Website design 'should be based on user behaviour'

Category: Usability

October 6th 08, 08:45

Website design should follow the typical behavioural trends displayed by the majority of internet users, it has been claimed.

According to Gerry McGovern, founder and chief executive of Customer Carewords, web users tend to follow specific patterns when viewing a web page.

He explained that people tend to scan particular blocks and sections of pages rather than reading all content from top to bottom, with a preference generally shown for the left-hand column as the location of primary navigation links.

To this end, web development executives would do well to put local navigation in this column, the company logo in the top left corner and home and contact links in the top global navigation bar, Mr McGovern advised.

"Whatever works for your customers is what you should do ... What is definitely true is that your customers have distinct and dominant patterns of behaviour," he commented.

According to Melanie Lindner of Forbes, websites should try to avoid making too much use of menus within drop-down menus, as this can result in the page being cluttered by too many boxes.

This news story was brought to you by Bluhalo, a leading UK digital agency.

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