Web Usability

A website is described as ergonomic when it proposes a method of easy and intuitive navigation allowing visitors a quick start to its functionality.
Ergonomics aims to improve both efficiency and greater convenience.

Ergonomics uses knowledge resulting from research in the fields of psychology (in particular cognitive psychology) and psychophysiology. It also requires a very good knowledge of the practices most appreciated and most largely used as regards Web interfaces (for example, the user is accustomed to a click on the logo or banner of a Web site to reach the homepage; a site that does not offer this feature loses the ergonomic characteristic).

Principle of ergonomics applied to the Web.

This involves:

• Facilitate navigation for users,
• Provide users regardless of their profile (age...) the access to the information in the same way,
• Provide in less than three clicks (rule that has developed itself) the access to the information,
• Know from the home page what is the content of the site and what we can find,
• Convivial, brief and pleasant animations.

One distinguishes mainly two criteria to be respected at the time of the design from a Web interface. These principles are the following:

• Utilisability
• Acceptability