Web Fix | Website Usability

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.

 

 

Social Media Fashion Police - Help! This widget doesn't match my outfit!

With the growth of social media, organizations understandably want to incorporate links to these channels into their websites so visitors will continue to engage with them in other ways. 

In working with clients to add a Facebook Like or Twitter Follow button, I was struck by the proliferation of icons and widgets. You can:

• Add icons for each of the social media channels you have
• Ask people to like or follow your company
• Ask people to like or tweet a piece of content
• Add a widget such as an "add to calendar' or Google Translate

It's logo soup. 

Social Media icons abound

Mashable.com's homepage has no less than 56 social media icons, occupying a lot of valuable real estate. You can tweet, like, recommend, add, follow, subscribe, view, stumble, join, and oh yeah, maybe read an article or two if you don't get distracted.

Now, admittedly Mashable's success is based on sharing their articles so perhaps the soup is understandable. But how do you deal with this if you're a B2B website just trying to sell insurance or industrial lighting or consulting?

Do you create 3 or more separate areas for social media icons, as they all perform different roles, or do you consolidate them and hope the user is smart enough to sort them out?

Website design gets accessorized

And let's face it, they can really mess with the aesthetic of the page. The buttons have standard designs and sizes. Sometimes you get a choice of background, or whether to display popularity counters. But they just don't work with all designs, brands and colour palettes. Let's take an orange RSS button, a green "share this" and that pretty grey dropdown with the rainbow and see how we can make that work.

It's going to be a challenge for awhile to balance value and restraint, especially as more icons and channels are being created (cue Google+). 

At the end of the day it is still - as it has always been - about the content. Ensure the paths to your content are clear and focused. And remember - making it easier to spread your message does not make that message more spread-worthy.

“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory, less is always more.” - Coco Chanel

What is the biggest challenge in UX?

There has been an active discussion the last few weeks on the User Experience group on LinkedIn, with several hundred participating. The question is:

Can you use ONE word to describe the biggest challenge in UX?

Answers include: people, consensus, feedback, flexibility, stakeholders, audience, empathy and revisions - the list goes on.

My word is Trust.

Usability issues often stem from expectations not being met, inconsistencies and inaccuracies. All of these lead to the user not being able to trust the content, and thus the organization as a whole. As UX professionals, we strive to correct or remove distrustful behaviour in a design.

As a client working with a UX professional, you have to trust in our expertise and recommendations that often fly in the face of:

• preconceptions you have of your users' needs/wants
• internal politics and priorities
• 'the way things have always been done'

But our professional reputations are on the line - trust that we have the best interests of your stakeholders at heart.

While you could certainly make a case for many of the other words, without trust there is no foundation on which to build a relationship with your website visitors. And isn't that what it's all about?

Are dated business processes hurting your company?

I hate to pick on the postal service in light of the strikes, but they are the poster child today. 

My Dad's wife received a letter in the mail from her doctor letting her know her appointment had moved from 11:15 am to 11:10 am. A letter, postage and snail mail for a 5 minute change. It's possible many more of these letters were sent out as 5 minutes could cause quite a ripple effect throughout the days appointments. 

All I can think is what waste! How inefficient and expensive compared to the alternatives of email, phone and messaging that are available. 

Your business processes say a lot about your business as a whole. Just as out of date content on your website can hurt credibility, antiquated business processes may lead potential and current customers to perceive your products and services as antiquated also. This is especially damaging in a medical environment where you want to believe your doctor is providing your care based on the latest research and practices. And think of the more important things this doctor's office could be doing - proactively calling patients with test results, for example. 

Invest in Customer Care

Technology is driving user expectations. As people spend more of their lives 'connected' they seek out ways to use technology to make their lives simpler. If I can book a doctor appointment online, so much the better. When calling to re-order contacts recently I noticed Doctors Eye Clinic offers this service - and I could even re-order my contacts online. It just makes you feel like they are in touch with who you are, beyond eye care.

Moving business processes online is an investment that tells customers you are smart about how you spend money and time. Being more efficient means you have more time to focus on their needs. 

Image Labeling & Linking Need to be in Sync

Unlike a text link, when you link an image there is no unique colour or other visual identifier to distinguish a linked image from an unlinked image. So if you are going to hyperlink an image, it's a good idea to provide a caption or label that also links to the same landing page. (and keyword-rich, please - no "click the above image") The worst thing you could do is have a linked image with linked label, and the links take the user to different places.

YouTube: Time for Change

I ran across this situation recently on YouTube when I was setting up a new channel. I wanted to upload a profile picture, similar to FaceBook or Twitter, to customize the channel page. This functionality is located in the Account section, as you'd expect. Front and centre is a faceless headshot that has a linked label underneath that reads "change". So far everything is straight forward.

Hyperlink Wild Goose Chase

When you click the image however, it doesn't take you to a screen to upload a profile picture. It takes you to the main channel page. This is completely unexpected behavior. The label clearly associates itself with the image. Mousing to the link and finding the image linked as well, why wouldn't you click the image to change your profile pic? I don't have any stats but I'd venture to guess this happens often. And the poor users, unknowingly on the wrong page will:  

1. hunt around to see where they can change their picture (to no avail)
2. think the link - or both links - are broken

Some will click their back button and figure out they need to click the text link.

In the end this is an entirely avoidable situation, fixable with very little effort. C'mon Google - invest some of that ad revenue and brain power in some usability.