4.1 Web sites & Usability
4.1.1 Functionality
website should have an easily recognizable look and it should be clear to the user what the site offers. Internet users often decide within seconds whether they remain on one site or not. A company should not rely upon the fact that everyone who visits the site recognises the logo or knows the brand name. On the internet, the user group is often spread further than the group that could be achieved through other promotional activities so far. The web does not need the user to recognise the logo; the web should make a user remember the brand and its functions.

One of the main points in the design and creation of a website is the navigation. It helps the user orientate themselves on the site and subpages. In a complex navigation with too many subpages the user leaves the web page very quickly. In the worst case he shares his experiences with his friends. With a badly-structured web page you can also lose a good reputation. A site must meet, like any other technical aid as well, certain requirements to be user friendly. It is important to adopt the structure and the content to the human receptivity. An axiom for the usability on a web page is: “Don’t make me think!” (Fischer, 2009, p.473-480)

By far the largest part of the information about the outside world (about 80%) is received through our eyes. It is much easier to process information and retain a known structure. Too much information overloads the cognitive system. By abstraction, filtering and detection of causal relationships, sensory impressions are sorted and evaluated. This process is known in psychology as "chunking". Generally, for human memory performance the model of the magic 7 from George Miller is valid. This model says that a human is capable of memorizing 7 ±2 things (Miller, 1956). Therefore, as mentioned above, a menu must not have more than 8 buttons. This still gives enough space for a sufficient content without overloading the page. There are additional disrupting factors which can reduce this number. Therefore it is important to have a stopover, because of demotivation, bad mood or stress. It is also possible that the user is tired or drunk. In addition to that the memory goes back no further than 4 or 5 screens. This is important to make a purchase in an online shop. Every additional step for the shopping process makes more people interrupt the purchase (Fischer, 2009, p.548-549).

Max Adler Salzhemmendorf Webdesign

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