No fuss web usability

Georgina Hibberdgeorginahibberd.com

Improving websites in a devolved authorship environment

What

Small but influential ways in which you can improve the experience of those using your website.

Why

• Devolved content management requires many hands making small improvements to your website

• A better website means a happier user

• A user who has a good experience of your website thinks nice things about your organisation

What is a website?

If we understand what a website is NOT we can start building better ones

A website is not

or or

Photos:http://www.flickr.com/photos/7518284@N02/http://www.flickr.com/photos/videocrab/http://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/

I know how these things WORK. I don’t always know how a website will work.

Is this a menu? Will this link take me to the page or will it give me another menu? I’ve already been to this page, how did I get here again? What are courses? Are they the same as degrees on the last page? I thought that would link back to home but it’s not a link at all. That text is blue but it won’t click. Is it a link or what?There were three options on the last page and now there are five - what’s going on?

“Users are remarkably good at repeated tasks on their favourite sites, they're stumped by the smallest usability problems when they visit new sites for the first time.”

Jakob Nielsen February 2008

Source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/user-skills.html

5 small but effective tips

Because as far as a user is concerned your website IS your organisation.

1. Don’t reinvent the wheel

• No rules but conventions

• Ignore conventions at your peril

• Consistency of design and behaviour allows a user to predict the site

• Surprises are not a good thing on a website

• Creativity is great, in context.

Image source: http://www.componenthouse.com/article-22

2. Label your links

Why?

• Readers scan• Descriptive labels are easy to spot and easy

to predict• If a user can predict the behaviour of your

site they will feel better about your site

Example

You have a postgraduate application form you need to put on the website. It is in PDF format:

DO:

2009 Postgraduate application form (PDF)

DON’T

Click here http://www.uws.edu.au/thisaurl/applicationform.pdf for the formClick here for the formClick here for the form (PDF)

3. Keep it brief

How?

• Short paragraphs

• Go easy on the flowery language

• Write in the active, not the passive

• Use bold sparingly but intelligently

• Don’t use italics to convey importance

• Short paragraphs, bullet points

Example:

Hard to read

Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most popular places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).

Example:

Easier to read

In 1996, six of the most-visited places in Nebraska were:

• Fort Robinson State Park

• Scotts Bluff National Monument

• Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum

• Carhenge Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer

• Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park

Source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox 9710a.html

4. Less is definitely more

• If you have no content for a page, do not publish an empty page

• Users won’t revisit hoping you have added material, more likely they will just be confused or annoyed

• When re/designing a site, be honest about resources

• A tight, well-written, up-to-date site that provides useful content and is easily managed is better than a large, ambitious, complex site that has been forgotten.

• It’s much easier to make small beautiful.

5. Don’t mess with the browser

Do

• Respect the user’s right to control their own browser

• Modify the behaviour of the browser in context and with a warning where possible

If most people focus on the user and devote a small amount of time to thinking about how the web site will be used and how people expect it to work, the usability of the website will improve.