As a web developer, my job depends greatly not only on how efficient the backend code is, but how intuitive the site is for the user. As the web moves further and further from the "monkey see" to "monkey do" mentality, web developers are needing to become more design conscious.

There are some great User Experience and Design teams out there to do the heavy lifting, but it's important to remember that the success of any site ultimately depends on what makes the user, not necessarily the client, happy. Even if the code is beautiful and highly optimized, the user will be gone in seconds unless they find comfort in the site's layout and ease-of-use. There will undoubtedly be the client who is adamant on a site looking or behaving a certain way, which is fine as long as user testing & feedback is provided. Clients don't often like to hear that their ideas "need some work", but having collected data tends to soften the blow.

No user wants to be hassled into disclosing their private information unless there's a really good incentive to do so. Believe it or not, people normally don't wake up, brush their teeth, and say to themselves, "You know what, I'm in the mood to fill in a couple forms to get the day started". If the user's information is needed, then make the process as painless as humanly possible. As this article implies, only require the user to fill in the bare minimum. Once logged in, any remaining fields can be filled in by the user at his or her own convenience.

Just because the visitor happened to browse to your site doesn't mean that you can or should control their viewing experience. The fact of the matter is that if the user grows wary or even the slightest bit impatient from your site, then then they probably won't be coming back. Selecting the "Sign me up for..." checkbox by default could be seen as disrespect towards the user, and many simply don't appreciate it. The key takeaway is that every visitor should feel privileged, and not feel like they're being rushed through the door to meet some quota.

URL: http://codeulate.com/?p=9