5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Take a step back and look at your site from a visitors point of view

by jeffreydale
4 replies
This has been helping me a lot recently. Sometimes we get blinded by IM that we forget the basics. At the end of the day, these are REAL people visiting our websites. We know our layout, we know how to navigate our site, and to us it simply just makes sense. But if a stranger stumbled upon it, would they be able to navigate it as well as you? These are things to think about. Try taking a step back and pretending to play the passive role of a visitor. If I stumbled upon this site searching for X, where would I go from there? What would I click on? And once I got there, where would I go next? Would I leave the site? Or would a related article catch my eye? I've been trying to do this more, and it has helped me a lot. If you are having trouble, try showing your site to a friend. Sometimes having a pair of fresh eyes will help point out some of the even basic, yet CRUCIAL mistakes you are making. It's all trial and error, everyday I feel like I learn something new. We're all on the road to millions, just don't give up. And learn from your mistakes.

Good luck my friendly warriors!
#back #point #site #step #view #visitors
  • Profile picture of the author infinityplr
    This is a very good post jeffreydale.

    It is wise to see your own website from your audience's view, and in doing so you can understand and realize what is wrong and what you need to improve in your site. This suggestion will help a lot of website owners and IMers out there that are very much into creating the coolest website but forgetting how navigational it will be for their viewers.

    Sometimes it is hard to step back and view it as a stranger when you were the one who made it. If you found yourself in this dilemma, then maybe try to ask someone close to you, a friend maybe, to check it out and then tell you what they think about it. Ask them to be objective in their comments.

    Signature
    GO. MOVE. Keep GOING! Even with the smallest steps and slower paces, the important thing is you are NOT STOPPING! You'll get there!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6630533].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Romeo90
    Very true Jeffrey, sometimes we are so focussed on everything but the basics!
    Signature


    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6630585].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    You definitely need to show it to other people.

    As much as we can try and put ourselves in the shoes of a visitor, it's almost impossible to do properly when you are so close to a project.

    Fresh eyes don't tell lies.
    Signature

    .


    .

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6630793].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Tracy Moore
      Steve Krug's book, Don't Make Me Think was very helpful to me when I was designing my site. His basic preminse: make it very easy for your visitors to quickly find what they want. Don't make them think; just make it super easy for them.

      Tracy
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6631235].message }}

Trending Topics