
Written by
John DirksJust in time for spring, we’re posting our annual round-up of usability highlights. Blink usability specialists evaluated a host of technologies and applications in ‘08, from online games to web-based classroom tools to healthcare portals.
Written by
John DirksJust in time for spring, we’re posting our annual round-up of usability highlights. Blink usability specialists evaluated a host of technologies and applications in ‘08, from online games to web-based classroom tools to healthcare portals.
We worked with software startups and giants alike, new media agencies, insurance providers, a coffee company, a materials association, an industrial manufacturer, a high-end outdoor clothing company, non-profit and government organizations, a major television station owner, and a greeting card company, just to mention a few clients seeking to create better user experiences.
While it is difficult to neatly summarize a year of usability activities and generalize across so many domains, media types, and information spaces, here are some themes and issues that stand out.
A great interface can’t save a product whose conceptual model or value proposition does not resonate with users. Concepts can often be validated with users during early requirements phases via scenarios, storyboards, and rough renderings, but sometimes partially functional prototypes are needed to fully understand user reactions to a new concept.
At times, 2008 looked like the “Year of the Card Sort” in our usability labs. We used physical and online card decks to expose users’ thinking and help designers refine navigation categories and information architectures, determine content placement, and assess user satisfaction. Here are a few examples:
Last year we wrote tongue-in-cheek that Information Architects still have some unfinished work before the web is pronounced easy to navigate. This year we’re calling on web content writers and editors to step it up as well. Dense text is difficult to read, and we have frequently observed that users do not have the time and patience for it. Lessons learned: cut back on text until it hurts, make copy easy to scan, and use lots of visuals and white space. Test important text with users for comprehensibility.
A Blink eye-tracking study pinpointed a “hot spot” on this page where study participants struggled to interpret a difficult block of text. Understanding the information here was critical to the task at hand; most re-read this section numerous times while also expressing their confusion verbally
Blink consultants and partners conducted usability testing and user research in several other languages and countries last year. Through the aid of remote testing tools, we also conducted web conferencing feedback sessions and phone interviews across the US and in other countries.
YouTube and other user-generated media sites are having a positive impact on users’ attitudes and receptiveness to video. In the past, study participants frequently ignored video clips when testing non-media focused sites, telling us they expected “marketing fluff” or messages that presented a biased or overly simplistic view. Another common turnoff was that video was slow to run on some systems. This perception is changing.
YouTube has taught us is that video does not need to have high production quality with a professional talking head to be effective. Training videos can even be perceived as more authentic if they feature a company’s own personnel performing example tasks or walking through key scenarios.
In an effort to squeeze more content on web pages, designers sometimes turn to novel navigation features such as carousels that advance or rotate objects in a fixed space. These are great for displaying related products or showing facets of the same product, such as pants presented in different colors or with different tailoring options (cuffed or not, straight vs. relaxed cut, etc.). Some carousels are relatively simple slide-show-like implementations, while others present selectable objects in a 3-D, circular view.
When using novel interaction such as a carousel, web site designers and content writers need to remember usability basics such as reinforcing a sense of place and keeping users in control. For example, common usability problems we have seen with carousels include:
This type of carousel makes users work harder to remember which items they have previously viewed, especially if items are not visually distinctive or otherwise memorable.
Consumers have a strong desire to compare and contrast, whether they are shopping for a new camera or dental coverage. This manifests itself into questions such as:
Web sites we tested that provide tools and visuals for comparison shopping were well received, even when the company’s products involved an application process or were not immediately available for purchase online. Based on user feedback, we recommended improvements to several sites providing health care coverage, home and auto insurance, and retirement planning services:
Many companies and organizations want to connect their users and engage with them online, whether it’s to answer support questions or create buzz around a new product. Adding social networking and community features such as user reviews and discussion/support forums to a site can be powerful, but at what point is it worth investing in your own features versus leveraging the infrastructure of existing social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr, and Twitter?
Last year we validated whether users were interested in community or social networking features in several web site experiences. We found out that users can be interested if the audience of a site is focused on a special interest not well-represented on mainstream social media sites, but that users are often leery about engaging in yet another online community when the tools they are currently using already connect them with people of like interests or opinions.
Bottom line: When budgets and resources allow, consider adding community features, but make sure to balance this need carefully against other site features and usability improvements.