Missing Features

There are lots of easy ways to make subtle usability errors in web sites. But there are only a few unforgivable usability sins. And ad blindness is one of them.

Take a look at the new design launched last week for the USC Credit Union:

Can you spot the unforgivable usability sin? Need a hint? Try to find the link to the online banking site.

It’s in the top right of the screen, and looks like this:

Why do most users miss this link? The problem is ad blindness.

Ad blindness is when visual cues alter the perception of a GUI element and cause users to interpret that element as an ad, not a valid link. Since users ignore ads in all contexts (except search results), the link is often ignored.

Ironically, it was likely the desire of the design team behind the redesign to make this link as easy to find and clear as possible that led to making the link hard to find.

In the case of credit union, there are two major visual mistakes that lead to this particular ad blindness problem:

1. The placement of the link in the top right corner of the screen (where ad banners go); and,
2. The boxed graphic style applied to the link (styling it like a banner ad).

Punish the sin, not the sinner

Here are some guidelines to help prevent ad blindness from affecting your designs:

1. Place critical, deep links in the focal point of the site’s main content body or in the navigation menu;
2. Don’t make critical links images, make them text;
3. Perform a few paper prototypes on early design mock ups to identify potential ad blindness issues; and,
4. Style the highlighted link similar or identical to the standard link style used on the site.

This topic offers up missing features axiom number 6: don’t over-design your critical links.

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