Molecular explains how to improve functionality and usability with these easy ideas.
During the last few years, user expectations have changed with regard to how websites should work. When sites like Google Maps and Gmail came out, they brought a breath of fresh air to an industry that has been tied to the "html page" syntax for too long.
A few years back, during many web development projects, we used to say: "You can't do that in html." Technology has matured significantly since then, and by using rich internet technologies such as Flash/Flex and AJAX, we are finally experiencing much more interactivity and richness online.
In this article, we will explore different levels of "richness" that can be added to your website to improve its functionality and usability. As you will see, you don't need to invest in an army of developers to achieve this richness.
Form validation
One of the most tedious tasks for any user is to fill out forms online only to find out that after they submit it, they have made some mistakes. Most of the mistakes can be avoided by providing clear contextual text, but there are others instances (like if a username is already taken) that can't. By using AJAX technology in the Reebok example below, designed by our company, we can verify in real time, after the user has finished typing the information, if it's valid or not and let the user know right away.
Reebok's Run Easy site
Do the forms on your website offer instant validation? If not, then they will probably benefit from these enhancements. You will gain in having less frustrated users, better conversion rates and offering a better overall experience.
Auto-suggest
Another feature that has become very popular lately is auto-suggest (also known as type-ahead). Auto-suggest is when the site predicts a word that the user wants to type while typing it, without the user completely typing it. One of our favorite examples is on kayak.com. I can never remember the codes for the airports that I'm flying to, so if I need to fly to New York, I can just type "new" and the site quickly returns a short list of airports that I can easily select from.
Auto-suggest is another feature that can be easily added to your site if you haven't already. The only complex part to figure out is what data to return to the user as he or she is typing. If you have a search feature on your website, compile a list of most used searched terms and start from there.