When I enter a new site, after a quick look around the Home page I should be able to say with confidence:
- Krug, Chapter 7, pg. 107
I like what Krug says here. If you think about it, what is the purpose of the home page? When I visit a website for the first time, such as Seton Hill University's website, I'm immediately scanning the page as soon as my eyes hit it. I'm looking for information that may attract me. Things like graphics and colors are great to pull the viewer in, but when you step back and look at it, the viewer came to the page for a reason, not just to enjoy your artistic talents. the viewer wants information and as Krug points out, specific information. So the next question is what are the means I can attain this information in the fastest possible way?
If I want something specific, I'm going straight to the search box. I want to find it quick and easy. I want it to be given to me instead of me having to look for it. This is basically what a search box does for the viewer. It helps narrow down the hunt.
If I want to frolic through the fields of pictures, info, or animations, I'll simply browse the site. I'll dive into whatever looks interesting to me and enjoy my time looking, reading, noticing things. If something catches my eye that's great, but I'm in no rush.
And if I want to get a sample of your "stuff" I'll immediately look for places to purchase merchandise or order things. I will look for a link or a place to find prices of information sold as well as descriptions on which is the best product, etc.
When looking at these issues, as Krug points out, from the users point of view, you can understand how to better help your customer/viewer. When we, as web designers, make information access simple and not too difficult to manage in a few minutes, we make it easier for our user to enjoy.
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