each other their ideas and views so that there is knowledge enhancement.
Internet has speeden up the process of communication, therefore people don't face much difficulty in contacting other people via internet. Web 2.0 is fast gaining popularity amongst young people as they get the opportunity to work in diverse fields in different styles thus providing enough motivation and excitement. Here you can develop ideas that seems to be appealing for many social communities and come up with outstanding concepts.
With the help of web 2.0 website owners can get access to photo sharing, RSS, banner ads, forums and much more on internet. The use of such services gives complete and clear idea about your website to the customers thus leaving no chances for any confusion. It gives the opportunity to improve the site appearance by producing more number of interactive ideas.
Percentage of online positive results increases when a website is more user-friendly and flexible in nature. Web 2.0 has the potential to offer good facilities to the companies. The users get the chance to not only include details about their products and services but also form their social communities and network for getting views and opinions of the customers. Many websites also arrange for open discussion forums where they can share and talk freely without being restricted or bounded.
You can work towards betterment of your website look by inserting various technological features into it. This dream can be materialized through the technology of web 2.0 and doing experiment with newer techniques. Now-a-days ready to use modules are available in the market making website designing much easier and interactive. It offers ways to promote your ideas by putting good quality content, thus users get access to more accurate information.
Web research shows that increasing number of websites are interested in development of online social communities for greater popularity. This is good for improving a site's features and technologies. Businesses now wish to participate in social networking and use available communication means and tools for effective interaction. By putting blogs, forums, chat rooms, RSS and so on websites get positive outcome as they get to know user's views and thoughts about their company.
Internet has speeden up the process of communication, therefore people don't face much difficulty in contacting other people via internet. Web 2.0 is fast gaining popularity amongst young people as they get the opportunity to work in diverse fields in different styles thus providing enough motivation and excitement. Here you can develop ideas that seems to be appealing for many social communities and come up with outstanding concepts.
With the help of web 2.0 website owners can get access to photo sharing, RSS, banner ads, forums and much more on internet. The use of such services gives complete and clear idea about your website to the customers thus leaving no chances for any confusion. It gives the opportunity to improve the site appearance by producing more number of interactive ideas.
Percentage of online positive results increases when a website is more user-friendly and flexible in nature. Web 2.0 has the potential to offer good facilities to the companies. The users get the chance to not only include details about their products and services but also form their social communities and network for getting views and opinions of the customers. Many websites also arrange for open discussion forums where they can share and talk freely without being restricted or bounded.
You can work towards betterment of your website look by inserting various technological features into it. This dream can be materialized through the technology of web 2.0 and doing experiment with newer techniques. Now-a-days ready to use modules are available in the market making website designing much easier and interactive. It offers ways to promote your ideas by putting good quality content, thus users get access to more accurate information.
Web research shows that increasing number of websites are interested in development of online social communities for greater popularity. This is good for improving a site's features and technologies. Businesses now wish to participate in social networking and use available communication means and tools for effective interaction. By putting blogs, forums, chat rooms, RSS and so on websites get positive outcome as they get to know user's views and thoughts about their company.
7 Tips For Designing For Older Users
The discussion on web design for older site visitors often drifts towards accessibility and gets mixed up with looking at disabilities rather abilities, but this should not always be a given.
Not every person over 65 years has eyesight so poor that they have to increase text size or change the contrast of text colours. Not every person over the retirement age has problems with motor control or significant short term memory loss. The diversity of the 65+ user group is
enormous. A website might be easy to use for someone over 75 years old; simply because they're experienced web surfers or familiar with the site. In contrast you might find someone younger, but with less Internet experience, struggling to use the same site.
You can find a comprehensive list of design guidelines for users over 50 at the American Association of Retired Persons website and in the UK City University's guidelines. Having researched and worked with older users it becomes obvious that there are very specific themes that come up repeatedly for the average senior surfer. These are simple things such as “what's clickable and what's not”, window management and jargon that acts as language barrier.
Here is a digestive list of the most important design tips based on research with users.
1. Make obvious what's clickable and what's not
You must clearly distinguish between paragraph, heading and link styles. Underlining link text within written text helps links to contrast with copy, but underlining links in the main navigation isn't necessary as each and every item should be obvious. Also, don't employ underlining to identify headings.
Buttons must also be made as large and prominent as possible so they become a clear call to action. 3D effects for buttons can help to make them stand out. Also, make links and buttons easy to target and hit by increasing their clickable area.
In addition, next to the cursor visibly changing into a “hand”, you should offer a highlight around the area to click on.
2. Use checkboxes rather than drop-down menus
A drop-down menu can be fiddly and time consuming for site visitors, and can result in people selecting the wrong item by accident. If you
have less than 10 items in a drop-down menu, use checkboxes or radio buttons. These have the advantage of showing the number of options at a glance without having to click.
However, you should keep drop-down menus where they are established conventions, e.g. when choosing your country. Here, it's better to stick with what users are used to.
3. Stay in one window
If possible, always stay in one window. If you like to provide useful tips or explanations, consider implementing it in a way that the explanation appears on the same page. If you need to include a pop-up or re-direct to a new window, then inform the users by telling them.
A good example of showing useful tips on the same page is twitter's sign-up page. Here the explanation comes up when users click into the field “Full name”.
4. Implement the shallowest possible information hierarchy
Ensure that you fully understand your users' goals and provide them with the shortest paths to completing their task. Pull out important and frequently visited topics and display them on the homepage. You should also maintain consistent labelling of links and page names and allow site visitors to get to the content within 2-5 clicks.
The path must be kept as clear as possible of distracters such as advertising, though you can display some after the task has been completed
successfully. Provide about 3 helpful cross-reference links that are related to the current task goal, but not many more in order to avoid distraction. Overall, try to minimise the options on screen to be as succinct as possible.
5. Include a site map and link to it from every page
A sitemap gives users a good overall picture of how the site is organised and clearly defines all the resources the website has to offer. The link to the sitemap can usually be found near the top or the bottom of the page and frequently placed near the link to 'contact us'.
Internet savvy senior surfers are aware of sitemaps and make use of them to gain an overview of the site. They will also likely click on a sitemap link when they get lost on the site or if they can't find what they want while browsing.
6. Keep your language simple
Avoid technical jargon at all cost. However, if you employ newer functionality such as “tagging” for example, don't try to rename it, but provide an easy to understand explanation for it. Include instructions in plain English where necessary, but always try to reduce the number of words displayed on the page.
Use simple and short sentences and include bullet points where possible. For links on the homepage or landing pages include a short description to tell site visitors what to expect when following the link.
7. Appear trustworthy
Senior surfers tend to be more cautious when browsing and can get confused when something unexpected happens such as a new window opening or an application installing.
Firstly, clearly state the purpose of your site on the homepage. Also, offer a brief description with content links, so users know what to expect when following them. Explain in 'large print' how personal information will be handled before asking users to enter it.
Make use of the well-known 'padlock' icon to indicate a secure part of the site. Show words such as 'secure', 'safe' and 'confidential' in bold. Offer a content section on 'security' when your site offers financial services.
Conclusion
Follow these 7 simple design tips and it will help the majority of site visitors over 65 years use your site more easily and of course it will help all other users too. It will be an enjoyable experience for novice Internet users as well as those who are experienced surfers but new to your site. In addition, any user who might require assistive software will not be compromised by any of these design tips.
Not every person over 65 years has eyesight so poor that they have to increase text size or change the contrast of text colours. Not every person over the retirement age has problems with motor control or significant short term memory loss. The diversity of the 65+ user group is
enormous. A website might be easy to use for someone over 75 years old; simply because they're experienced web surfers or familiar with the site. In contrast you might find someone younger, but with less Internet experience, struggling to use the same site.
You can find a comprehensive list of design guidelines for users over 50 at the American Association of Retired Persons website and in the UK City University's guidelines. Having researched and worked with older users it becomes obvious that there are very specific themes that come up repeatedly for the average senior surfer. These are simple things such as “what's clickable and what's not”, window management and jargon that acts as language barrier.
Here is a digestive list of the most important design tips based on research with users.
1. Make obvious what's clickable and what's not
You must clearly distinguish between paragraph, heading and link styles. Underlining link text within written text helps links to contrast with copy, but underlining links in the main navigation isn't necessary as each and every item should be obvious. Also, don't employ underlining to identify headings.
Buttons must also be made as large and prominent as possible so they become a clear call to action. 3D effects for buttons can help to make them stand out. Also, make links and buttons easy to target and hit by increasing their clickable area.
In addition, next to the cursor visibly changing into a “hand”, you should offer a highlight around the area to click on.
2. Use checkboxes rather than drop-down menus
A drop-down menu can be fiddly and time consuming for site visitors, and can result in people selecting the wrong item by accident. If you
have less than 10 items in a drop-down menu, use checkboxes or radio buttons. These have the advantage of showing the number of options at a glance without having to click.
However, you should keep drop-down menus where they are established conventions, e.g. when choosing your country. Here, it's better to stick with what users are used to.
3. Stay in one window
If possible, always stay in one window. If you like to provide useful tips or explanations, consider implementing it in a way that the explanation appears on the same page. If you need to include a pop-up or re-direct to a new window, then inform the users by telling them.
A good example of showing useful tips on the same page is twitter's sign-up page. Here the explanation comes up when users click into the field “Full name”.
4. Implement the shallowest possible information hierarchy
Ensure that you fully understand your users' goals and provide them with the shortest paths to completing their task. Pull out important and frequently visited topics and display them on the homepage. You should also maintain consistent labelling of links and page names and allow site visitors to get to the content within 2-5 clicks.
The path must be kept as clear as possible of distracters such as advertising, though you can display some after the task has been completed
successfully. Provide about 3 helpful cross-reference links that are related to the current task goal, but not many more in order to avoid distraction. Overall, try to minimise the options on screen to be as succinct as possible.
5. Include a site map and link to it from every page
A sitemap gives users a good overall picture of how the site is organised and clearly defines all the resources the website has to offer. The link to the sitemap can usually be found near the top or the bottom of the page and frequently placed near the link to 'contact us'.
Internet savvy senior surfers are aware of sitemaps and make use of them to gain an overview of the site. They will also likely click on a sitemap link when they get lost on the site or if they can't find what they want while browsing.
6. Keep your language simple
Avoid technical jargon at all cost. However, if you employ newer functionality such as “tagging” for example, don't try to rename it, but provide an easy to understand explanation for it. Include instructions in plain English where necessary, but always try to reduce the number of words displayed on the page.
Use simple and short sentences and include bullet points where possible. For links on the homepage or landing pages include a short description to tell site visitors what to expect when following the link.
7. Appear trustworthy
Senior surfers tend to be more cautious when browsing and can get confused when something unexpected happens such as a new window opening or an application installing.
Firstly, clearly state the purpose of your site on the homepage. Also, offer a brief description with content links, so users know what to expect when following them. Explain in 'large print' how personal information will be handled before asking users to enter it.
Make use of the well-known 'padlock' icon to indicate a secure part of the site. Show words such as 'secure', 'safe' and 'confidential' in bold. Offer a content section on 'security' when your site offers financial services.
Conclusion
Follow these 7 simple design tips and it will help the majority of site visitors over 65 years use your site more easily and of course it will help all other users too. It will be an enjoyable experience for novice Internet users as well as those who are experienced surfers but new to your site. In addition, any user who might require assistive software will not be compromised by any of these design tips.
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