“A quick exercise I like to do on websites is run through a few pages in 5 minutes or so. I take note of all the titles, links, and calls-to-action I see on first glance, and then contemplate whether or not a first-time user will know exactly what those things describe without viewing another page.”

Great tip! I will be writing this one on the whiteboard.

Aaron I

It’s really tempting to brand things on your creative projects in ways that seem really clever, but what really happens is that you disguise something ordinary with an unrecognizable veil.

A quick exercise I like to do on websites is run through a few pages in 5 minutes or so. I take note of all the titles, links, and calls-to-action I see on first glance, and then contemplate whether or not a first-time user will know exactly what those things describe without viewing another page.

It’s a useful exercise, and has made a huge difference in many of my past projects. Simple things like changing “What’s Going On” to “Recent Blog Posts” make all the difference in the world.

David Leggett’s last blog post..Usability Review: psdtolife.com