Strategic design for FAQ-s (frequently asked questions).

Every company has a web page called « FAQ » short for «  frequently asked questions » where are listed questions frequently asked by users about different aspects of the website or its services. If we have a look to this web page in different websites we often discover that not much thought goes into its  design. The result is that this section often lacks focus, the reader doesn’t know how to treat informations and at the level of the design we find a tiny text with superfluous sections and long titles.

http://cdn.sixrevisions.com/0133-04_icff.jpg

To improve the chances of companies to benefit from having a good FAQ on their website, « sixrevisions.com » has published the article « Designing Effective FAQ pages ». This is an interesting article providing the point of view that FAQ page should not be a priority if a website is well designed and structured. Otherwise, a well - managed FAQs shows that the organization is listening and adressing real people’s questions. This is a crucial starting point showing that public customer support is what the company really cares about. FAQ page should be easy to find. According to the article the first logical location is in the main navigation, but the company may put two links to FAQ page, one in the header and the other in the footer. Every strategy that helps to position and clarify the link to FAQ page is valid and brings the company closer to the visitor.

In this process, the company should make sure they are considering the needs of visitors throughout the FAQ page design. In this context, the readability is a key factor that should be graphically optimized in two ways: text decoration (always minding the contrast between text and background) as well as line and letter spacing ( good CSS typography ). From the point of view of content, readability is increased by keeping questions in a simple level and well structured in categories to make easier for the visitors to find the right information. The company can use a table of content or a tree schematic providing that the categories remain logical and without too many questions within them. In the case when the categories are long and include many subcategories, then the search functionality becomes essential. This requires the company to install a separate search engine script from the general search system of the website.

FAQ pages can be a very complicated work, but with proper thought put into the user interface they can help potential users, buyers and recommenders decide in your favor. When people read FAQs they often look for more than just an answer, they turn into judges of the products and the services offered by the company. In this moment it becomes vital for the company to be part of the early response system as soon as a problem or a question arises.

Moradi, M. (2011). Designing Effective FAQ pages. Six Revisions. Retrieved from: http://sixrevisions.com/user-interface/designing-effective-faq-pages/

Chapman, C. (2010 ). FAQ Pages: Best Practices and Examples. Noupe. Retrieved from: www.noupe.com/design/faq-pages-best-practices-examples.html