Usability is an integral element of web design. But just what is usability? In terms of web design, usability refers to the quality of a user’s experience when interacting with a particular website. Usability is so important in website design because visitors will simply leave if a site has poor usability. This means that visitors will leave if a site is difficult to use, if it fails to clearly state what the site is about and what it has to offer the visitor, if visitors get lost within a site, or if the information is too difficult to read or doesn’t provide visitors with what they want. Remember, there are millions of other websites out there. In order to keep visitors, and potential patients, at your plastic surgery site, you must ensure that your site is user-friendly.
There are four basic elements that make a website user-friendly. A site must (1) be quick and easy to learn; (2) be efficient to use; (3) allow for quick recovery from errors; and (4) be easy to remember. By including those four elements into your website and ensuring good usability, your visitors will be satisfied rather than frustrated with your site, they will enjoy interacting with your site, they will be able to effectively and efficiently achieve their goals, and they will feel confident about you and your services. This will help to increase your conversion rate, turning more and more of your site visitors into actual patients. Further, these same visitors will be far more likely to refer you and your website to people they know.