PRIORITIZING WEB USABILITY

Introduction

How the Book Study Was Conducted Tested 69 users ages 20-60

Broad range of job backgrounds and web experience

Used a Windows machine with Internet Explorer

“Thinking Aloud” Method Site-Specific Testing Study

Scavenger Hunt Web-wide tasks

Purpose: To asses how well sites support the most typical goals users have when visiting them

The Web-User Experience How well do people use the web?

Majority have a 66% success rate How people use sites

Search engine dominance 88% go to search engines first when looking for

solutions Spend 30 seconds on home page Spend 45-60 seconds deep link pages Scrolling

Users are “Information Foragers” Your Website is their snack

“You have less than two minutes to communicate the first time a prospective

customer visits your Web site. This is the basic fact about the Web experience:

As far as users are concerned, every page must justify its claim on their time.

If a page doesn’t do that immediately and clearly, they go elsewhere. Most

don’t even bother scrolling to see what’s further down the page.”

Revisiting Early Web Usability Findings

8Problems

That Haven’t Changed

Dense content and

un- scannable

text

Links don’t

change color

Breaking the back button

Opening new

browser windows

Vaporous content

and empty hype

Violating Web-wide

conventions

Design elements that look like ads

Pop-up windows

http://www.useit.com

The Art of “Searching”

Internal Search Engines are good!

Search Interface Needs to be easy

to find on Web site

Search Engine Results Page

Search Engine Optimization

Navigation and Information Architecture

Match structure of site to user expectations

Be consistent Reduce clutter and

avoid redundancy

Be specific with links and label names

Dropdown menus Direct links on

homepage Clickability Cues

“You’ve come to our website like most for information, but unlike other websites we’ve filled it with surprises. So have fun, go find the surprises!”

Typography: Readability and Legibility Use the 10-point

rule Choosing fonts

Veranda is most readable

Moving Text Users associate this

with ads, don’t do it!

Be smart when mixing fonts and colors

Text images Only for snippets of

text Customize for your

target users

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Writing for the Web

What turns users away? Confusing content

Understand how web users read Have strong visual

cues

Write for your reader Use simple language Don’t go overboard on

promotional lingo Format text for

readability Highlight key words

Providing Good Product Information Display price and

extra fees clearly Support

comparison shopping Tables Customization

Win customer confidence Describe product Provide pictures Layer product

pages Display bona fides

Presenting Page Elements

“Three-Click” Rule Common layout

mistakes Interactions too complex Too many elements

Should you design for scrolling?

Guide users step by step

Keep similar items in the same area

Use white space correctly

http://www.nba.com

Balancing Technology With People’s Needs Use multimedia when

it benefits your audience

Accommodate low-tech users

Underestimate users technical knowledge

Detect users bandwidth

Stick to familiar interface conventions

Practice simplicity

“Keep your users at the center of your design project. Be humble. Listen to them. They’ll

make you successful.”