Newsletter #73 Usability Rules Online

Created on 21/11/02

A special hello to all new subscribers.

The last newsletter (17th October, 2002) was "Do Blogs Make Cents?" and can be found at http://www.netinsites.com/article3.cfm?ArticleID=99

This newsletter only goes to those who wish to receive it. Click on the link at the end of this article if you wish to remove yourself from the list.

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The Internet is different to all other media in that poor design can slow the user. These design no-nos can include:

• Large or high quality graphics
• Animations
• Hard-to-understand navigation systems

This situation can be contrasted with the print media, for example, where the use of high quality graphics or materials does not normally slow a reader’s page turning. Television is the same, high quality or particularly artistic advertisements don't take up more of a viewer's time.

For this reason the usability of a Website is of utmost importance and should drive the structure and design of the development.

Another major difference is that the Internet experience is almost unique for each person. The mix of different computer operating systems, software, hardware, connection speeds and screen sizes means that designers have some difficult decisions to make. In theory they should be designing for the worst case so that all users have a good experience on a Website. However in practical terms this design 'utopia' would be a text-only or very bland experience and so designers try to achieve a balance between usability and form.

Website design also is driven (not surprisingly) by Web Designers who are often working on a broadband Internet connection, with 21-inch monitors and the latest computer hardware. It is therefore easy for them and their clients to get seduced by the latest in Web technology, even when this new technology adds little to the user experience.

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USABILITY STUDIES - We offer cost-effective audits for Website owners looking to upgrade usability and therefore improve the returns from their Website. The only way of measuring of whether a Website meets your target audience's needs is to ask some of them! For more information http://www.netinsites.com/services/usability.cfm or email les@netinsites.com.

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A good example of this is the use of Flash (the technology developed by Macromedia) introductions to Websites where the introduction exists mainly to showcase the designer’s talents. Flash is a great technology and can significantly improve the user experience, but is often misused in this manner.

Another common mistake is organisations mirroring their printed information online by, for example, turning documents into PDF files and expecting them to be downloaded or viewed in this format. This may not be the best way to present the information, as it often doesn’t make the best use of the interactivity and the linkages that are possible on the Internet. Organisations also often present their information the way they see it rather than from a visitor's perspective. Visitors are looking for solutions and that should drive Website structure.

The key point to note is that the Internet is an interactive not passive medium, so the site should incorporate ways to engage the user immediately and attempt to strike up a relationship. This difference is obvious if you look at the way we normally describe those who are experiencing the different mediums:

• Print media: readers
• Television: viewers
• Internet: users

Other mediums nearly always require another action like visiting a shop, ringing an 0800 number or clipping a newspaper coupon to complete the interaction. A properly designed Website can achieve the same result online, immediately.

So what works online?

• Simple but professional graphics - forget the animations unless they have a point
• Lots of bullet points, short paragraphs and clear (black on white is best) text
• Easily understood navigation that users can intuitively use
• Information and interactions that are useful to the user
• Scenario-driven design - what are visitors actually looking for?

Usability rules online, if you get that right, you’re almost there.

Alex Garden

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Newbies

The standard Outlook Express address book is quite versatile. For example, you can add new folders to the address book. This helps you keep your business contacts and personal contacts separated. To create a new folder, run Outlook Express and click 'Addresses'. When the Address Book opens, choose 'File|New Folder'. Name your new folder and then add the necessary email addresses. Note that you can drag addresses from existing folders to a new folder.

For previous tips visit http://www.netinsites.com/hottips.cfm

Power Users

If you're reasonably familiar with HTML, you may want to generate some of your email directly in HTML. To do this, run Outlook Express (5 or 6) and click 'Create Mail' or 'New Mail' depending on your version. When the New Message window opens, go to 'Format' and make sure 'Rich Text (HTML)' is selected. Next, choose 'View' then 'Source Edit' and you should see three tabs appearing at the bottom of the screen. Click on the 'Source' tab to edit the HTML and the 'Preview' tab to see how it looks. Send in the normal manner.

For previous Power Tips visit http://www.netinsites.com/hottips_power.cfm

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If you're using Microsoft products (almost everyone) then you might want to checkout this page on the Microsoft site. It offers security and other upgrades, utilities, free Clip Art, themes, stationery, and much more. What you need to download depends on which products you use. Just click here http://office.microsoft.com/Downloads/default.aspx

It's often difficult to find sites that provide good information for children. KidsClick! provides information on a children's level about computers, programming, the Internet, video games, and much more. You should make sure your kids check out the information on Internet safety (perhaps read through it with them). You'll find it here http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/topcomp.html

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No new articles this month.

To search through all the articles in our online database just use the search function on any page of our Website http://www.netinsites.com

No new quotes.

You can see our other Quick Quotes on the front page http://www.netinsites.com; just refresh the page to see another one randomly selected from our database. Great for presentations or times when you want to appear to be a techno-dude(ss)!

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To access previous newsletters visit our newsletter archive at http://www.netinsites.com/articles.cfm.

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Best wishes

Alex Garden

Internet Strategy | Website Design | Website Promotion | Web Text Messaging | Email Newsletters | Online Sports Games | Content Management