Web Usability

Web Usability: Creating Great

User Experiences!

Web Usability: Creating Great

User Experiences!

curriculum: Pat ReesPasadena City College Webmaster

facilitator: Joseph Karr O’Connor@csunwebmaster

Web Usability: Creating Great

User Experiences!

The only two industries that call customers users are the computer industry... and drug dealers.

Web Usability: Creating Great

User Experiences!

User Experience• find it

• action

• rinse and repeat• easily learnable

• efficient

• memorable

• satisfying

More important in 2.0!kayak CSUN Give

Invisible when it works!

Intro

5

Functional Design - Content Model• Support for tasks/goals

Information Architecture• Organizing data/info• Taxonomy

Communication Design• Motivates people to respond• Calls to action

Interaction Design• Designing tasks/activities• Interaction Design Association

Intro

6

Architecture- Taxonomy

NavigationUser interfaceInteractivityUser centeredFindabilityDo-abilityWayfinding

SEO marketingSearchWeb standards AccessibilityGraphic designBackend devCopywritingForms E-commerce

Creating Great User Experiences!

7

1. Doing The Research2. Content Is King3. How It Works

4. The Way It Looks

8

Creating Great User Experiences!

The Machine is Us/ing Us

9

Creating Great User Experiences!

Doing the Research

• Create client persona

Imagine users

• Invent user personas

• Variety

User states - examples

• New applicant

• Enrolled newbie

• Occasional user

• Frequent user

E01

10

1A

Engage client

• Survey and communication forms• Kelly Goto for sample forms

Site map - flow chart

• Visio, Illustrator, OmniGraffle

11

1B

E02

Wireframes

• Bare bones• Start with deep content - work backwards

• Lovelycharts

12

1C

Gather Technical Constraints Early

• Screen flows• Getting from point to point

• Gliffy

13

1D

Design Description Document (DDD)

• thinkvitamin.com

14

1D

E03

Search Engine Optimization• No black hat tactics - or be banished to

the Phantom Zone

Keywords and phrases

• WordTracker

• Google mainpage auto complete

Findability

• Identify appropriate site

• Navigate the pages

15

1E

Open Standards

• Semantic markup

• Machine readable content

• Web Standards Project

• Jeffrey Zeldman: Designing With Web Standards (3rd Ed.)

16

1E

Open Standards

• Semantic markup

• Machine readable content

• Web Standards Project

• Jeffrey Zeldman: Designing With Web Standards (3rd Ed.)

16

1E

Analytics

• Webtrends

• Google Analytics

17

1F

• Crazyegg heatmap

18

1F

User Testing

• Websort

• Optimalsort

19

1G

Prototype

• Paper

20

1G

Prototype With Fireworks

• Interactive design team prototyping

• Wireframes and pages

• Interactive prototypes

• Rapid prototyping

21

1G

Hands On User Testing

• 5 people are sufficient

• user at computer/projector

• observers gathered aroundVideo User Testing Sessions

• Userfly

• Morae

• Silverback

22

1G

Content is King

• Write to be found

• Main message first

• Cut out words - Tweet it!

• Revise, revise, revise

• How to write numbers

• Check the reading level

• JuicyStudios Readability

23

2A

Content is King

• Word: Tools>Spelling and GrammarIn Mac Word 2008:

✓ Preferences: "Authoring and Proofing Tools"✓ Select "Spelling and Grammar" ✓ Check the "check grammar with spelling" box✓ Then check the "show readability statistics" box ✓ Go to the Tools menu and select "Spelling and Grammar"✓ Word will show the readability statistics after spellcheck

E04

24

2A

Content is King

• Keep paragraphs short

• Keep sentences short

• Use fragments - FAQ: don’t repeat question

• Use the users’ words

• Think globally - ESL

• Give examples

Inverted Pyramid

• Start with conclusion

• Word: Tools>Auto Summarize

25

2B

Design for Scanning

• Most users scan

• Then they use search

• Get rid of needless words - happy talk

• Use headings, bullets, lists

• Tables for TABULAR DATA (ONLY!)

• F pattern and “ad blindness”

Use Images and Icons

• Images convey, clarify message - USE ALT!

• Screenshots, videos

• Icons help user find content, utilities26

2C

Target All Devices

• Mobile views rising 18%/mo (csun.edu)

• JavaScript, PDF, Flash - may lack support

• Test - turn off JavaScript and images

• MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE to everyone!

• Create print style sheet with CSS

• W3C mobile web resource

• Mobile emulators

• iPhoney

• Opera Mini Simulator

• Opera browser>View>Small Screen

27

2D

Respect Me

• How would I react?

• Do good - i.e. opt-in

• Tell me a story

Rediscovery of Content

• Faceted navigation - jcrew

• Folksonomy (popular) tags - digg or delicious

• RSS feeds, mailing lists, newsletters

• Search box

• Feeds, share, follow, etc. : ASMBYC

28

2E

How It Works

• Interface design conventions - they work!

• Google API libraries and samples

• Yahoo User Interface library and patterns

• MooTools

• JQuery UI and tutorials

• Patterns

• Welie Pattern library

• Smileycat Design Elements

• Jennifer Tidwell

29

3A

Navigation

• Findable

• Where am I?

• Where can I go?

• Where have I been?

• How do I get here again?

• Go to deep page - answer those questions

• E-trade

• NPR Shop

• 800x600: does right nav disappear? alistapart

• Drop downs: USPS and csun.edu

30

3B

Affordance

• Is clickable action obvious?

31

3C

Types of Navigation

• Accordion

• Simple jQuery accordions

• Breadcrumbs

• Apple Store

• Library of Congress

• Directory

• Ebay

• USPS

32

3D

Types of Navigation

• Doormat

• Stanford

• Double Tab

• State of California

• Tabs

• Trails

• Faceted

• Amazon

• Nordstrom

33

3D

Types of Navigation

• Fly-out

• CSUN (myNorthridge Portal)

• Adobe

• Home Link

• Green Beast

• Icon

• Clear Helper

• Map Navigator

• Google Maps

34

3E

Forms and Buttons

• Required vs Optional

• Crate and Barrel

• Error Messages

• Modal and non-modal

• Don’t lock me out with modal!

• No cryptic error messages, please.

35

3F

Forms and Buttons

• Don’t be too rigid

• Data checking on back end, please

• Anticipate international formats

• Dress for mess 6265857731 626 585-7731 626-585-7731 626.585.7731 (626) 585-7731 or international code 011 353 66 713 0000

36

3F

Forms and Buttons

• Eliminate chance of error

• Error-free learning

• Provide an undo

37

3F

Forms and Buttons

• Drop-down lists

• Automate with keystrokes

• States, countries, birth years, etc.

38

3F

Forms and Buttons

• Use AJAX auto complete

• Google Search

• Kayak - try airport codes

39

3F

Forms and Buttons

• Determine best use of form elements

• Ease of entry, keystrokes, recognition

• Fewer errors

40

3F

Forms and Buttons

• Instructive design = speed and accuracy

• Move cancel button away from “I’m done”

• Indicate required and optional (color)

• Provide hints

• Limit drop down choices

• More than 5 ‘choose one’?

• Use a select list

• Use radio buttons

41

3F

Forms and Buttons

• Use Spry, CSS, and JQuery to help

• Fancy form design with CSS

• Friendly, understandable, focused error info

• Organize info in logical fieldsets

• Error-free learning

• Completion button most likely choice

• Keep users away from whirling blades

42

3F

Forms and Buttons

• JQuery

• JQuery UI

• Datepicker Demo

• Datepicker UI

• Datepicker Format Date

• JQuery Themeroller

43

3F

Less Friction>More Energy>Flow

• Multiple pathways engage = discover

• IMDb

• Gradual engagement

• Avoid sign-up forms - $300M Button

• Guest vs registered - give good reason

• Picnik

• Visualize (whirled peas)

• iGoogle

44

3G

Optimize for Speedy Download

• Use best practices for speed

• Downloading images, etc., takes time

• Concatenate/minify scripts, run them last

• Combine images with CSS sprites

• Fewer HTTP requests

• Tidy up CSS, put reference at top

• Reduce DNS Lookups

• Add far-future Expires headerExpires: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:00:00 GMT

45

3H

Optimize for Speedy Download

• Avoid redirects

• Add trailing slash to hyperlink

• Avoid 301 and 302 status codes

• NEVER USE meta redirects

• Breaks back button, security warnings

• Yahoo Best Practices

• Get YSlow for Firebug and use it

46

3H

Optimize for Speedy Download

• Mezzoblue Sprite Optimization

• Firefox>Tools>Page Info

• gmail

• google search results

• CSSsprites

• Rosenfeld Media

47

3H

Optimize for Speedy Download

• Check spelling

• Validate

• Accessibility, code, CSS - W3C

• Check for broken links

• Xenu’s Link Sleuth

• Google Webmaster Tools

48

3H

Agile Design and Development Practices

• Design system not surface

• Evolutionary, user driven, not final

• No page, only pathways

• Simplicity over complexity

• Collaborative and open design

• Test in major rendering engines + mobile

• WebKit (Safari, Chrome)

• Gecko (Firefox)

• Trident (IE)

• Presto (Opera)

49

3H

The Way It Looks

• Design affects usability

• Aesthetically pleasing objects appear to be more effective

• Professional design increases trust, especially for transactional site

• Design can create order and instill peace and serenity

• Important when asking user to fill out lengthy form

50

4A

Provide a Clear Visual Hierarchy

• Vital info with quick scan

• Visual prominence to important content

• Related content visually related

• Zoom out in Firefox (like squinting)

• Logos take space, not most important

• Visual nesting

51

4B

Contrast

• Craft a visual information hierarchy

• Compel viewers to view where you want them to

• With intelligent contrast and calls-to-action users will follow along

52

4C

Don’t forgetwhite space.

Don’t Forget White... oh, never mind!

• CSS for leading and kerning text

• CSS for padding and margins in layout

• Important stuff gets more white space

• Nested boxed content

• Pay attention to padding

• Pay attention to real estate needs

54

4D

Focus

• Westerners typically begin reading a page of information in the upper left hand area

• If you place highly conspicuous (according to contrast) in upper left it will most likely be seen and consumed first by Western users

• Simplification is not organization

• Complex <<-----|--->> Simple

• Chaotic <<---|----->> Order

• NRA

55

4E

Focus

• Horizontal and vertical grids help reduce noise and complexity

56

4F

Focus

• Horizontal and vertical grids help reduce noise and complexity

• Subtraction

• Tutorialblog

57

4F

Grids

• Fireworks Reticulator

• Dreamweaver - use grids and guides

• Grid: View>Grid>Grid Settings

• Guides: View>Rulers - drag out guides

• Examples of grid layout designs

• Smashingmagazine

• Webdesignerwall

• Newspapers

• USA Today, CNN, CalTech Today,

• Washington Post, MSNBC

58

4G

Make Something Stand Out - For Attention and Action

• Use purposeful intentional contrast

• Avoid small differences

• Don’t violate overall design

• Continue same convention elsewhere

59

4H

The End