Psych IA is All C.R.A.P.
The very most basic principal of Psych IA is all C.R.A.P. - but, preferably the good C.R.A.P… you know, the kind where the bulk is “out there” in just a few minutes, but they get to keep the nutrients.
What is this C.R.A.P.?
Contrast
Repetition
Alignment
Proximity
Contrast
In an empty room, your eyes will be drawn to the red blanket piled in the middle. Making good use of contrast is all about the right amount of white space, the right size, and the right color to draw the right amount of attention.
Repetition
If every door in your house opens out, you don’t have to think about how to use them. Good repetition makes your visitors think “I can use this site, I can find what I need - this is easy.”
Alignment
Even a two foot screen is enough to say “this is a separate room.” A slight change in alignment between header and content helps your visitors scan the page to find what they need, and understand what belongs to what.
Proximity
Street signs make the most sense if placed right at the intersection. Putting what you want visitors to do (like add something to the shopping cart), close to the information they want to know most (such as the price), gets the job done more quickly.
If Content is King…
Easy is Queen. Like it or not, every visitor is comparing your site to every other site on the web. If you aren’t as “easy” as someone else - guess what?
They are going to buy from the easy site, even if it is more expensive.
There are very few people in the world who will deal with a PITA website just to get a better price. Easy is the first and most important factor in every buying decision. Second to that is trust and safety - with price coming in dead last.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:57 am
[…] “Easy” is determined in the first 10 to 30 seconds on your site - and is arguably the most important hurdle to overcome. Over on CopyOz I dipped into this a bit with the concept of C.R.A.P.. […]