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On the first page of our site, we wanted to emphasize that the user has two options: to sign up for an account, or to sign in with an existing username and password. Because of this, we used buttons large enough to pass the squint test, and made them stand out by coloring them green. This first page of the site also has a blurb about Housebill's functionality, which we intended to attract new users, or to remind existing ones of our purpose.
We wanted to make signing up for an account a simple, no-frills task. This meant that the user would have to supply only a minimal amount of information. For instance, joining a household is optional on the signup page, so a user does not have to worry about this feature and can opt to do it at a later time. The goal here is to have the user exploring the site as soon as possible, which minimizes the likelihood that a user gets frustrated with the signup and decides to devote their time elsewhere.
Once the user is logged into the site, they are offered several different pieces of information, each of which take up their own corner of the screen real estate. In the top left, there is the total amount that the user owes, and the number of overdue bills appears in a large, red font. This will quickly attract the user's attention to any overdue bills, which we expect them to correct promptly. On the right side of the screen, the user sees their bills for the current month. This calendar serves as an overview. There is a larger version of this calendar available on a different tab, if a user wants to explore further than the bills for the current month. Next, there are two very prominent buttons towards the bottom of the screen, allowing the user to add a bill or to pay a bill. We expect these to be very common tasks on our site, and as such made these actions stand out on the page. The buttons are large, which comes from the application of Fitt's Law.
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