The Home Page Battle: How to Prioritize and Communicate the Big Picture
A community group launches a new website packed with resources, events, and programs. Yet locals still call to ask what the group actually does and if they’re eligible to participate. The issue? The home page greets visitors with a wall of generic welcomes, internal news, and a carousel of old event photos, but nothing clear, bold, and helpful.
After surveying a new member, the team realizes the site needs to answer five big questions—in plain sight, not hidden beneath menus or buried in a mission statement. They add a pithy tagline, a one-sentence overview, and clear, clickable sections for ‘Join a Program’ and ‘See Upcoming Events.’ The effect is immediate: bounce rates drop, sign-ups increase, and fewer but smarter support calls come in.
This real-world story mimics data-backed research: first impressions solidify in seconds, and clear ‘big picture’ communication is what distinguishes effective digital products from the ones users abandon. It takes effort to make hard trade-offs about what to feature, but the payoff is not just clarity—it’s conversions and trust.
Put yourself in the shoes of a new visitor and jot down the first five questions you’d want answered. Edit your home page so the answers jump out as soon as it loads, using a tagline and a simple welcome—no jargon or filler. Choose your most important links carefully, and be ready to defend that focus when other stakeholders want their pet feature on the main screen. Run a quick test with at least one outsider and see what they’d say this site is for. Only then are you treating your home page as gold.
What You'll Achieve
Transform confusion into instant engagement, inspire confidence, and increase actions like sign-ups or sales through bold prioritization.
Answer Top Five New User Questions Immediately
Pinpoint the top questions new visitors have.
Think like a first-timer: ‘What is this? What can I do here? Why should I care? Where do I start? Who’s behind this?’
Make answers unmissable on the home page.
Include a tagline, a concise welcome blurb, and a clear first action—don't hide these beneath slideshows or ads.
Balance must-have links with real estate pressure.
Avoid clutter by focusing on the most vital links and promos, and resist requests to add everything to the home page.
Test your home page with non-team members.
Ask outsiders what they think your product or site does—don’t settle until they can answer easily without confusion.
Reflection Questions
- What are the first impressions users form about your project?
- Which big questions might remain unanswered on your front page?
- Where has home page clutter diluted your message?
- Who can you recruit for a quick outsider check?
Personalization Tips
- On a portfolio, add a bold tagline under your name, clearly stating what you do.
- For a class site, lead with an ‘All Lessons’ button and a welcome that says, ‘Find lectures, resources, and support.’
- In your startup’s app, show a video or diagram quickly explaining your solution to new users.
Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (Voices That Matter)
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