What if you looked at your site as if you were a reader rather than as a creator or designer of the site? I mean a real live visitor who really checks out this blog? See first impressions from their eyes ... rather than familiarity from yours. To give this technique a try … close your eyes and envision the most thoughtful person you know … looking at your site with the idea of telling you what works best. Now look at your site’s design and content though that person’s eyes. While still
looking through that person’s eyeballs, ask yourself: Does this site do everything it could do to attract and sustain thoughtful readers? 1. Do titles and questions grab this person’s curiosity?
2. If this reader scanned your site what key words would describe the content?
3. How interesting and doable is the navigation?
4. Do sidebars expand the main message and stick to the theme?
5. Do ad placements distract or enhance the site’s design?
6. Will the reader trip over jargon… or flow with reader-friendly prose?
7. Is the text broken up with space, headings and highlights?
8. Do labels appear on top rather than beside the text?
9. Are forms broken into well placed sections?
10. Do buttons make it easy to move from one section to another?
11. Do readers feel welcome by the way comments are set up and answered?
What else would any thoughtful reader like to see that is not already included on your site? Answer any of these questions… from the perspective of one other significant reader… and you also unleash more of your unique intrapersonal intelligence. Do you see this brain based tactic as another useful tool that can improve technology?
What do you think?
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