oblaat

a guide to conceiving, creating & publishing your own website

Website usability

As with all things, if a website is unusable, nobody will want anything to do with it—including its creator. You must prioritise creating a website that, at the very least, you the creator will both want to and be able to navigate.

Here the topic of accessibility comes up: if a website is inaccessible, what does that mean for its visitors and creators? And what makes a website accessible in the first place? It's a confusing topic, because accessibility is not just a word that refers to disabilities.

Usability in theory

In theory, a usable website is one that:

1. Does not strain the visitor to read, whether due to bright colours, lack of contrast, or small text;
2. The visitor can navigate easily;
3. The visitor does not have trouble with depending on their screen size;
4. Does not lag the visitor's device.

Accessibility in practice

In practice, this means that:

1. The website has carefully chosen text and background colours;
2. The website's links are clear and not obstructed (actually clickable);
3. The website is responsive;
4. The website isn't heavy-weight and does not have any unneccesary scripts running.

These are all good to keep in mind throughout the process of designing & working on your website. Accessibility & usability applies no matter how simple or cluttered your design or formatting is!