Usability: Body Language for the Web

Usability can sometimes be hard to understand. A metaphor for usability I’ve been using a lot lately is body language. In face-to-face communication your stance, facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact can say as much if not more than words you say. On the web, navigation structure, the amount of motion, how you collect user information, and availability and presence of comment/feedback functionality can also say as much if not more than the content itself. For brands that spend a lot of time and money to develop their brand character and messaging it’s important not to undercut that with poor usability. A brand claiming its fun, easy going, and full of life isn’t too believable if its website is hard to navigate and search, doesn’t give positive feedback for user actions, and has no motion on the site.

Does your website’s usability support your brand?