Summary of My Findings
In order to make sure a site is usable you must not overlook a single element on the page. Links must all perfectly link, content must be properly titled, and the elements need to be short and sweet. One of the points mentioned in this list is to not get overly complicated with your link names when simple things like “contact us” will work well and will be easily identifiable. All links and pages must work properly. Apparently a big thing is making sure you have your logo decently big, and that it links back to the homepage so navigating through the site is easy.
It is also important to let people know who you are. An about me section may seem to be a little cliché but people are comforted by knowing that they can get a hold of you if they need to. If not you become just a faceless person that people may or may not trust.
Another thing that is big, is making sure that the website is able to be downloaded quickly. It is useless for a site to be beautiful looking if it can’t be downloaded fast. A user is not going to sit around and wait for the site to load when they can just go elsewhere with their business or time. If your site is causing people to go elsewhere it ends up counterproductive.
Finally on any page that may encounter errors, the errors need to be easily pointed out in a friendly way. You want to help the user figure out what’s wrong without making them feel dumb. Also, you need to set up a nice 404 page that compliments your site and allows the user to get back where they need to be.
http://www.usereffect.com/topic/25-point-website-usability-checklist
Website Review
For my review portion, I am reviewing Amazon. The layout is very user friendly overall. There are no annoying graphics or excess stuff on the page. The website features the Amazon logo in the top left and upon clicking it the link takes you back to the homepage. The links are all easy to find. There may be a few too many links, however. It feels a little overwhelming looking at all the different links and trying to figure out what each one is.
All of the links are clearly labeled. They are also very nicely arranged in appropriate groups and sidebars. Each link also expands out to give more options, which is kind of a nice touch. The links all take you where they say they will and get you there in a timely manner thus not being frustrating making the whole shopping experience much more enjoyable.
Another important element is the color palette, which is very uniform. The site maintains a black white and orange theme throughout making it unmistakable that I am still on Amazons website. The type is all very easy to read as well. It may be a little bit small but seems to be fine with being scaled up.
I never ended up getting any errors so I can’t speak to how well their error correction is set up but I can assume that it is well set up being that the rest of the site is very nicely laid out. In conclusion there are a few elements that may feel a little overwhelming but as a whole the website is very user-friendly site.
The frontpage at amazon.com
The search results from amazon.com
jeffsherman10 