The scent of information
November 9th, 2006 • Posted by Bill Bice • Permalink
If you think of the visitors to your spa's website as information foragers, then you need to leave them a trail of scents so they can find what they're after, and not lead them off the trail with confusing scents. Relying on Jakob Nielsen again:
Information scent refers to the extent to which users can predict what they will find if they pursue a certain path through a website. The term is part of information foraging theory, which explains how users interact with systems using the analogy of animals hunting for food.
What does that mean for your spa's website?
- Particularly for navigation, don't use made up words or slogans; use plain language that make sense to your clients. As your website visitor is quickly scanning your site, frantically looking for the right morsel, you can't expect them to translate unfamiliar terms. For example, label the link "Instant Gift Certificates", not "MySpaCards".
- Deliver information in tasty little morsels. Don't force your website visitors to wade through a sea of text. Use headlines (plain language again) to break up your content.
- The more obstacles between your website visitor and their goal, they less likely they are to get there. Avoid additional pages between your "Instant Gift Certificates" link and your Instant Gift Certificates page.
- Your visitors expect the most important information to be front and center. If you want them to find it, put it in the main content of your home page. Don't hide anything important the foliage of fancy graphics.
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