Labeling Content

Human beings love to organize things. 0:00 We need to, because it helps us make sense of the world around us. 0:02 But organizing content on our websites and 0:06 apps is just the first step in making sense of things. 0:08 Once you group your content together, 0:12 you'll still need to know what those groups represent. 0:13 You need a label, a clear and obvious term like a name or a symbol that tells 0:16 you immediately what the group contains, or what's common about every item in it. 0:22 Consider this scenario, you are moving from one apartment to another. 0:27 You pack everything you own into generic looking boxes and containers. 0:31 And when get you get to your new place, 0:35 you have to figure out where everything is. 0:37 If you've ever moved before, 0:40 you'll know the key to surviving this moving process is to label your boxes, so 0:41 you understand where all your stuff is and where it should go. 0:46 A box labeled clothes doesn't really help anyone, who's clothes? 0:49 Which bedroom should it go in? 0:54 Is it winter clothes or summer clothes? 0:56 But labeling the box Mike's t-shirts, 0:58 master bedroom, makes the content within the container very clear. 1:01 So if you can accurately and clearly label the content within all your 1:06 website containers, your users will be able to find what they need immediately, 1:11 accomplish their goals and will enjoy the experience. 1:17 If you don't label the information on your website or do a lousy job of it, 1:21 you're taking a lot of risks. 1:25 Users may get frustrated if they can't find what they want. 1:28 They may get lost clicking around from place to place. 1:32 And if they can't accomplish their goals, they may leave and never come back. 1:35 Labels are the signals users need to find their way. 1:40 So it's your job to provide clear signs and 1:44 checkpoints, so they can continue their journey. 1:47 So what kind of things need labeling on a website? 1:50 Navigation menus absolutely need clear and accurate labels. 1:54 We'll dig deeper into navigation in the next video, but the labels you use for 2:00 the links in your menus are vitally important for usability and 2:04 the user experience. 2:08 The best way to label your menu links is to consider the user's point of view. 2:10 What information would they look for if they were a new user or a returning user? 2:14 What tasks are they trying to complete by using your app or visiting your site? 2:20 What links would they look for if they wanted to buy something, 2:25 fix something or download something? 2:30 These terms should be clear and easy to understand, and the shorter the better. 2:33 For example, 2:39 this website about autism research has a simple looking menu at the top. 2:40 But while Research and Newsletter seem straightforward enough, 2:45 Discover leaves you wondering, discover what exactly? 2:49 Using different tests, we could evaluate the effectiveness of that label 2:54 to see if users understand what they'd find if they click the link. 2:59 It's actually their blog. 3:03 So maybe a label that just said blog would make more sense here. 3:05 Page headers are another aspect of the website and 3:10 user experience that need to be labeled effectively. 3:13 Just by looking at the top of a page users should know what they'll find there. 3:16 So don't try to be too clever, make it obvious. 3:21 When you look at this science project page, 3:26 it's clear what you're looking at and what the page will cover. 3:28 But page headers do more than just tell you what's on the page, 3:32 they help establish trust. 3:36 Many times when you click a link, 3:39 the link says what's on the page you're going to, right? 3:41 So if you arrive at the page and 3:44 it's called something else, you're gonna wonder if you're in the right place. 3:46 Consistency between the link label and the page label builds confidence. 3:51 When you look at an HR solutions website, like Insperity, for example, 3:57 you'll see that when you click any of the links under their Individual Solutions 4:01 menu, the corresponding page matches the link you chose. 4:06 You can't help but feel confident in the organization of a site 4:10 when the page header matches the link. 4:13 Now, another element that needs strong labels are page sections. 4:16 These labels help signal to users what they can find within a page. 4:20 They communicate the structure of the page, 4:25 helping to put things in a logical order. 4:27 They could be in order of importance or in a specific sequence, 4:29 like a page with instructions on how to set up Christmas lights. 4:33 Clearly labeling each section means users will be able to follow along without 4:37 frustration, and if necessary quickly locate a specific piece of information 4:40 simply by skimming section headers or outlines. 4:45 Our biggest goal with labels should be to make them clear and obvious. 4:49 There's another great quote I wanna share from Steve Krug, 4:54 author of Don't Make Me Think, on the topic of links and labels. 4:57 He says, It doesn't matter how many times I have to click, 5:00 as long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice. 5:04 So whether you're grouping content within sections on a website or on a page, 5:09 the labels you use to identify everything should be clear, obvious, and helpful. 5:14 Remember, these label are guides, so 5:21 don't make your users think about which path to take. 5:24 The simplest approach almost always works best. 5:28