To be effective, we must design Web sites that motivate the first-time visitor to stay, provide valuable information or services, support the brand identity of the product or company, help sell the product, and motivate the visitor to return to the site. This paper provides specific design suggestions for meeting these goals. The World Wide Web is becoming increasingly popular as a medium for shopping, researching information, and being entertained in the United States. Since more people are using the Web for more tasks, especially e-commerce, Web site usability has become an important element of successful Web sites. Web sites must be easy to use.
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Although it is very clear that Web sites must be easy to use, usability is not enough. A usable Web site is not necessarily a successful Web site. As Web user interface designers, we must think beyond our traditional training and experience. We must do much more than make a Web site easy to use. We must encourage the first-time visitor to stay at the Web site.