Blog design and usability advice

January 7, 2006

Jakob Nielsen released some blog usability tips in October 2005 and said that the biggest usability problem of blogs is that it’s hard for new readers to understand your site and trust you. To get around this he suggests:

  • About me page with a photo of yourself to help your credibility and create a connection
  • Descriptive post titles - even more important for RSS readers
  • Linking the right words so people know where they’re going
  • Highlight earlier popular posts and link back to them in later posts (few people will have read all your blog posts)
  • Categorise posts
  • Stick to a regular publishing schedule
  • Keep blog posts to a narrow topic field - or establish multiple blogs if needed
  • Use your own domain name - it looks more professional

Catalyst Design Group published a report in July 2005 on blog usability for the mainstream internet audience. Suggestions after usability testing with people who were unfamiliar with blogs included:

  • Make it clear (on archive pages as well as main pages) that the site is a blog
  • Make it clear about exactly what happens when you submit a comment - whether all comments are moderated or will appear immediately etc.
  • Explain what RSS/XML is - be aware of any language used on your site which may sound technical or foreign to non-bloggers (e.g. permalink, trackbacks)

Fireant Gazette has some further suggestions:

  • Make the font size large enough to be read comfortably
  • Don’t make the post width too wide - it’ll be harder to read
  • Dark text on white background is generally the most preferrable combination

Pretty basic advice, but when you’ve been blogging for three and a bit years, it’s easy to forget how much you’ve learnt about the blogging world and what it’s like for a non-blogger discovering your blog for the first time. It’s a good reminder to check the language you’re using (not necessarily in your posts, but around them).
One of the main things that bother me about many blogs are their sidebars - they can be incredibly cluttered and confusing. Consider moving some of the things on your sidebars (like blogrolls, favourite books/music) to separate pages (links, about me).

See also
Comments

  1. Even though it’s basic you’re right that it’s good advice. A blog is a web site and while general guidelines apply there are others that are helpful for blogs that wouldn’t be so helpful for other types of site.

    I wonder though with the uptake of RSS and related aggregators how many people actually visit the home page of a blog and read it that way. All the additional material that people add to blogs (blog rolls, archives organzied by theme or category, about pages, even comments) might get completely lost if the blog is read though a mediator like an aggregator - whether that be a standalone program on their PC or a web-service that offers that functionality.

    BTW - I was wanting some lists like this the other day so thanks for posting them.

    — Stephen, January 7, 2006

  2. Hmmmm, so my light text on the red background is not the wright choice of me. Pretty good tips indeed, and most I do correct. :-D

    — redstar, January 8, 2006

  3. Solid advice all around. I’ve personally been a big fan of the larger text size lately — as a programmer and designer, I could never understand my peers’ preference for tiny text. I think I’m going to bookmark this post as a checklist for my upcoming personal and work website redesigns.

    (Btw, just found this site because of the blog design trends post you made. Great observations, I’ll definitely be subscribing to this blog.)

    — Joel Young, January 8, 2006

  4. I like when I can see pictures of the blogger cause this way I can understand the blog better though I never read the biography.

    — Helen Price, January 20, 2006