Your users' goals

Once you've got a statement of purpose you're halfway to being ready to design.

The next step is to understand who'll be looking at the page, and why.

The best-designed web sites are sensitive to the needs of the users.

They're designed to anticipate what real people are trying to achieve, and then to help them do it with the minimum fuss.

We're all looking to get something out of it. In other words - users have goals. Whoever is using your web page is there for a reason.

Common goals for me include:

• to be Relaxed, knowing there's nothing urgent to do
• to be Chilled out while I work
• to receive Money
• to be Entertained

Note that none of these goals mentions 'using software', but they all happen to involve my interacting with software in order to achieve them.

• to Relax, I deal with any urgent issues (by finding out if I have any email)
• to Chill out while I work, I listen to music on my laptop
• to Earn money I create web pages or graphic designs as easily as possible
• one way I Entertain myself is by finding out what's happening in the world

Using software is a means to an end. Interaction design guru Alan Cooper wrote an illuminating book all about software and goals, in which he describes his goal-oriented approach to software design. I recommend everyone who's involved in designing software to read "The Inmates are Running the Asylum".

Follow these simple steps to understanding why someone is using your web page:

• Write down the different types of users who will likely use your web page
• For each type of user, try to picture what they look like, then write down what they are trying to achieve. Consider carefully and imaginatively the environment they may be in. What speed of internet connection do they have? Are they at work or at home? How much time do they have? What are their priorities? What kind of thing would insult, annoy or upset them?
• Narrow down on those things that it's your duty as a designer to help your users to achieve (or avoid). These become your success criteria. For example:
  
  • The home page should load within 10 seconds over a dial-up connection
  • The page should remember the visitor's preference, and prioritise the content list wherever they go in the site, and when they return
  • The site should not require the visitor to type in the same piece of information more than once
  • The site should ensure that all visitors re-type their password for security

Designing to achieve your success criteria will help your guests to get what they want as quickly and effectively as possible. In many cases, what they want is also what you want, i.e. your goal is for them to achieve theirs.

Sometimes, your purpose includes results that are different from what your visitor knows they want for themselves (such as their being made aware of new ways to spend their money, or starting to understand what differentiates company A from competitor company B).

If you find you have personal or commercial imperatives, these will be additional success criteria. You may realise that your users' goals are at odds with your goals. This is a situation that needs to be resolved carefully. If you prioritise their goals completely, can your site still succeed? But if your users can't achieve their goals, why should they use you? They might decide to use a competitor instead.