Structure Yields Usability
You can improve usability by organizing. A messy web site can be improved pretty easily by creating an organization where one doesn’t exist. If there is some organization, improve it.
This might be a call for information architecture but I think that I’m getting at something more raw. I’m talking about getting your web site in order. That might mean adding or subtracting content. It might just mean new labels. It might mean a more consistent use of fonts. It might mean rounded edges, better colors, and simple content.
So, I’m speaking about the idea of “organization” broadly here. For folks who don’t quite get usability, the idea of organization might be a very effective way to get some traction.
The next step would be to create an understandable and repeatable plan for structure. This means that you would not only organize your web site but do it in such a way that you could clean it up again quickly and easily. Or, others could replicate what you’ve done. They’d follow your instructions or recipe. The idea here is that you’d get the organization out of your mind and into an instruction list, process diagram, email, or whatever works. Make the implicit more explicit.
Once you have the structure and the organization, you’d then take the next step and actually follow what you’ve created. You have the tangible structure and you have the process to create and maintain the structure. Now you just need to execute or have others execute to keep it clean.
I think there are other ways to think about structure too. Structure can be represented as rules, systems or heuristics. We can think about structure in terms of decision trees, use of language, code patterns, accounting systems, normal distributions, Pavlovian association, mnemonics, and much more.
There are certainly ideas here that could help you inject structure into your web site. Use what works. Clean up the clutter. Reduce the confusion. Fight chaos. You’ll improve the user experience.