Do not make users lost in the website

Assume that the process of browsing a website is like a trip, and the visual pictures presented by the website to him are all scenery on the journey. The text links on the page are the signs in the scenic spots, the sub-channels in the website are the scenic spots on the journey. User

Assume that the process of browsing a website is like a trip, and the visual pictures presented by the website to him are all scenery on the journey. The text links on the page are the signs in the scenic spots, the sub-channels in the website are the scenic spots on the journey. The reason why a user will start this journey may be that he actively looks for it (this shows that your product has gained a lot of popularity among the target user groups ), your friend's recommendation (your product has a good reputation) is accidentally seen by users (to make this happen more often, you must greatly improve the promotion of your product, to enhance the communication in social networking websites), there is also a situation where users jump through other websites (most of which are the commercial promotion of the website itself ).

The first stop of a trip is the user's entry page, which basically starts from the homepage of the website. of course, it may also be the registration page, login page, or even special page, this landscape needs to show the core value of the website, introduce the general situation of this journey and the benefits he may gain in this journey, his personal gains and losses, these are the most basic functions of the portal page. During a trip, tour groups will divide scenic spots into key points, focusing on recommending good scenic spots. The same is true for products. the displayed information should be sorted in the next key order on the portal page. In the layout of the page, due to space limitations, we need to rank the most important items in the most obvious position based on the priority of the function. As for how to determine the priority, different companies may have different strategies. In addition, we also need to visually display the website atmosphere. in my opinion, the main role of the product to shape the atmosphere is to let the user do what you expect in your product.

A single trip cannot have only one scenic spot, and a website may not have only one page. The first stop of the trip has its beautiful scenery, but there will also be roads to other scenic spots. in the entire product information structure, the initial page will have an entrance to other information, for example, there are many signs at the entrance of the scenic spot, and visitors need to select a path to enter. This involves the naming rules of the indicator board. the name must be associated with the content of the scenic spot, and the name should be accurate to the user. the name of the scenic spot must be passed to the user's consciousness, let the user's mind have a kind of cognition that he is going to follow. In most Internet products, the process for users to reach the next page is not processed, because this process is too short. if such a modification is added, it will increase the burden on the user end to load the page.

The product architecture provides many ways for users to choose from. no one can tell which one the user will choose. When a user sets foot on a certain road, he may give up halfway and may come to an end. Therefore, throughout the travel process, no matter the user stays at what stage or to what extent, the user must be given access to other scenic spots. A user's behavior in the product may be the starting point of the line or the intermediate point. in a real scenario, his behavior may be selecting something, some personal information may be being filled in. Every behavior will arrive at another place. in order not to make the user lost, the main node in the line should give the user corresponding information feedback. Although we do not want the user to interrupt the journey, it is basically impossible. so what we need to do is when the user is exhausted or lost in this path, give him a new path he might be interested in. However, because we do not know which step the user will take, we need to give the user an entrance to the other path for each step.

When visiting a scenic spot, we often see some kind reminders, such as don't notice leeching and leeching. We can also give users some kind reminders when they use the product, when the operations performed by the user in the product consume too much traffic, many products will remind and recommend that the user download from the WLAN, although this is not the work that the product should do. But I have to admit that if a user is using your product and causing heavy traffic losses, some users will indeed blame you for the charges. In order to avoid such mistakes, it is better to give the user a proper reminder. such reminders will also increase the product's impression on the user's mind.

There is no banquet in the world, and the trip will end. For tourists, a trip is not only a charming scenery, but also a souvenir. these activities increase revenue for the scenic spots. Product personnel always hope that users' behaviors can bring tangible commercial benefits. this is completely understandable. However, when guiding users on the road, users cannot be overly forced to dislike them. Beautiful scenery will give visitors a good impression, increase their possibility of secondary tourism, and provide excellent interactive experience, which will also increase the frequency of user use.

After reading the above, you may be confused and do not know what to say. In fact, I want to use the user's experience in the journey to explain some basic principles of interactive design: Do not confuse users, let the user know where it is, give the user a new route, and know where it is going when he clicks a link. Don't forget to find a way to let him come back next time when he leaves, in addition, if you often surprise a user when browsing the website, the product score will be increased.