A homepage, or the index page is usually the first page that the link/site takes you to. On a web page, it is also the page that loads when a user clicked the 'home' button. And in a pesonal web page, it is typically a page stored in the home directory of the user. The homepage is what many people see when first encountering a website, and it can lead to a lasting impression (negative or positive) that can affect their decision to return to it.
Usability and the utility, not the visual design, determine the success or failure of a website. Since the visitor of the page is the only person who clicks the mouse and therefore decides everything, user-centric design has become a standard approach for successful and profit-oriented web design. After all, if users can’t use a feature, it might as well not exist.
The homepage tells visitors who you are and what they can expect to find in your site. Therefore it needs to be strong, make a statement and grab visitor's attention. In addition a homepage needs to be simple, as the homepage is simply on overview of what's inside.
One way to know what a user may think of a homepage is to think like one. Here are some things that all users have:
1. Time
Users that is new to a site would scan the page and will not read. This is a fact that first-time users don't like to waste their time on a page learning what to do. Therefore, a homepage should ease them by giving the appropriate informations in a small space that can be understood even by a small glance.
2. Patience
This is somehow closely related to above. User's patience is how much time they want to spend learning about your homepage. A homepage should be minimal with easy to reach links and features within a few clicks of the mouse. These will keep user requirements minimal. The website's speed is also important. The less time required for a user to load the homepage in the first place and test a service, the more likely a random visitor is to actually try it out. First-time visitors who are willing to play with the service, will not fill long web forms for an account they might never use in the future. Let users explore the site and discover your services without forcing them into sharing private data. It’s not reasonable to force users to enter an email address to test the feature.
3. Attention
As told in the first point, users will scan a page fast and get the information they see in a glance. An effective homepage is where the main purpose of a website catches the eye before a user intend to. The eyes scan faster than the mind, so having something that quickly attract the eye is a good way to make a user curious. Curiousity will make them stay longer. Using image is one good way to do this because the eye likes color combinations more than black text. Make a good impression by giving the right information within a picture so users will likely try exploring other pages a website may have. Misleading content is fatal as it will make a user actually leave the site.
4. Language
When a user do actually read what's written in a homepage, it is crucial to give sufficient information within a few paragraphs at most or a few sentences at least. An easy to read and easy to understand language should be use because messing with the user's patience by confusing them will eventually make things worse.
5. Mind
Users are all human beings. And human beings don't like to be bothered with something difficult especially when they first come to a homepage. The "keep it simple" principle (KIS) should be the primary goal of site design. Users are rarely on a site to enjoy the design; furthermore, in most cases they are looking for the information despite the design. Strive for simplicity instead of complexity.