Usability

Budget-Friendly Usability Testing Ideas for Small and Medium Businesses

Written August 12th, 2011 by

There are a variety of ways to perform usability testing on web sites and online applications. In fact, our access to tools and testing software seems to grow month by month. However, nothing beats human testing.

Of course, when you don’t have access or the budget to sit your customers down in front of a computer to watch them use your web site, there are decent substitutes or alternative ways to get good data. Someone asked me, “Can’t we get user data from Google Analytics?” Sure, you can. But the numbers don’t have little voices that explain why the left a page or where they got confused. We can get clues from logs and data tracking but its cold, emotionless and voiceless.

Grin and Bear It

My first choice will always be a user lab. But the reality is that small and medium businesses can’t afford this type of testing. Or they think they can’t. In truth, all you ever need to do is sit people down in front of a monitor, give them a task and be silent as they attempt to finish it. Offer someone a coupon, free dinner, gift card or some other incentive to bring them in for a few hours.

Remember these points:

  • Find someone unfamiliar with your business and/or web site. After a few passes (and accidental suggestions from you or others nearby), they’re no objective or brand new.
  • Assign one task at a time and make it one step and simple. “Find”, “Buy”, “Look for”, “Register”, “Show me where” and “Sign up” are common tasks.
  • Be quiet. Expensive labs have video cameras and software inside the computer that follow eye movements and mouse clicks. In light of investing in all of that, just sit nearby and watch. Take into consideration that people get nervous. They’re not used to your keyboard. They may not have slept well or were late getting there. In truth, these are all the tiny extras human factors love to incorporate into their testing (our emotional state and environment.) Do what you can to put your person at ease. You only want to watch. It’s not a contest. You’re not judging them. Give them chocolate or tea.
  • Listen. You not only want to watch someone use your web site, but you want to encourage them to tell you what they’re thinking as they go along. Encourage them to explain, AFTER the task, why they felt frustrated (if they don’t other swear at the screen). Why did the pick a certain product? Did they get lost? Could they read the pages? Were they distracted?

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Ten Ways to Improve Web Site Navigation

Written July 29th, 2011 by

Web site navigation design focuses on moving your site visitors about your site and helping them find what they came for or where to start a task. One of my favorite parts of using a navigation application in my cell phone is following the pulsing blue arrow because it relays back to me my “sense of place”. This same idea is what we try to design our web site navigation to do.

Three typical web site navigation goals are:

  • To get visitors from one place to another; be task oriented. (For example, if the link doesn’t go somewhere useful, avoid making it a high priority, top-level navigation link.)
  • Navigation should show the relationship between elements. This is achieved through sub-navigation groupings and link labels. (For example, underneath the About Us section is often links to company history, clients, contact, mission statement, press releases, etc.)
  • Communicate directions. In other words, it should be easy to figure where a user is, was, and can go to next. Read the rest of this entry »

20 Ways to Improve Newsletter Subscriptions

Written July 15th, 2011 by

Despite social networking and blogs, newsletters remain popular with your web site customers and fans who want to keep up with you. Some of the best offer a mixture of business and personal information. That extra human connection endears readers to you so they’ll look forward to your next issues each month.

The following are suggestions for how you can increase subscription rates and persuade newcomers that you have a newsletter worth receiving.

    1. Are there too many opportunities for signup?
      Some web sites appear desperate. There may be a text link in the global navigation and footer, plus a box placed on every single web page. Some web sites have two boxes – one above the page fold and a duplicate below the fold. One “call to action” per page is fine.
    2. Did you extend a polite invitation during conversational content somewhere?
      There are many ways to invite signups, such as when introducing yourself or company, in a form return page when you direct visitors back to the homepage or somewhere of interest, or as an item in the About Us content. Link to a page containing information about the newsletter, and make sure this informational page contains a convenient signup form.
    3. Does your invitation contain scan words such as “Free”, “Sales”, Special”? (Ex. “Subscribe to our free newsletter.”) If not, consider adding one of them.
    4. Did you study your target market to learn if there is a need for your type of newsletter? Who are your intended readers?
    5. Be careful. Some forms are confusing, such as when they ask for a mailing address for an EMAIL only newsletter. Why do you want to know where they live? (If you have a good reason, it’s best to clearly state what that is.)
    6. Is the newsletter intended for an International audience? Have you made this clear in your invitation? If there is a reason to ask for personal information, make sure the form is designed for International users to fill out. For example, do not “require” a State field for countries that do not have States.
    7. Link to a privacy policy at or near the top of the sign up form. This explains exactly what will happen to the subscriber’s email address and any other information they’re asked to give. If they don’t trust your motives, they may refuse to sign up.
    8. A simple newsletter sign up box should request a name and and email addressthat will accept the newsletter. Instructions near or inside the box, or in the newsletter information page, explaining they’ll receive a confirmation email verifying their information, will increase user confidence.
    9. Always link to a sample issue. Otherwise, they have no idea what they’re signing up for. Always refer to the title of the publication. I’ve seen signup requests for publications with no name!
    10. Provide free archives. A history of a newsletter indicates if it’s new, or an established publication. The latter hints at authority on the subject matter. If new, note somewhere that archives will be provided. In this way, you offer a second chance to sign up later, once the prospect has an opportunity to see the product.
    11. Don’t tease. Some newsletters ask for content suggestions and ideas, but they don’t have an issue available, or archives online, making it difficult to understand what they cover or what was previously written about.
    12. How often does it arrive? Make sure this is indicated on the informational page. An informational page is a great way to sell your newsletter. It contains many of the items on this checklist and answers their questions. This will encourage more subscriptions because they have a much better idea of what you intend on sending to them.
    13. Is it HTML or text based? Do you offer a choice? Keep in mind that everyone has different needs. It helps to offer a choice. If your newsletter software allows a text version and an HTML version of your document, you can offer subscribers a choice of receiving it depending on how their email client preferences are set. For example, many prefer to read in a “text only” format. By presenting choices, you can make your newsletter offering more attractive.
    14. What are the benefits of subscribing? Does it teach? Offer discounts? Accept advertising?
    15. How good is it? Provide testimonials and reader feedback, with their permission. This is especially helpful in competitive industries. Another advantage is when you ask for feedback; you can follow up on their suggestions. In many cases, improvements are made based on reader feedback.
    16. If your publication is monthly, here’s an idea from magazine publishers. In your information page, list the topics to come in the next year beforehand. This is great for fee-based publications too. Keep the reader interested by what you plan to cover.
    17. Offer referral incentives. This may make more sense for fee-based publications, but be creative. If you’re a consultant, and want to drive up readership, is there something you can offer such as free 15 minutes of your time, or a free gift, or discount on future services?
    18. Announce upcoming issues on your homepage, and the publication itself. Some newsletters come the same day, every week. If for some reason they will NOT be delivered, make sure to warn subscribers in the previous issue. Otherwise, you may be bombarded with “Where’s my newsletter!” emails.
    19. Avoid relying on a simple box signup alone. Place a “View information” text link inside it that invites your visitor to learn more, gain trust, and get excited about your publication. Place a “Tell a friend” box on the information page too, for fast and easy referrals to your newsletter.
    20. Always create confidence and trust by offering an opt-in/opt-out system. A no hassle way to subscribe or unsubscribe is always appreciated.

      21.  

      Your newsletter sign ups can grow even more if you enable readers of the newsletter to share it with friends. Some text like this on the newsletter might lead them to share it with others:

      “If you enjoyed this edition of the [name of newsletter], and you know of someone else who might like it, consider forwarding a copy of it to them.”

      Towards the end of your newsletter, include a link to your newsletter informational page where people can subscribe if they’ve received a forwarded copy from a friend and decided that it’s something they would like to receive too. For example, you can write,

      “If you received this newsletter by way of a referral and wish to receive further issues, you can sign up for free using the link provided.”

      Even if you’ve been publishing a newsletter for years, updates to your procedures or offers provide interesting trackable data that will prove how successful your new enhancements are. The best newsletters have years of loyal readers because they’ve learned to incorporate the points listed above, but more importantly, they truly understand what their readers want.

10 User Experience Mistakes Even the Big Brands Make

Written June 24th, 2011 by

I don’t consider myself a picky person.  By nature, I go with the flow, amused by most things.  What does ruffle my feathers are web site oversights that create a less than satisfactory visitor experience.

Web design article

User Experience Design Can Always Be Improved

Even the most well funded, famous web sites have boo boo’s.  Even worse, some gigantic corporations in the ecomerce realm show a blind eye towards essentials such as accessibility and user testing.  Ego’s don’t sell products and services.  Alt attributes are a mere nod towards accessibility and most big shot firms neglect even that.  So, if the big guns are getting away with poor web site designs, why do the rest of us need to care?

Well, for starters, you’re smarter than they are.  You’re (hopefully) not weighed down with stakeholders and shareholders who think they know it all and don’t.  Many regular sized businesses do hire out for help and are open to what needs to be done.  I’m willing to bet that if I give you a checklist of little details to improve the usability of your web site, you would want to jump on the list and not wait for 50 people in managment to approve the fixes first.  One of the reasons why I love smaller businesses is that they not only believe in providing perfect customer satisfaction, but they’re willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it.

Here are some recent findings from giant brand sites that caught my eye.  Each one is an opportunity to confuse site visitors and contribute to page abandonment.

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LiBeck Integrated Marketing Free Webcast

Written June 15th, 2011 by

You are invited to a free Webcast today at 1pm EST.

How User Centered Web Design Techniques Enhance Online Marketing

How User Centered Web Design Techniques Enhance Online Marketing is completely free. I’ll do a 40 minute training with slides that contain how-to, checklists and book recommendations, followed by Q&A.

Wed, Jun 15, 1 -2 pm EST

This is a virtual event. You can listen in from the comfort of your own home. If you can’t make it, slides will be made available later on Slideshare.

Signup: (FREE!)

Sign-In via Linked-In Events

or Sign up at the Webcast site.

Speakers:

Kim Krause Berg, Search Marketing and UX Manager, Da Li Social Integrated Marketing

Three Solutions for Understandable Calls to Action

Written May 27th, 2011 by

One of the most fascinating mistakes a web site page design displays is not communicating exactly what it is we’re supposed to do after it loads. Every industry, from fashion to organizations, seems to think we can read their minds.

Communication is the king of usability. A web page can have content out the gazoo and still not offer a tiny clue about where a task starts or what they REALLY want us to click on first. Content is no longer simple text on a screen. Today we have many technologies to play with and design techniques to try and engage with our site visitors. Our web pages offer images, text links, video, online forms, buttons and plug-in applications intended to motivate our customers into performing tasks.

Why are so many pages abandoned? What does it mean when we say “call to action”? How come Google Analytics shows strong inbound traffic followed by enormous bounce rates? One of the answers (there are several) is that upon arrival your customer wants to “do something” and can’t for the life of them figure out where to start. How do we fix this?

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Offer Your Web Site Visitors the Object of Their Desire

Written May 15th, 2011 by

I just ordered a book to download into my Nook Book e-reader. It was a book I had read about in someone’s blog and had made a note to myself to see if it was available in electronic format. When I had time later, I used the search function in the Nook Book’s section at the Barnes and Noble website. They had it, I clicked to buy it and in less than 30 seconds I was finished.

Barnes and Nobel had the object of my desire. Not only that, they designed everything from search to purchase to be an easy task.

Offer your site visitors the object of their desire.

Had I visited the site with only a small idea in my mind of what I wanted, my experience would have been different. I would have needed to depend on their search function, navigation from the homepage to the Nook Book’s section, browse by genre or search by keywords to get to what I wanted. It’s a much longer process and unless it’s designed well, offers the most opportunities for me to give up or run out of time for browsing.

 

Despite some grumblings in the usability industry that a search function means a site isn’t designed properly, the truth is that demand for search functions is exploding. The key reason is that any type of search helps us find the object of our desire faster and more effectively than fumbling through faulty navigation or web pages that don’t render well in all browsers.

Searching for What We Need

There are two main findability tasks that the majority of Internet users are most interested in performing. One is finding something they need and the other is finding something they want. They’re closely related but there are differences in motivation. A web designer’s job (ok, one of the many!) is to understand these two user needs and accommodate both of them.

Finding something we need covers a wide area. We need to eat, so we search for food coupons and restaurants. We may need some type of service, such as insurance quotes or hotel reservations. We may need phone numbers or need to do research. More people around the world run searches on their mobile devices because these offer the most instant access and results. Technology has made it possible to ask your phone, using voice commands, to find directions, get a phone number or search for local pizza places. With the use of mobile applications, we can search for gas price comparisons and get our news.

Clearly we’re dependent on search to help us get through our day and multi-task. Where we grow frustrated, however, is upon arrival to an online destination such as a restaurant or a product web site that are nearly impossible to use once we arrive. The problem isn’t the failure of search. It’s the failure of the web design to follow up with accurate information and simple navigation.

Searching for What We Desire

An object of our desire is something we badly want; with or without knowing we want it. Every ecommerce web site out there wants to nail this one. The crux of persuasive web design is about promotion, presentation and motivation. If you’ve ever visited an ecommerce or services web site and not been able to understand in 5 seconds what they have to offer you and why you may want it, this is a failed persuasive web design. If you must scroll, browse and click to “cherry pick” your way around to find that thing that will totally make your day, chances are the information architecture isn’t based on user feedback and studies.

However, there’s wiggle room. For example, one aspect of leading someone to that object of their desire is to create the desire. This is not the same as creating a need. I’m referring to a web design that inspires browsing to tease the visitor into dreaming about owning your products. Search functions can be combined with options for faster access to specific areas that your visitor hadn’t considered before or may not have realized you offer.

Sometimes a mere picture of a product gets the heart pounding and fingers itching to go find the credit card. In my next post, I’ll give you tips and show examples on how to lead your visitors to the object of desire that may exist on your web site.

Dear Well Rounded Web Designers: Come out, Come out, Wherever You Are

Written April 14th, 2011 by

It’s nice to see more and more companies investing in their web sites. Despite the poor economic news around the world, web site design and marketing help is still in high demand. What’s lacking are people who know how to do it.

Money in Jar

Experienced Web Site Design, Marketing and Maintenance People Needed

Before your feathers get too ruffled up, yes. You do know what to do. Most of you know how to do at least PART of the job. Many of you work for companies with staffs that put teams on a project. And you still have to sub-contract out for additional help with things like user experience design, or integrated marketing assistance, or meeting accessibility and mobile design requirements. Your company either had no idea these areas would be needed to build an online presence, or they were too cheap and ignored requests to hire skilled employees.

For someone to be, what I call a “holistic, well rounded web developer”, the list of skills would look nothing like what I see in job sites. They never say, “Must be qualified in or show working knowledge of  the following”:

  • 1. Program in any language our client(s) want to use or that we use in our company
  • 2. HTML5 and younger;  CSS3, younger and future versions
  • 3. Organic SEO
  • 4. Search engine marketing practices such as PPC, AdWords, etc.
  • 5. May need to know some “black hat” techniques (hey, just being honest)
  • 6. Usability standards/heuristics
  • 7. User centered design/engineering
  • 8. Persuasive/conversion design
  • 9. Accessibility (Section 508 and PAS78 standards) or basics
  • 10. Use Photoshop, Macromedia, and related tools and software
  • 11. Information architecture/taxonomies for SEO
  • 12. Information architecture/taxonomies for UX
  • 13. Create wireframes/mockups
  • 14. Gather and write Business and Functional Site Requirements
  • 15. User testing
  • 16. Software QA testing for functionality and usability
  • 17.  Performance Engineering
  • 18. Have exceptional writing skills
  • 19. Have exceptional business, management and communication skills
  • 20. Social media marketing/networking
  • 21. Content building and beneficial and non-spammy linking
  • 22 Understand hosting, domains, DB setup, DNS
  • 23. Mobile device design
  • 24. Data analytics and tracking

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Placement Matters: How Eye Tracking Helps Improve Display Advertising #SESNY 2011

Written March 29th, 2011 by

Besides learning more about your own area of expertise, part of going to conferences like Search Engine Strategies (SES)  is learning new technologies. For those of you who have not had the pleasure to meet Da Li Social’s own Kim Krause Berg and what she does with regards to Usability (UX), you are missing out. At SES New York, Kim was asked at the last minute to cover for Shari Thurow on the subject of Eye Tracking.

UX, for those of you who do not know, is the industry abbreviation for usability and while I didn’t know it at the time, it may be one of the more essential skills needed in industry.

What is Usability

“The effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction with which users can achieve tasks in a particular environment of a product. High usability means a system is: easy to learn and remember; efficient, visually pleasing and fun to use; and quick to recover from errors.” — Dictionary.com

Now, on to Eye tracking which is defined as,

“…is the process of measuring either the point of gaze (“where we are looking”) or the motion of an eye relative to the head. An eye tracker is a device for measuring eye positions and eye movements. Eye trackers are used in research on the visual system, in psychology, in cognitive linguistics and in product design.” — Wikipedia.com

The speaking team

One of the few all women panels at SESNY 2011

Moderated by Kate Kaye, Senior Editor, Clickz News, the Placement Matters: How Eye Tracking Helps Improve Display Advertising session featured speakers, Kim Krause Berg, SEO/UX/IA, Cre8pc.com, SEO/UX Manager, Da Li Social Integrated Marketing and Leslie Chacon, Founder, User First. The session began as all do with the audience booting up their respective devices and logging on to the Wi-Fi, which on this day was barely crawling.

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Web Site Design Strategy Ideas

Written March 14th, 2011 by

It takes a team of people to build a web site in today’s Internet environment.  The most costly mistakes are not understanding what web site ownership is really about.  Where do you go to find out?

Below is a listing of discussion points which are helpful when deciding on a budget, strategy, skills, team members, web site needs and especially, your goals and priorities. It’s a place to start.

Business Requirements

  • Decide the lead goal(s) for the web site (i.e. provide information, online sales, sales leads, product sales, travel reservations, general information, etc.)
  • Who is the target market/user/customer?

Functional Requirements

  • Discuss the types of applications required, such as shopping cart, reservations, contact forms, sales lead forms, etc.
  • Research vendors for third-party applications.
  • Discuss platform, server, programming, database needs

Web Site Design

  • Requirements include type of programming (html, xhtml, php, etc.)
  • Will Flash be used and if so, what are the pros and cons?
  • Is accessibility a requirement?
  • Is usability and user experience design a requirement?
  • Is search engine marketing a requirement?
  • Is mobile design a requirement?
  • Is social media marketing a requirement?
  • Information architecture – taxonomies, keywords, language, navigation and sub-requirements such as search engine optimization and usability
  • User interaction requirements such as product feedback, ratings, blog comments, etc.
  • Discuss video and images usage, format, inclusion.
  • Content writing

*Note that functional requirements should support business goals.
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