“Make it Bright Red!” and other ways to guarantee users won’t notice it

I adopted my precious dog Cookie in 2005, and I was completely clueless about how to take care of a dog. When I started taking Cookie to the vet clinic in PetSmart and they told me about their Wellness Plans (which includes annual shots, teeth cleanings, and free appointments for $20/month), I was sold.

So, every so often when the time arises that we need one of the above listed things, I call Banfield (that’s the clinic), because I know we’re covered.

But the trick is finding their number. And I am going to cover my process in detail because it happens EVERY TIME I NEED TO CONTACT THEM!

You see, they don’t own Banfield.com – that’s a placeholder page. So after googling and finally finding my way to their actual site, I look for the “Clinic Locator” function…

Banfield Web Site

First, I scan the global navigation.

Then, the body of the page.

Then, the footer.

I never find what I’m looking for.

Finally, I sigh and think, “Ugh! This always happens. Why don’t they make it more prominent? You’d think clinic locator would be one of the primary things on their site.”

Sometimes I then turn to Google Maps. Other times, I go to the PetSmart website and navigate that way. And sometimes, like tonight, I eventually find the link.

Its a nice-looking website. Clean, professional visual design. But the site is a fail in my book, because I’ve never gone to their site for any purpose other than finding the phone number of my local Banfield clinic — and I’ve never found it on the first try.

And the designer(s) was probably acutely aware of this important use case from the beginning.

I can just imagine the ongoing battle that may have occurred. “We keep getting emails where people say they can’t find the clinic locator. Can you make it more prominent?”

Bright red? Check! Bigger font? Check! Icon? Check! Visually separated from everything else? Check!

At first, it’s counter-intuitive — but when you really think about it, it makes sense. We are used to finding potential actions in groups of 3-7 in the form of nav bars, action lists, etc. When we go to a website with a particular task in mind and we see a global navigation system, a footer, or any other similar design convention, we’re likely to start scanning sections of the page, module by module, until we find what we’re looking for or become frustrated.

In summary, my point: Because users SCAN blocks of content in search of their desired task, fancy graphical treatments (or anything else that causes too big a visual divide from other key links) can actually backfire and HIDE the important links you’re trying to emphasize.

Banfield Global Navigation

Banfield Footer

There are examples of this phenomenon all over the web. Share yours.

See also

1. What do steaks, Facebook Connect, and Arianna Huffington have in common?
2. Active Nav States: Which page am I on?
3. Design Pattern: Parallel Experiences