Web Fix | Website Usability

Brand Awareness Isn't Enough Anymore

There can be no brand awareness in isolation anymore. Regardless of whether it is intended or not, if you are successful in generating brand awareness you will also generate visits to your websites and online communities. These assets had better be ready with messaging and branding consistent with the awareness campaign, all packaged in a usable format. 

Buyers of traditional advertising - this means you. If you fail to plan for digital traffic when you run an ad campaign you are running a risk. A digital user experience that is not up to snuff will work against your brand and erode any benefits of your campaign. 

The Myth of Too Many Clicks

When speaking at PSEWeb recently I was asked to settle an argument between an audience member and his boss. The core of the issue was: How many clicks is too many? 

My response: multiple clicks are not a deterrent to user satisfaction. Cheers from the audience member. The subsequent chatter on Twitter and feedback from Web Writing sessions I've done leads me to think this is a hotly debated topic in organizations. 

Vague, Misleading Links are the Culprit

In my experience facilitating almost 200 usability tests, people don't complain about having too many clicks. Making the click is automatic. The hyperlink is easily recognizable (in most cases) as such. Each link however, is a decision point. It becomes onerous when people are not sure what content they will find when they click. Vague, non-descript (click here, learn more), misleading or jargon-filled links cause people to hesitate, to question. Is this the right decision? This amplifies the click itself and it is what has created this myth of too many clicks. 

Imagine taking a road trip to someplace you've never been and your directions don't quite match up with the road signs. Was that Exit 7 or Route 7? Main Street or Main Avenue? Your trip would feel much longer and you'd arrive much grumpier than if you made the same journey with clear directions. You'd say, "Wow, that didn't take as long as I thought," regardless of the turns in the road. 

Confidence in the Click

The difference is confidence. If someone is confident in what they will find when they make a click, it is a non-decision. Don't shy away from taking your visitors on a journey through your content - just make sure the directions are clear. 

Form follows function: Why web content is so hard to get right

Just like a favourite reading chair, digital content requires both form and function to create a comfortable fit with your visitors. 

Content Function

Function is the elements that combine to communicate the purpose and message of the content: 

• word choice / vocabulary - keywords used by your audience that will trigger desired actions
• reading level - consider education and cultural abilities
• voice - casual, authoritative, professional or fun; consistent throughout your site
• tone - supportive, empathetic, empowering; should vary based on the content and context

Content function is unique to your brand and your audience. 

Content Form

Form is all of the components that make up the content and give it structure.  

• length
• headings & subheadings
• lists & bullets
• chunking

These form elements are not about the words, but the usability. Through their effective use they create whitespace, hierarchy and improve scannability. In short, they increase the chances your content will actually get read and function as intended. 

Stronger Together

The saying goes, "form follows function", i.e. achieve your intended purpose or function first and then let the form take shape around it. Without content function, you might state your message clearly and effectively but you won`t communicate the essence of who you are. Your reader will be less likely to make a connection and perceive a fit - which is usually a prerequisite before starting a relationship with you. 

But without form it doesn`t matter how spot on the function of your content is. Readers won`t invest the time and effort to get to know you because you`re making them work too hard. 

Effective content needs both - and this is why digital content is so hard to get right. Content requires up-front investment and dedicated hours that many companies are hesitant to devote.  More focus is put on getting the design right than the content. Add to this, that skills in content form are not always found in writers and it becomes a project stumbling block.

So value your content with the same value it provides to you. After all, it is the content that instills trust, starts relationships and drives the conversion. 

 

Inefficient Online Tasks are Seriously Bad Form

I recently registered my daughter for a week of summer camp at Dartmouth Sportsplex. It was a painful 6 field form; it made me work way too hard.

The bulk of the page described the camps that were available and the registration link was at the bottom (a few screens down!) Here are the form fields and my reaction to them.

Program Name, Level(be specific if a combined class) and Age group - I had to scroll back up the page to get the program name - they are all very clever but unmemorable such as 'Sportsplex Got Talent'. I certainly know my daughters age but had to check the group she fit into. But what the heck is a level? The word level doesn’t appear anywhere in the program descriptions. Not a sweet clue what to enter but I wasted a few minutes before giving up.

Program Participant: OK, I know what this is, but how about some plain language: Child's Name

Day &/or Date of Program: Most camps are offered 2 different weeks during the summers, so it is necessary to specify. But I had to scroll back up to the top to get the exact dates right. It would have been nice to have a calendar widget. I don't understand the Day part though. All of the camps are weekly with no mention of being able to enrol in only one day. Should I just put Tuesday and see what happens?

Time of Program: You tell me. They are all the same time so why are you even asking. To be fair, there are extended hours for early drop-off and late pick-up. How about a couple of check-boxes so I can tell you if I need one of these options and you can add it to my fee?

2nd Choice if that time is filled: I’m going to go out on a limb and assume they are looking for a program name. But there are no second choices; only one camp is running each week. If I pick a program in a different week I imagine I would really mess up the folks in their office  -  all my previous answers will be irrelevant.

Cost: Again - you tell me. With all of the specific details gathered above, surely you can figure it out. The next screen had checkout and gathered credit card information. I wonder what would have happened if I put $18 instead of $150?

All in all, painful. If you are going to invest in a form, INVEST in the form. The goal is to make it easier for people to complete common tasks on your website, not frustrate them into calling - or registering elsewhere. I would have been happier and less frustrated had they said, “Please email us with the following information.”

Simple User-Centric Language

The form could have been so much simpler and straightforward. Here is my reco:

Child's name

Age of child at time of camp - program the form to match the age with the age group

Program Name - make this a dropdown menu with names that specify weeks, i.e. Freaky Funky Fun Jul2-6, Freaky Funky Fun Jul30-Aug3

Do you need early drop-off?   Late pick-up? - A few check-boxes here

Proceed to Checkout.

The form can auto-calculate the price based on responses and auto-fill in the checkout portion. You could even allow the registrant to add mulitple programs - since some parents book their kids in for the whole summer. Why should they complete all fields 8 times?

Clean Data Makes Your Job Easier Too

Another benefit of these simple questions is that it makes collecting and processing them easier on the organization. Think of how many different variations of program name, hours, dollar values the free-form text fields will collect. Garbage in, garbage out. With dropdown menus and the relationships between program names, ages, cost and times all stored on the back-end, the data will be clean and you can export, sort, analyze, measure...whatever you need, with greater accuracy and effiency.

So that's it. It is only 2 fields less, but it's a savings of minutes and frustration. Offering an online form should not be a 'check-box' you tick off to say you offer it. When you move a business process online, make it easier for your customers and it will be easier on you.

Website redesign is a crime

At Confab 2012 last week in Minneapolis Information Architect Lou Rosenfeld said, "Redesign is a crime". I jumped all over it and quickly tweeted that I agreed, as does my employer ISL. 

Then panic set in as I thought - we do redesigns. What are our clients going to think? I've devalued their needs and our work. This couldn't be farther from the truth so I wanted to clarify.

Web redesign is a crime of neglect and abuse

The crime is not doing the actual website redesign. Many sites need it and benefit greatly, as do the people they serve. 

The crime is that so many websites get to the redesign state in the first place. It is like seeing a young kid who had the unfortunate luck of being in a broken home, who made some bad choices and didn't have a parental figure to guide them. They end up in trouble, and the potential of that child is all but lost.

This is what happens to too many websites. When launched, they are just kids and not ready to be out in the world on their own. They need care and feeding so they can live up to their potential and easily adapt to the changing world around them.

Web governance will keep you on the straight and narrow 

With strong governance and maintenance, the chances of your site falling to disrepair and needing a redesign are slim. The crime is investing time and people and multiple thousands of dollars to launch an asset, and then neglecting it for the next several years, only to repeat your mistakes.

Your web assets will never grow up, will never be 100% self-sufficient. But with regular care and feeding they can be a healthy, smart, contributing member of your organization.  

3 Reasons why your premium content may be costing you business

I was on our veterinarian's website recently to book an appointment for our puppy and I clicked a link called Pet Health, with articles, tips and videos for pet owners. I wasn't happy to see that it required me to create an account to gain access. Not happening. 

 Here are 3 reasons your premium content could be locking out your potential customers:

1. If you are going to offer premium content, it better be damn good and offer real value. You better be the only one on the planet with the knowledge. I have the entire Google machine at my disposal for videos and articles on how to clip my dog's nails or feed my parrot. It is faster for me to hit the back button and do another search.
2. The messaging positions the content as "client only". In fact, this is great content to establish yourself as credible, respected and knowledgable in your profession and attract new clients. Don't hide your smarts - tell the world.
3. Search engines love this kind of content. It is easier to rank well for niche longtail keywords, which in turn will attract more prospects to your website. 

I would love to see the analytics, and the conversion rate on this page. No one needs another logon! These days people want self-service and instant gratification. I guess that's 4 reasons. Can you think of any others? 

 

Self-serving jargon alienates customers

Home Depot commits a big faux pas on their site. I went on homedepot.ca to request a quote for window replacement. Their short form asked that I provide my postal code. This is the screen I got back: 

I have no bloody clue what 7126 Halifax is. It is meaningless jargon. Now my common sense tells me that yes, this is my store because it is just a 5 minute walk and I know there are no others around. But what if I lived in a larger city among a few stores, or was new in town, or shopped near my office? 

And how difficult would it be to spit out a physical street address and even a map? 

This kind of behaviour tells me that Home Depot doesn't care about my needs - they want the information in the form that makes their lives easiest.

And the easiest thing for me was to check out Rona.

 

Paying my creative self first

Ah, the silence. 

It's officially me week. My husband is at work and daughter at school. It's just me and Atlas for 4 whole days. Sigh :)

It has been a really busy past few months and particularly stressful few weeks (you'll notice I haven't posted very often lately), so this year's me week is doubly needed and appreciated. I have just enjoyed a beautiful Thanksgiving long weekend - and yet my decompression did not really start until the silence fell around me. 

I am actually not sure where to begin. I have been in reactionary mode for so long it is hard to just "be". I have a bunch of little projects planned for around the house - things I can't tackle on a weekend when catching up on laundry and family - but also a wide varety of nothing. For me this is writing, reading, walking, chick flicks I can't watch with hubby around, maybe some sudoku, oh, and the occasional scotch for good measure. ;)

Creative Abundance

The bigger challenge comes when I return to work. With a few big projects behind me and others wrapping up, I should have time to be more proactive in my role. My goal is to pay my creative self first. The concept of 'pay yourself first' comes from personal finance - pay yourself a percent of your income off the top, before expenses/creditors, etc. Do it automatically and you won't notice the missing money and slowly wealth will grow.

After weeks of running to catch up I want creative wealth and abundance. I am at my most creative with pen and paper - noodling, stream of consciousness - throw it up and clean up. Having the time to noodle and be creative leads to innovation. Not always - you need a hundred bad ideas to get to the ones that will grow. But if I don't invest, none will grow. The goal is to pay my creative self first. That means pen and paper for the first 30 minutes of every day, when the brain is freshly caffeinated and uncompromised by my inbox. 

I haven't a clue what this post has to do with website usability but it feels good to write it. Let me noodle on it and get back to you. For now, I'm off to strip wallpaper!

Wanna make me cringe? Welcome me to your website.

I hate hate hate hate hate "Welcome to our website." They are my 4 most hated words online.

The are the 4 most wasted words online.

There is no value. No keywords, no call to action, no educating me on what you do. They are a Walmart greeter. I'll give you a half-smile, then get out of my way so I can do what I came here to do.

I was in a meeting recently reviewing web copy with the site owners and this was proposed. I voiced my disdain but someone piped up and said, "It makes me feel warm." A few others concurred.

So, is it just me? I've loathed them for so many years I figure it must be rooted in some usability research.

What do you think? Do you need a warm fuzzy or just get to the point?!

 

User tests show yet again: People don't read

I was watching some usability tests last week on a clothing retailer's site. The task involved finding an item in a specific size. 

At the top of the main search result area above the product images there is a link that clearly reads "Click Here to view our sizing charts."

Only 1 of 5 testers found it. 

This was astonishing. The testers moused over it and around it, to the point that I was trying to cheer them on. "You can do it! You're so close!" (These were recordings of virtual tests so it was like yelling at the TV) 

But it underscores 2 realities that no website owner can lose sight of:

1. People don't read online.

They scan. One of the unsuccessful testers actually said, "OK, I'm looking for some kind of sizing chart."

2. Link the words that state what the user will get.

Had the words "sizing charts" been linked in blue instead of "click here", I wouldn't be writing this post.