How many ways do you really need to get from point A to point B? If you're building a website, the answer is probably somewhere between "as many as you can fit" and "all of them. Ever." Okay, maybe that's a little overboard, but take the example of a website selling keyless entry remotes. You have a huge database of car remotes, with years, makes, models, FCCID numbers, numbers of buttons, features...the works. But really, how many ways can you provide people to get to their car remote?
Well let's see. Of course, you have to be able to reach the correct keyless entry remote for your car, so a year-make-model search is number one. But then, plenty of cars have multiple different types of remotes in the same vehicle, so you'll want a catalog display that can take people to the main page for the given car remote. Can't forget SEO; better have a browsable set of links as well. What about searches on other parameters; FCCID and part number, for instance. Gotta add those, but shee, some FCCIDs go to different remotes, so we need another catalog.
Of course, standard-issue links and select fields are painfully boring. Integrating a nice javascript drop-down system for the various keyless entry remote links will look cleaner. Toss a few non-car-remote related pages like About Us up there as well, since we want those available. But then, the search engines don't read JavaScript, so we better add the text links at the bottom too.
Well gee, what if even after all this the user still hasn't found its car remote? Maybe we should add some related product links on each catalog page? Once they're on the catalog page, what will they click to go to the main keyless entry remote page? The image? The title? Well, better link them both to be safe, and add a click here for more info link just to catch the people who have to be told. And maybe put the related products link on its page.
When you want people to get to a certain part of your site, be it a page to buy their keyless entry remote or read your blog or whatever, you want to provide them with as many ways as possible to do it. Making a site intuitive is less about trying to find the perfect format that everyone will inherently get, and more about trying to anticipate all the different ways users think they should be able to find their car remote, or whatever it is you're trying to get them to do or buy.
Author Resource:
Dustin Schwerman is the head web designer for Truly Unique Website Design. Truly Unique works on websites of all varieties, their clients offer services ranging from remote starter s to keyless remotes .
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