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In today's ever changing world of Web Site or Graphic User Interface (GUI) design and development, new technologies are constantly reshaping the look and feel of today's web pages. Faster and more powerful animations, high speed streaming audio and video, digital photography, dazzling intros and special effects have almost become standard protocol for the today's generation of web designers. Considering the speed at which technology rapidly advances there is no reason to think that we have seen the last of the "special effects". However, amidst the latest technological changes and improvements to Web or GUI design, a powerful new movement has started to take shape and gather momentum, Web Usability and User Centric Design. Web Usability and User Centric Design shift the focus away from both the Designer and domain owner and place it squarely on the User or in other words the "client". "You can spend a great deal of money on a really nice looking site, with lots of great features (animations, videos) but if nobody bothers to use your site, or they can't figure out how to get to get the information they want, what's the point?" states Young Park, Business Innovation Portal Analyst for Toyota Canada. The basic premise behind Web Usability and User Centric Design is to make the Website or GUI as "user friendly" as possible, while still maintaining a certain level of aesthetic design. Web Usability and User Centric Design focus on the end user's perspective and ultimately asks the question "Can I find what I am looking for?" A simple test of the importance of Web Usability and User Centric Design is to watch a person's facial expressions as they navigate through a website. It becomes evident very quickly if the user cannot find what he or she is looking for. Frustrated or confused users tend not to become repeat visitors and this can subsequently have a negative impact on the Web owner's business. "I can't hit the 'skip intro' button quickly enough!" states David Stevens, owner of EyePowered Productions and frequent web surfer. "I don't like pages that have all kinds of things flying all over the place, it's very distracting" says Stevens. An old business adage states "the customer is king", and in terms of Web Usability and User Centric Design, it is important to remember who the site is designed for and generally what appeals to that audience. "Western Culture reads from left to right, top to bottom, so consequently, the most important space on a Web Page is the top left hand corner. People don't like to read Italics on the web, and the use of too much bold can also be very distracting, as can objects that are constantly moving, or that fly around the page. The use of Block Caps is very ineffective, as the human eye does not easily distinguish the difference between the characters…" states Park, who has recently attended a Web Usability Seminar in Toronto, Canada. "Web Usability and User Centric Design will soon become the standard by which successful GUI and web design is based upon. It is of the utmost importance to develop a site which ultimately focuses on the client's wants and needs," says Juliana Blackett, Art Director for ProSoft Consulting. James Jenkins,
ProSoft Consulting Inc.
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