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When you’re thinking about what to provide your user when designing your website/software or mobile app – you often think up a large list of data. Compiling all of this information on one simple and effective page is often where things go awry. They are rarely simple and even more rarely effective. (And yet another reason why usability testing is so important).
The tendency to over-think things – especially when they are important to your success, is as human as it gets. We often lose sight of those things that are basic and necessary. So here is one to remember.
While we were dreaming up lists of things we so wanted to provide the user we lost sight of what the average user looks for when their eye scans our page. Something to further elaborate on what they were hoping to find. Something to show them to the next destination. Something to click.
A page with too many fonts, too many colors, or too much media will distract the user from what is clickable. Too often when testing we find many things that are clickable that the user is completely unaware of – because they don’t stand out the way they should. The more your user has to decipher – the less usable your design becomes. And the less patience your user will have.
Try to have only 2 – 3 font colors on a page at the same time, and make one of them your “clickable” link color. Underlining links is the standard across the internet, and following that standard that will help as well. It also allows you to keep font & link color the same with different font characteristics dividing them (bold, italic, or underlined will work if you wish).
Make it obvious. Keep it simple. And, as always, keep it consistent.