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Usability and Aesthetics Two Examples

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Usability Issues <ul><li>Naming — Do section/button labels make sense? Do certain words resonate better than others do? </li></ul><ul><li>Organization — Is information grouped into meaningful categories? Are items located in the places customers might look for them? </li></ul><ul><li>First-time use and discoverability — Are common items easy for new users to find? Are instructions clear? Are instructions necessary? </li></ul><ul><li>Effectiveness — Can customers efficiently complete specific tasks? Are they making missteps? Where? How often? </li></ul>From About Face , pg. 71

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Focus on Usability <ul><li>Example 1: American Chemical Society website: </li></ul><ul><li>www. acs .org </li></ul><ul><li>Before the overhaul: </li></ul><ul><li>http://web.archive.org/web/20060221182419/www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/home.html </li></ul><ul><li>Article: “What Goes into Good Web Design?” </li></ul><ul><li>Boyd, A. Bruce, N. (2008). What Goes into Good Web Design? A Report on the New ACS Web Site. Journal of Chemical Education, 85 (1), 20. Retrieved February 3, 2008, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 1409985051). </li></ul>

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Focus on Usability (cont.) <ul><li>For site architecture, ACS researched how information should be grouped </li></ul><ul><ul><li>“ Card Sort” — pulled together most prominent terms and programs and asked a diverse collection of users to group the content in the fasion they found most intuitive </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Homepage test — users were given a blank homepage with four empty boxes and asked what content should be used to fill them. Unanimous response: research, news, announcements, and membership info. </li></ul></ul>

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Focus on Usability (cont.) <ul><li>Other usability improvements on the ACS website: </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Simplify global navigation bar, easily understandable main categories </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Paragraphs were shortened, content reformatted to support users seeking information </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Links given more intuitive labels </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Include a breadcrumb trail that alerts users to their location within the site. </li></ul></ul>

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Aesthetics <ul><li>“ Most usability tests are impotent to evaluate the success of a site in terms of conveyed emotion, because emotion is something that most users (and most humans) have difficulty articulating …” </li></ul><ul><li> — Curt Cloninger </li></ul>

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Aesthetics <ul><li>Example 2: Volkswagen website </li></ul><ul><li>www.vw.com </li></ul><ul><li>Article: “J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Breaking Web Site Design Standards Can Prove Successful in Eastablishing Brand Identity” </li></ul><ul><li>J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Breaking Web Site Design Standards Can Prove Successful in Establishing Brand Identity. (18 July). PR Newswire. Retrieved February 3, 2008, from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID: 1306207781). </li></ul>

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Volkswagen website <ul><li>J.D. Power study found shopper’s perceptions of 25 branding attributes improved after visiting the VW site. New design “increased the perception that their models are technologically advanced and innovatively designed.” </li></ul><ul><li>HOWEVER … </li></ul><ul><li>New design came at a cost. When measuring site usability, the study found Volkswagen’s index score drop significantly by 32 point from previous study, mostly due to navigation and speed issues. </li></ul>

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Volkswagen website <ul><li>J.D. Power quote: </li></ul><ul><li>“ As powerful a tool as the manufacturer Website can be in shaping shoppers’ brand perceptions, usability must always be at the heart of new site designs … With minor usability tweaks, the site could easily be a model for the successful blending of both usability and branding.” </li></ul><ul><li>— Steve Witten, J.D. Power </li></ul>

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United Airlines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s4nP4rkx-w Usability Problems