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The Web & Professional

Communication

English 3104

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Why Teach Web Design? Helps you learn critical thinking

Issues of accuracy, authority Issues of audience analysis

Teaches about ethos and delivery In-line with principles of good practice

Encourages active learning & feedback Emphasizes time on task

Gives essential knowledge about the web as a delivery method for information & sales

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Skills/Tasks Evaluation of web sites Principles of web design Focus on audience and purpose

Principles about user-centered design Strategies for user-testing (surveys, interviews,

protocol analysis)

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Evaluate Web Sites Accuracy—is info reliable/error-free? Authority—is there an author? An expert? Purpose and Content Objectivity Currency Design and Ease of Use

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Types of Sites Advocacy Business/Marketing News Informational Personal Entertainment

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Web Design Functionality / usability vs. aesthetics / fun

Nielsen vs. the Artists (Flanders) E-commerce sites lose almost half of their potential

sales because users cannot use the site. In other words, with better usability, the average site could increase its current sales by 79% (calculated as the 44% of potential sales relative to the 56% of cases in which users currently succeed). Nielsen

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No Title and An interesting Pair of Sunglasses?

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Mystery Meat Look at the sign from

another perspective

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User-Centered Design:Focus on Navigation

Navigation is goal-centered and action-oriented: searching, choosing, shopping, chatting, downloading

We perceive the WWW as a space: rather than designing sidebars/menus, you’re designing spaces and interactions

“It’s about wayfinding” Clement Mok

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Different Goals

Site Make money Find out about

customers Offload overstock of

5000 copies of Led Zeppelin’s last record

User Wants to purchase

securely Wants to retain privacy Wants to buy latest

album by Aaron Neville

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Usability Testing

Usability testing refers to the process of assessing your targeted audience’s reaction to your product (i.e., putting yourself in user's shoes)

To structure information so people can find it and use it, we have to think like the user.

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Don’t Forget Your Audience’s Goals!

How is your audience using your product?

In what context is your audience using your product?

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Benefits Better communication with users,

supervisor(s) and partner(s) Improved design through feedback and

iteration Reduced risk Early proof of concept Quality assurance: saves time & money

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Define Your Goals What are you testing?

(ideas / prototype / complete product) Why are you testing?

To make your product easier to use?

To meet your audience’s needs?

To prevent the “disease of familiarity?”

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Qualities of Navigation

Be easily learned Remain consistent Provide feedback Appear in context Offer alternatives Require economy of action and time Provide clear visual messages Support user’s goals and behaviors Match site design

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User-Centered Design Know your users Make things obvious Aim for a simple, clean design Be consistent Use existing standards Provide feedback to users Facilitate user control and freedom Design to prevent errors and aid error

recovery

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Key to Success(In Any Medium)

1. Communicate with your partner

2. Gather user data

3. Test before you build

4. Follow usability guidelines

5. Follow accessibility guidelines

6. Test after you build

7. Maintain a performance focus