Facebook Usability, Essay Example

Facebook has a reasonable load time—almost instantaneous with wi-fi. The way the site is set up, with their text to background is ratio appropriate as the site offers many images and limits the amount of characters for certain things (if the person has more characters the user has the option to “continue reading” or the site redirects them to an article). The font size and spacing is standard (12 point font, Times New Roman). The flash and add-ons are strictly on the right side of the screen and do not interfere in the site’s usability. The ALT tags on images is appropriate. The site doesn’t have 404 or forbidden page, and in fact, is very functional and has never had such a page.

The company logo can be found prominently in the upper left of the site (somewhere the eye travels to naturally in the Western world). The title of the site allows people to know that it’s about community and networking within that community. The page’s homepage is slightly less clear, but this is because Facebook is part of a culture’s lexicon and does not need a clear definition. There’s a clear path to the company’s information (found at the bottom of the homepage before a user signs in). The main page has a clear navigation in that the user just inserts their information in the log in (homepage). The navigation labels are clear, it just reads email and password. The number of buttons and links can be a bit tedious because the site offers games, and multiple ways to connect.