Yet more ammunition for the usability argument
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 06/16 at 09:53 AM |
Another interesting article has surfaced on users' prime beefs with Websites. This one comes from InfoWorld and carries the apt title "What users hate most about Web sites".
The findings are nothing new. Animated Flash intros, intrusive banner ads, and complicated menu navigation schemes have continually been the bain of users for years. But the true value of circulating such seemingly rehashed information comes in both reinforcement of its principles and the variety of sources in which it emanates.
Reinforcement is crucial. If we see something once, we may say to ourselves "that's interesting" before promptly dumping it somewhere it that back of our minds. But the more we are exposed to it, the more likely we are to take it seriously. And the more we take it seriously, the more likely we are to alter how we create Websites. For every study touting the importance of good usability, there are 10,000 Websites that provide great examples of what not to do. That means alot of voices influencing green designers and less savvy clients to venture to the darkside. And with all their gawdy Flash animations, big bold text, and seizure-inducing banner ads, these voices are shouting at full volume.
Variety is equally important for related reasons as we tend to put more stock in information that comes from multiple sources. When we attempt to explain to a client the reasons for and against doing certain things to their site, the natural reacton sometimes is "sure, but why do I see this all over the Web? It can't be all bad, maybe you kids just don't know what you are talking about." However, if you can put articles and studies from five respective publications in the front of them, the more likely they are to listen. And the more likely they are to listen, the better their Website, and ultimately the Web in general, can become.
Accessibility in Our Future?
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 02/15 at 02:05 PM |
Is this the precedent many Web developer's have been waiting for? A recent lawsuit (referenced on Webstandards.org) has been filed against The Target Corporation's current Web site (Target.com). This lawsuit calls out the site's lack of accessibility for users with special needs -- in this case the visually impaired.
The World Wide Web consortium (W3C) currently outlines very specific, tiered guidelines for creating accessible Web sites. Unfortunately, the W3C is not a governing body -- they have no authority to enforce these guidelines -- only to offer them as suggestions for best practice. And also unfortunately, accessiblity is one of the most overlooked aspects of Web development. Is it time for the goverment to step in and regulate accessibility on the Web?
For Web development companies that already do their job -- keep up with current trends, W3C recommendations, and technological advancements -- this was a long time coming. For them, this is somewhat of opportunity -- both to rework current, non-compliant sites, and to offer a point of differentation from accessibility-unaware competitors. But for the others, the days of producing proprietary, poorly written code are over. What was laziness and unwillingness to stay current may ultimately be their downfall.
One interesting question is how such regulations would affect current sites? The Web seems, in the eyes of the general public, to occupy this nebulous region outside of the traditional products and services they are used to purchasing. A Web site is not really a product --it's not this tangible object that is produced and shipped of to retailers. It's not quite even software, where updates and changes are made in very distinct, incremental versions. Typically such currently-existing products would be exempt from such regulations retroactively taking effect.
On the flip side, a Web site is not really a service either -- customization exists, but updates and changes are generally not made on a per-user basis. In such cases, traditional services would be expected to comply with new regulations rather quickly.
Instead, the majority of the work is done upfront -- the site is designed and developed in a beginning phase. But upon launch, the site is continuously updated and maintained as the need arises. How would such a governing body determine whether a site developed in 2002 is responsible to accessibility regulations created today?
Give 'Em What They Want
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 02/09 at 10:41 AM |
I've been wanting to comment on a not-so-recent article from A List Apart (one of my favorite sources of insight) for quite some time now. It originally appeared in late November of last year: Power to the People. It's a very good read, reemphasizing the true focus of any Web site project: finding what people want, and giving it to them in as clear and straightforward a fashion as possible.
Personal experience is what makes this article so relevant. All clients seek our services with specific goals in mind -- the trick is to uncover exactly what these goals are when the client's contact is not consiously aware of their goals, or maybe not able to articulate them.
Unfortunately, in a few instances upon probing it comes to our attention that perhaps their goals may be misguided or wrongly prioritized, and it almost always is due to one reason: the client wants to communicate something their users don't necessarily want to hear, and communicate it in a way that these users may not understand.
When undertaking a new Web project, take time to understand your users and customers, and focus not only on what you want them to do, but what they want to do on your site. Provide the latter in a way that is as easy to find as possible -- even if it means small sacrifices in the former. Sometimes personal preferences to layout and design styles must take a backseat somewhat to these needs, but in the end a project driven by user needs will be more succesful than one driven by any other.
50 Milliseconds
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 02/09 at 10:30 AM |
Just 50 milliseconds (1/20 of a second): that's how long it takes for a user to decide whether they love or hate your Website -- and by association, your company.
This is according to a recent study released by WebSiteOptimization.com, in which study participants were given a series of Websites to view and draw conclusions regarding their companies and the products and services they offer. The study underscores the importance in first impressions, the value of good design, and the role of a Website as not just a holding place for content, but a vital marketing tool.
Quoting the WebSiteOptimization.com site: "This emotional judgment can color subsequent judgments made after further reflection. Even though your site may have superior products, services, or usability, an initial negative impression from a poor or slow design can steer customers towards your competition. You only get one chance to create a good first impression, make it count."
Microsoft and Google Collaborating?
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 12/15 at 03:45 PM |
Microsoft recently announced it has collaborated with Mozilla on standardizing an RSS icon in the new IE7 browsers. Although to the blogosphere this may hit home a bit, to the average person I would imagine the reaction to be something along the lines of "whoopty-do".
The true story here isn't necessarily the RSS icon, but a trend the Microsoft IE7 development team has been following as of late. In fact, dare I say, a whole new attitude. Microsoft seems to be embracing cross-browser and platform standards much more than in previous efforts, and I am very excited about the results and the implications. Hearing words such as "usability" and "standards" coming out of the Microsoft camp usually turn heads, but it has been happening with increased frequency.
In the end, standards can only be a good thing, and it definitely symoblozes huge strides advocates such as WASP have made in raising awareness among the Web and software communities.
Usability vs. Technology
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 12/15 at 03:21 PM |
A recent A List Apart article, Power to the People, further underscores the importance to tackling a Web site design from the perspective of the user.
Many times, we have requests from clients wanting to add certain "features to their Web site". Usually it involves this great, cool new thing they saw on some competitor's site, and want us to do something similar (or one-better them). While technology is fun, and may hold a user's attention (for about 10-20 seconds, in fact, according to most research), the true value in your Web site lies in how usable it is, and how useful it is to your users.
Fight the temptation to load your site up with the latest and greatest in Flash and multimedia. Avoid relying on third-party plugins as much as possible. Approach solutions to your Web site challenges from a user's perspective: ask yourself what's most important to them. Anything superfluous beyond providing an answer to this merely clouds your message and puts distance between you and your customer base.
Writing Web Content
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 11/29 at 01:08 PM |
A great new article on Digital Web Magazine brings to light a very important topic on copywriting for the Web. Author Jennie Robinson stresses the importance of clear, consise language, the pitfalls of buzzwords, and generally calls to designers and Web professionals to think of Web site copy as an extension of the site's design: which is exactly what it is. As design professionals, we try our hardest to develop unique, attractive layouts that aptly portray the products and services our clients offer, as well as the clients themselves. Why should the content be any different?
In many cases we supply the design, but the client supplies the copy. If your project falls under this category, please keep in mind the following criteria for developing effective copy:
- Write in a layman's common language -- avoid technical jargon or catchy buzzwords
- Use 50% fewer words than you would for print
- Avoid long pages and large blocks of text -- if unavoidable split the content into multiple pages
- Use customer-focused language
- Avoid redundancy
If unsure, ask your development company to provide some guidance in the copy you are developing.
Do Your Grandparents Blog?
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 11/28 at 04:29 PM |
The answer may surprise you.
MSN has an article on the growing trend of Internet blogging among seniors. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, about 3% of seniors have created a blog, and 17% have a read a blog, but the number is growing. The main motivating factor seems to be the desire for seniors to keep in touch and stay connected with the world, as well as creating an activity with which to pass the time and stimulate the brain.
To me, the very ability of blogging to span across so many demographics and interest groups signals without a doubt that blogging is indeed a trend and not a fad. This, combined with blogging's ability to fullfill a very basic human need and desire -- that of communication -- signals it is here to stay.
The Importance of Good Design
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 11/22 at 10:56 AM |
In a recent A List Apart article, author Nick Usborne cites a (rather interesting) example in how design decisions can adversely affect a Web site. In this example, he demonstrates how a hypothetical design change that he tested (and believed could help the site) actually resulted in a more than 50% decrease in revenue.
The article is certainly an example of how much impact a good design has on the success of a site, but it is also eye-opening to those considering certain revisions to a site's layout, and those of us designers who think we know everything. Moreover, the article demonstrates the importance of testing and analyzing the results of a page design in terms of conversion rates and sales.
A Case Study on Bad Coding Practices
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 11/22 at 10:06 AM |
Apparently I've been busy lately, because I completely missed this one.
To summarize, the above link was an open letter to Disney's new UK store, which was recently redesigned. To accompany this new design, Disney's developers coded the site with all sorts of ugly, outdated tactics that were the norm 5 or 6 years ago, but are completely unneccesary for today's Web. For the non-developer, these tactics included clunky, old methods for laying out content and graphics (inlcuding abusing elements designed for other purposes), mixing how a page looks with what it's content (as opposed to separating the two and centralizing the code for the appearance of the page for easy maintenance), and ignoring the principles of accesibility for those with special needs, or those that lack the latest browsers and plugins.
If your business is pondering a redesign of your site (whether it be in-house or with a Web company), don't overlook the importance of what goes on under the hood -- the code and markup that makes your site function. Sometimes, companies spend so much time on the front side -- how a page appears and navigates to the ideal user with the latest browser -- that they igonre this other aspect, and underestimate how much it can affect the success and effectiveness of their sites.
Although written specifically to Disney, Molly's open letter, and it's main key points (quoting directly):
Performance will become slower.
Your site will become significantly more difficult to manage.
Your site will become more expensive to maintain.
The site may experience a drop in search rankings across all engines.
The site is unusable for any blind person who might like to visit.
should resonate with any company truly committed to creating and maintaining an effective Web presence. When working with those creating your new site, ask them about their adherence to standards, usability and accessibility, and make sure your site doesn't follow the same ill-fated path that others are destined to tread. If you are unsure of their response, seek the guidance of a third party consultant. A few hours spent here could save your business thousands down the road.
I Love Metacritic.com
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 11/22 at 08:57 AM |
Nothing Earth shattering here. I just wanted to profess my love for the Metacritic.com Web site. Essentially a centralized collection of reviews on movies, tv shows, games, books, and music, Metacritic is consistently one of the most useful and entertaining Web sites to visit. It is also the subject of numerous awards and receives its share of recognition in the Web community. Yet, when compared to other Web-sites-as-household-names, it still manages to fly somewhat under the radar (although CNET's aquisition in August may change that).
Metactic collects and compiles reviews from all major (and some minor) publications into what it calls a "Metascore". Although sites that post reviews and feedback on products and services (especially music and movies) are nothing new, it is this "Metascore", combined with Metacritic's direct, no-nonsense interface that makes it stand apart.
The bottom line is such sites make us more informed consumers. In the case of typical products and services, such information can only lead to higher quality. For the entertainment industry, where quality is less of an emphasis than a monopolization of marketing exposure, such information empowers the little man -- in this case the independent artists, labels, studios, and filmakers. Let's face it, digging below 200 copies of the latest Ashlee Simpson CD at your local record store to uncover a real musical gem can be quite fun, and very rewarding.
An Effective Web Site, Part III: Know Your Audience
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 11/17 at 04:58 PM |
In Part II I discussed the importance of personality in Web Design. Knowing and conveying who you are as a company is key to building relationships with clients and customers.
But we must keep in mind the notion of balance -- that is, portraying the company's personality in ways that are compatible and appealing to our customers. We discussed key points from the company's perspective, but let's briefly take a look at the other side: that of the customer.
A company may have certain goals for a Web site: things they wish to accomplish, and what they want users to do before, during and after their visits. Likewise, users have certain goals -- things they want to achieve and accomplish upon their visit. And these two sets of goals are not always the same.
Perhaps not the best example, but one that continues to spring up in my mind is Amazon.com. Primarily, of course, an online shopping site, I nonetheless often use it as an informational tool. Music wise, If I want to track down a song, artist, movie or book, learn about similar artists, or read reviews and opinions, I will often fire up a browser to head to Amazon.com -- their site is simply that easy and intuitive to browse and search.
Meanwhile, even though I'm not a customer that visit, their willingness to provide helpful and meaningful information helps build a relationship with me, and makes me more likely to become a customer in a future visit.
When formulating your goals, and strategies to achieve your goals, don't overlook those of your users as well. Often we can become so wrapped up in what we want them to do, the features they find useful are lost in the fray, and we turn our users away. It all comes back to balance: The yin and yang of an effective Web site.
A Usability Lesson From ...... Microsoft?
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 11/17 at 04:29 PM |
Microsoft has just released the first Beta of Office 12, and PC Magazine has a review here. Aptly titled "Microsoft Office 12 Beta 1: Extreme Makeover", this version is likely the most radical overhaul of the application in a long time, and a great case study in usability and interface design.
To summarize, the Office Team has forgone the cluttered, endless maze of menus in favor of a simplified, topic-based interface. Much more intuitive than playing "guess what this feature is called, and which menu its under", the topic-based system organizes features by what users want to do -- and isn't that the ultimate goal of any user-centered design?
The most impressive aspect of the interface is Microsoft's willingness to abandon the the traditional and rethink its navigation from the ground up. Too often companies restrict themselves by what they've already done, and what they've seen others do. As a result, they filter our strategies and solutions through a sieve of convention, often at the expense of walking the path from problem to solution directly. Kudos to Microsoft, and I look forward to the final release.
What's Your Fantasy?
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 10/19 at 08:27 AM |
So I’m sitting at my computer, pondering my fantasy football team, perusing available free agents, and evaluating Sunday’s opponent, when it dawns on me: it’s 1:00 am, and this is exactly the thing I would have made fun of myself for two years ago. Not only am I actively engaging in it now, I’m not ashamed to admit so.
Not always was this the case. Activities like fantasy football were once reserved for the über sports geek, willing and able to spend hours calculating fantasy numbers and evaluating matchups. Today there’s no denying fantasy football is mainstream. Just take a look at the Sunday sports ticker below every game: stats are now organized by players with the highest potential fantasy value.
And fantasy sports have the Internet to thank for every bit of this. It has made the tedious and tiresome painless and easy: what took hours of number crunching is now only a few clicks away. It has united friends and sports fans from around the country: I share my league with friends from South Florida, New York, and Michigan. And it is linked with, and dependent on what the Web already does best: up-to-the-minute news and information (in this case, scores and statistics).
And what once survived as a niche activity on paper and pencil now thrives in cyberspace on 1s and 0s. What other pre-Internet entities are destined to come into their own with the help of technology? And with fantasy sports, online gaming, Myspace and the Blog Nation, to what extent will the Internet continue to connect us to each other by, ironically, sitting at our computers alone late on a Monday night? I guess I will just have to wait and see … when Seahawks WR Darrel Jackson will come off of the Injured List … so I can start him again …
Devising a Strategy
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 10/17 at 01:46 PM |
One of my favorite Web design resources, A List Apart, posted a fantastic article last week, titled “Never Get Involved in a Land War in Asia (or Build a Website for No Reason)”. In it, author Greg Storey emphasizes the importance of having a strategy and a purpose before commencing production of a Web site. Without exception, he argues, Web sites with a clear strategy are much more effective because it provides focus and direction, and contains the scope.
During the Internet boom of the mid to late 90’s when the Web was still seen as new and novel, I’m sure this was a huge problem. Companies would rush to hire design and development firms to wow the socks off visitors. But did the majority of these sites serve any real, tangible purpose? Did they meet any sort of marketing goals for the companies they supposedly represented?
Once this era ended, and the economy declined, I think more companies are wary of spending their money wisely, and therefore pay attention to these factors when deciding on hiring someone to produce a Web site. By and large, I think more companies have a tangible set of needs and goals when they commit funds to a Web project, and therefore strategies are clear, complete, and effective.
But it raises a few questions. Is this really less of a problem today? Is there an inverse correlation between the health of the economy (and company’s marketing budgets) and how well strategies are devised and followed? And what is the marketing company's responsiblity in advising a client that wants to spend money, but does not have a clearly defined purpose?
An Effective Web Site, Part II: Got Personality?
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 10/17 at 12:26 PM |
In Part I of “Creating an Effective Website”, we discussed the role of first impressions in converting visitors to customers. This first impression is usually conveyed with our home page. First impressions are important, but not everything. What turns someone we meet for the first time into a long-time friend? More than any other factor, it comes down to personality – mainly, are our personalities compatible?
The notion of “personality” can be applied to marketing and advertising as well. Every company has a personality, and identifying it is half the battle. Is your corporate culture formal or informal? Is it casual or professional? Is it young and lively, or mature and subdued? Are you well-rounded and versatile, or are you “savants” in the niche you serve?
When we want to make friends in our personal lives, we are usually instructed simply to be ourselves. But the world of advertising and marketing is a bit more complex: we want as many potential customers as possible, and a successful marketing campaign is hugely dependant on perception. In other words, what our potential customers perceive our personality to be, and whether that personality is compatible with the products or services they seek and we offer. For example, a financial institution may have a young and wild internal culture, but is that best to convey to people who may be looking for a safe, secure place to store their life savings?
The trick is balance. Take your company’s personality, and apply it in ways that you think will appeal to your target market. Demographics are very important. If you are happy with your Web site’s first impression, next ask yourself these questions:
- What is my company’s personality?
- Who is my target market, and what type of personality would they be looking for?
- How is my company’s personality compatible with my target market? In what ways can I communicate this in a way that would appeal to them?
- Is my Web site effectively communicating this personality?
- Does my Web site appear to have a unified “voice” or “tone” that is consistent with the personality I wish to convey?
If you are not satisfied with the answers to any of these questions, you may wish to consider making modifications to your Web site that will more accurately reflect the culture and personality you want to communicate.
Top Ten Web Design Mistakes
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 10/04 at 04:09 PM |
Jakob Nielsen recently posted the Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005. But unlike past years, Nielsen gathered his list from the readers of his regular newsletter.
Albeit Nielsen's readers are obviously not typical of the general populace (I know of few people outside of Web Design that subscribe to his newsletter), it is still interesting, and puts a fresh perspective on the most common mistakes we tend to make as designers, from a bit broader sample set (I find his ideas on usability invaluable, but I sometimes feel they are too narrow minded, and omit the principles of design and marketing).
Some of the more interesting mistakes mentioned are as follows:
1. Content Not Written for the Web (#4) -- This is something we encounter quite often in Web Design. Since more content doesn't necessarily mean higher costs (it's not like we have to print more pages, as in a book), clients tend to cram as much content as they can into their pages, and pepper this content with technical jargon.
2. Cumbersome Forms (#7) -- Another tendency is to ask too much of our visitors when presenting them with a form. Naturally, we want to know as much as possible about our potential customers, but stick to the necessary information, otherwise you may turn users away.
3. Flash (#3) -- Nielsen is quite open about his aversion to Flash. But I think many more recent sites have aptly demostrated Flash's potential for providing useful interactive enhancement to Web sites. We need to ask ourselves, however, are we truly enhancing the user experience, or simply adding unneccesary bells and whistles, distracting (and perhaps confusing) the visitor.
An Effective Web Site, Part I: It's All About First Impressions
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Posted By Brian Ledebur on 09/27 at 10:14 AM |
We all know there are tons and tons of Web sites in existence. But how many? Google currently indexes somewhere in the range of 8 billion pages. And that’s considered the tip of the iceberg. In fact, many experts estimate there are over 500 billion pages out there for us to view and browse!
Of course, these Web sites serve vastly different purposes, ranging from personal and special interest sites, to full-blown commercial Web sites and portals. But from a commercial perspective, how do we get our site noticed? How do we make it stand out? How do we attract potential customers?
Of course, there are plenty of ways to get visitors to our sites. At WebSolvers, we specialize in taking advantage of search engines (like Google) to maximize our client’s potential to be seen. But a visitor is not necessarily a customer – we need an extra step, called a “conversion” to transform visitors into customers.
OK, so how do we make this conversion happen? We need to build a relationship with our visitors, enticing them to return and do business with us. This relationship evolves by establishing trust, and sense of professionalism, a sense of caring and service, and by differentiating our products and services from the remainder of the pack. There are many, many things we need to consider for our efforts to be successful. But for now, let’s focus on one of the most important: first impressions.
When a visitor arrives, that first impression can make all the difference. Does this company offer the products and services I am looking for? Does this company look like one that I can trust with my business? Does this company seem to speak to me and address my needs? In almost all cases, these questions are answered on the first page: our company’s home page. Of course to work, our home page needs to effectively use a combination of design, imagery, and content. But from a strictly visual perspective, please consider the following when determining if your site has an effective home page:
• Is your home page visually appealing? Does it entice and attract your visitors? Does it portray your company in a positive light by adequately reflecting your company’s “personality”?
• Does your home page effectively use color to evoke feelings and emotions? There are plenty of resources regarding color theory, but here is a concise, easy to read one: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art1686.asp
• Does your home page establish a sense of professionalism and trust? From its outward appearance, does the home page appear organized? Is it uncluttered and easy to follow? Does it present your products and services to visitors without relying too much on aggressive marketing tactics?
• Does your home page address your site’s key goals? Does it mention the most important elements you wish to communicate regarding your company, your products, and/or your services?
• Does your home page differentiate your company from its competitors? Does it appear unique and "your own"?
If you answered no to a significant number of the above questions, you may want to consider a redesign, or perhaps even a restructuring, of your home page.