't trust the times the website gave. Buses are always late aren't they?

When the bus came I let those that had been waiting before me go first and expected those who arrived after me to do the same. They didn't, so I quickly gave up on that idea! I watched what others did when they got on the bus and followed their example.

We often feel a little bit nervous or unconfident whe

By looking at how we interact with the world in our everyday life, we can learn some of the techniques we use and begin to understand why they work so well. We can then employ the same methods in web design to create a similarly easy experience.

Deciding how to get there

I recently moved house from South East to South West London and this meant I had to find a new way to get to work. My friend recommended I should try get the bus as I was now closer to where I worked and could save some money. I was a little dubious - I thought it might take too long and be too difficult to work out what bus to get. However, I thought I'd give it a go, just this once.

We also need reasons why we should sign-up to a new service, or download an application on the Internet. As such, you should always provide benefits to site visitors to encourage them to do this. For example, just like how I was told I would save money if I took the bus, you should tell site visitors upfront that they'll get all your latest special offers if they sign up to your newsletter.

You also shouldn't underestimate the power of word-of-mouth. When someone has had a good experience they're more likely to recommend it to others. But be warned - when we have a bad experience we also like to have a moan to someone else about it!

Preparing to take a journey

The first day I decided to take the bus I left for work early. Although I looked on the Internet and found out how long the journey would take, I wasn't all that confident. I didn't trust the times the website gave. Buses are always late aren't they?

When the bus came I let those that had been waiting before me go first and expected those who arrived after me to do the same. They didn't, so I quickly gave up on that idea! I watched what others did when they got on the bus and followed their example.

We often feel a little bit nervous or unconfident when

o get to work. My friend recommended I should try get the bus as I was now closer to where I worked and could save some money. I was a little dubious - I thought it might take too long and be too difficult to work out what bus to get. However, I thought I'd give it a go, just this once.

We also need reasons why we should sign-up to a new service, or download an application on the Internet. As such, you should always provide benefits to site visitors to encourage them to do this. For example, just like how I was told I would save money if I took the bus, you should tell site visitors upfront that they'll get all your latest special offers if they sign up to your newsletter.

You also shouldn't underestimate the power of word-of-mouth. When someone has had a good experience they're more likely to recommend it to others. But be warned - when we have a bad experience we also like to have a moan to someone else about it!

Preparing to take a journey

The first day I decided to take the bus I left for work early. Although I looked on the Internet and found out how long the journey would take, I wasn't all that confident. I didn't trust the times the website gave. Buses are always late aren't they?

When the bus came I let those that had been waiting before me go first and expected those who arrived after me to do the same. They didn't, so I quickly gave up on that idea! I watched what others did when they got on the bus and followed their example.

We often feel a little bit nervous or unconfident whe

ternet. As such, you should always provide benefits to site visitors to encourage them to do this. For example, just like how I was told I would save money if I took the bus, you should tell site visitors upfront that they'll get all your latest special offers if they sign up to your newsletter.

You also shouldn't underestimate the power of word-of-mouth. When someone has had a good experience they're more likely to recommend it to others. But be warned - when we have a bad experience we also like to have a moan to someone else about it!

Preparing to take a journey

The first day I decided to take the bus I left for work early. Although I looked on the Internet and found out how long the journey would take, I wasn't all that confident. I didn't trust the times the website gave. Buses are always late aren't they?

When the bus came I let those that had been waiting before me go first and expected those who arrived after me to do the same. They didn't, so I quickly gave up on that idea! I watched what others did when they got on the bus and followed their example.

We often feel a little bit nervous or unconfident whe

experience they're more likely to recommend it to others. But be warned - when we have a bad experience we also like to have a moan to someone else about it!

Preparing to take a journey

The first day I decided to take the bus I left for work early. Although I looked on the Internet and found out how long the journey would take, I wasn't all that confident. I didn't trust the times the website gave. Buses are always late aren't they?

When the bus came I let those that had been waiting before me go first and expected those who arrived after me to do the same. They didn't, so I quickly gave up on that idea! I watched what others did when they got on the bus and followed their example.

We often feel a little bit nervous or unconfident whe

't trust the times the website gave. Buses are always late aren't they?

When the bus came I let those that had been waiting before me go first and expected those who arrived after me to do the same. They didn't, so I quickly gave up on that idea! I watched what others did when they got on the bus and followed their example.

We often feel a little bit nervous or unconfident when doing something for the first time. We need to be reassured that what we're doing is correct and be given constant feedback that we're on the right track. Users who are new to your site might have negative ideas or assumptions about site processes. For example, if users need to register on your site, they might think that the form will take ages to fill in and after registering they'll be bombarded with junk mail.

You need to dispel negative expectations at the start. If you tell site visitors that it'll only take two minutes to register and their e-mail won't be passed on to third parties, then they'll be more likely to continue. I wouldn't have got on a bus if I don't know where it was going, what route it was going to take or how long it would take.

Site visitors can also learn what the site can do by seeing what others have done. We learn by watching others and are more inclined to do something if we see that others have done it too. You can provide case studies, testimonials and examples on your website to do this.

Taking the journey

I looked at buildings, road names, shops, posters, advertisements, and people on the street. I looked for clues from the environment to try and discover the route I was taking. I used tube stations as landmarks to recognise I was getting closer to my destination.

We also need these navigation clues on the web. Users may now expect to find a navigation bar along the left of the screen or across the top of the page. The logo in the top left hand cor