The internet is one of the first places consumers go to research products and service providers. Growing your brand online is a key way to reach new and existing customers. For that reason, a high-quality website is a must for businesses in all industries. While you certainly need an aesthetically pleasing website, you also need one that’s easy to navigate.
Which factors are most important for web navigation? How can you achieve both an attractive and functional web design?
Let’s dive deeper into creating an easy-to-navigate website.
Aesthetics Shouldn’t Outweigh Functionality
One of the biggest web design mistakes is to trade aesthetics for navigation ease. Prioritizing “beauty” or innovative design features can lead to a website that’s difficult to navigate.
For example, an interactive clustering of data is interesting at a glance. You can show visitors the importance of various elements. But interacting with this feature is difficult. You have to hover and click on each item to learn more. Just imagine how challenging that is, especially on mobile phones. To properly implement this type of feature, you’d also need to provide a secondary visual presentation that’s easy to use.
Tips for Creating a Website that’s Easy to Navigate
It’s often easy to see what doesn’t work for web design, but creating the most effective solution can be more difficult. Here are some of the top tips for creating a visually appealing website that’s easy to navigate.
Mobile Responsive Design
More than half of all online searches come from mobile devices. A website that’s not optimized for mobile is a big mistake. It’s important to remember that desktop design does not always look or function the same on mobile automatically. That’s why you must implement a mobile responsive design that adapts to phone and tablet screens. Mobile responsive design includes the following:
- Scales page components for screen size
- Reformats content for reduced screen size
- Enlarges clickable items
- Resizes photos
Avoid Cluttered Design
Clutter is another challenge that gets in the way of navigation. While integrating design features, photos, and other content is important, it must be done strategically. A cluttered page overwhelms the eye and makes it difficult for people to find the information they need.
Think about how difficult it is to find a particular item in a stranger’s messy room vs a clean, organized room. New website visitors are “strangers” in your digital room. You want to make exploring and finding useful content easy for them.
The amount of content, type of content, and formatting of content all impact how cluttered it looks. Aim for a clean design that balances visual elements with negative space.
Intuitive Layout
An intuitive website layout is crucial for easy navigation because it helps visitors quickly find what they need. A confusing, cluttered layout confuses visitors. They aren’t sure where to look for anything, and can quickly get frustrated. This can increase bounce rates and drive down engagement. Intuitive website layout enhances user experience. Ensure proper spacing and logical content prioritization when creating your website. This makes it easy for users to scan and digest information without feeling overwhelmed.
Typography
Typography directly impacts readability and user engagement. Poor typography makes the website harder to read and navigate. If the text is too large, too small, or unappealing, visitors may leave.
Making the right font choices improves the user experience. Choose fonts that enhance the user experience. The style of font should match the website branding, but it should also be easy to read. Typography choices also help clarify the website organization, like using a larger, bolder font for headings and a smaller (but readable) font for general content.
Color Scheme
Choosing the right color scheme impacts the user’s perception of the website. Poor color choices create a jarring, confusing experience. This leads to frustration or disinterest.
It’s essential to make the right color choices. Website colors should align with the brand while also creating a positive user experience. Font color should contrast clearly with background colors, yet you should avoid matching too many bold colors. An all-black background with bright red text is an example to avoid in many cases.
Turn to Matcha Design for Proven Tulsa Web Design
The bottom line is that navigation is foundational for website architecture. The answer is not always a larger website or more elements. Even a one-page website can provide an excellent storytelling experience with intent when it’s done right.
When creating a simple photography website and POS website, we leverage a clean one-page design to create a great user experience. We used simple, easy-to-read text that helps outline the various sections. While we implemented plenty of photos and videos on the photography site, they were well-organized and did not clutter the content. These are just a couple of examples of how we can create visually appealing, easy-to-navigate sites even on one page.
If you’re in need of a website revamp or new website design, our experienced team at Matcha Design is here to help. We implement all of the tips above, and many more critical elements, to create beautiful and functional websites. Contact us today to learn more about our Tulsa web design services and how we can help your business!
