Understanding User Needs
Human-centric design still feels like one of those vague terms that is almost too all-encompassing to be wholly embraced. I mean, what does it even mean - to focus on a human. Although, I do think people need to start with that before anything else.
And somehow that still isnât always the case. But thereâs something to be said about having a people-first mentality when working on any design project. Design needs to centre the user experience, not appease the design ego. The easiest way to get caught up is almost never by designing with cool ideas that didnât need to be there in the first place.
Thatâs why itâs so easy for designs to end up cluttered and busy, which probably translates to poor user experience and lack of clarity across the website. In such instances, itâs likely that designers havenât put themselves in their audienceâs shoes often enough and havenât asked questions about the what, when, where and hows of their needs. Putting yourself in your userâs shoes is such a simple concept but complex when you think about it.
Each person might define a word differently or connect entirely unrelated concepts together due to their lived experience. So, how can you gain an understanding of your usersâ needs. The best approach would be to interact with your target audience in groups or one-on-one.
This will probably help you identify their understanding of concepts, allowing you to define your own based on commonalities. Chances are, multiple questions asked about navigation structures and menu labels will lend insight into what makes sense for most people. In asking these questions, you should also think about accessibility for differently-abled or neurodivergent folk. This can allow you to build a much larger landscape where everyone can access your webpage with ease and navigate the different sections on your website without a heavy cognitive load getting in the way.
Simplifying Terminology
You know that moment when youâre looking at a menu and every other word looks like itâs been yanked from a marketing seminar. Thereâs only so many times you can read âpowerhouseâ or ânext-genâ before your eyes start to glaze over. The thing is, thereâs nothing wrong with simple language.
It doesnât mean dumbed-down. If anything, it means respecting your usersâ time, attention span, and possibly even their blood pressure. There appears to be this temptation to dress up menu labels with terms we think sound professional or impressive.
But for someone just trying to find the right page or task, cryptic tech terms and internal jargon are more confusing than clever. How often do users need a five-syllable acronym when âInvoicesâ will do. Not very often - unless they moonlight as crossword champions. Short, sharp words generally cut through better than lofty buzzwords.
Swapping âCommence Registration Processâ for a brisk âSign Upâ saves everyone precious seconds and mental energy. Yes, it feels fairly radical sometimes to cut away the flourish weâve been told is essential for branding (itâs not), but stripping back the language makes space for clarity. In the end, users donât want riddles - they want results.
Sort of. It seems like common sense, but common sense isnât always so common (even Iâm guilty of forgetting it). Menu labels in plain English donât make things less serious or trustworthy - they make them accessible.
And thatâs infinitely more valuable than any fluffed-up phrase could ever hope to be.
Consistency is Key
I noticed most users expect uniformity across the products or services they use. You know, an experience in one app should be similar to another product. I Suspect if you think about it, thereâs a reason why most user interfaces have a three-bar icon on the top right and clicking on it opens the menu. Thatâs how important keeping it consistent is.
But hereâs the thing: when it comes to menu labels, being consistent can be subjective. You see, consistency in menu labels can mean a lot of things to different people. Some see it as making each button or tab unique, others might consider reusing terms for similar functions.
Honestly, it's confusing at times. The way I see it, i think that consistency is kind of subjective because culture has a big role to play in it.
The cultural or professional background of a group of users is likely a contributing factor to their perception of consistency. For example, reusing terms like 'Log out', 'Sign out', and 'Exit' make sense for some but are totally different for others who expect each word to be used in its own context. The best way around this is conducting thorough research on the demographic that you cater to and understanding what feels consistent to them. It seems like that being said, it's important to remember that the golden rule when it comes to menu labels is being absolutely clear about what your labels do so theyâre not ambiguous or annoying for your users.
Prioritizing Clarity Over Jargon
It never fails to surprise me how much time teams will spend fussing with digital menus, only to leave them cluttered with the kind of workshopped jargon youâd expect from a high-level management meeting. I Expect in reality, most of us donât need that sort of complexity to select our size or find an item in a dropdown menu. Thereâs something special about choosing simplicity over pretence - the kind that comes from prioritising clarity over fancy copy.
Itâs often tempting to dress up menu labels, especially when clients want a longer list of clever adjectives or to âincorporate more brand languageâ. But I have to say, I think users expect honest, straightforward information. More or less.
Terms like âhoodiesâ or âsweatshirtsâ and âaccessoriesâ are rarely already familiar. You donât have to show off by saying âseasonal collectionâ or, my personal favourite - âmiscellaneous essentialsâ.
All those big words donât create more interest and they certainly donât come across as luxury. If anything, they force people to stop and ask themselves what on earth youâre going on about. Menus need to do their job: guide, inform, and yes, intrigue. But intrigue doesnât come from unnecessarily complicated vocabulary or smart one-liners.
If anything, it comes from being authentic and speaking directly to your audience - who have probably seen thousands of sites already and may not have more than a few seconds before they move on because something feels off. Their intent is clear - theyâre there for hoodies if your label says hoodies.
It isnât always easy standing up for simpler language when your team seems determined otherwise. I get it. Sometimes, you get tired of arguing about why this is necessary in the grand scheme of things - but then you see someone get through a menu quickly and say how easy it was to find exactly what they were looking for and that makes it worth it.
Testing and Feedback
Once you have given a menu label a go and feel confident that it will help users navigate your site, get some feedback. There are no rules as to who you should ask for this feedback but try and ask someone who is completely unfamiliar with your website. Often, as someone working on something or someone who is very familiar with a product, you might have unconscious biases or knowledge that helps you navigate it more easily.
Sort of. When gathering feedback from users, try and observe them as they use the labels and as they move through your site. Ask them what they think each menu item means.
If someone says âI donât knowâ or âI donât understand what this meansâ, itâs time to revisit that particular label. I know many people who believe they can perfect something in isolation without any input from others. More or less.
But, the truth is, itâs not something Iâd recommend doing, especially when it comes to labels. Think about it - thereâs an entire team of people involved in designing products because each person brings a different skill set and perspective to the table. And so, one way to make sure you get great feedback is by having open communication. Clearly convey what youâre trying to do so people can understand why certain things need to be changed or how they might add value to it.
Iterating for Improvement
It appears to be that the best ideas are almost never born perfect - I feel this quite strongly. The beauty of crafting something lies in watching it grow and change and become better with each pass. We see evidence for this everywhere.
Particularly, things like branding and UX design rarely just work from the get-go. Reworking something also means learning to let go of old, tightly-held beliefs. Maybe what worked for a different brand or project wonât work here.
Thatâs why youâve got to keep evolving every aspect of your product. More or less. After all, your users evolve with you and your product.
What they wanted before might not be what they want now or even want at all anymore. What then is left. Iteration.
Continually working on something until it becomes as close to perfection as you can get it to be while knowing full well that there is no such thing as perfect. You may iterate a hundred times before seeing something work and another two hundred before it's quite right. But you know what.
Thereâs no point in stopping halfway.