Spending money to lower brand value, say it isn’t so!

I have always been amazed at companies that commit their resources to SEO/SEM only to generate more users that leave a web site frustrated because of the company not also committing the appropriate ratio of resources for usability. It’s kind of crazy if you think about it. Why would you send users to a web site that lowers the amount of brand value/integrity perceived prior to visiting the web site? Yet without usability analysis of a product, that in fact might be exactly what the dollars spent on SEO/SEM are doing. Can you imagine that, spending money to proactively lower brand value. It’s crazy.

Usability, the gift that keeps on giving.

I normally present usability to stakeholders this way. Any improvement we make to usability enhances the user experience and depending on the modification could have a direct effect on improved conversion percentages. The value of these modifications to the web site or application continues to enhance or increase conversion the entire life cycle of the product.

Usability Testing Or Is The Cow Already Out Of The Barn?

I meet with a potential client yesterday who mentioned they do usability testing. I was very impressed with that, on average, they are ahead of the curve; and from my perspective as a usability analyst, I hope the cow is not already out of the barn.

Don’t get me wrong, I completely support usability testing and this potential client really is ahead of the curve, but let’s take a look at the purpose of usability testing. According to Human Factors International (HFI), a usability test is to, “investigate methods to determine the ease of use of a product, primarily involving observation of potential users actually interacting with the product and measuring the results”. Usability testing is critical at step 5. And to carry this concept of the different steps a little further, it might also be said that persona development is important for step 4 and user profile development is a good step 3.

Speak highly of your product or users just might believe you

Quick Problem: Inconsistency of categories

Web Site: http://www.purepro.net/products.htm

Quick Description: On this product page they list four categories of systems:

• Economy RO Systems
• Typical RO Systems
• Pump RO Systems
• Countertop RO Systems

Don’t make it easy for users to generate errors

Quick Problem: Inconsistency of Controls

Web Site: https://ocapps.occourts.org/ejuror

Quick Description: Forcing manual entry of year introduces several problems.

Quick Explanation:

• Takes the user out of the mental model of the already established drop-down control mode
• Forces the user to to expend additional cognitive resources
• Allows the user to enter a non-valid date generating an error message

How do you start a project? Oh man…

The other day someone asked me how I approach projects. I am asked that question a lot, it’s such a broad question that it’s almost impossible to answer. But most behavioral questions are more about what you decide to say so I understand the intent.

I believe projects are fluid meaning they change during their course of development to an extent that I believe is the nature of the web. It is dynamic. There is such a thing a scope creep, but there is also a point where some “things” are integrated because it would be counter productive to not integrate them in the long run. If I didn’t believe in the value of an iterative, dynamic process then I would be a print designer.

Do you know the way to San Jose or the newsletter sign-up form?

So your name is Sammy San Clemente and it’s time to visit your step-sister Sandra San Jose in the brand new house she just moved into? Well you think you know the way to San Jose, I mean how hard could it be to drive north to San Jose?

After all, you have at least four options and then combinations between those four.

Option number one, you follow the signs and never look back. There’s only one place you need to go and all the freeways have signs. So you gas up the disco bus and away you go taking care to observe all the signs in front of you. What’s behind you is just that what’s behind you.*

Wire Frames Or Moving Furniture?

Oh that’s perfect; it’s just what I wanted. Ah, wait a minute I just had an idea, what if we. No, it’s OK. Well I don’t know, what do you think?

Are wire frames like moving furniture? I think they are just like moving furniture.

Or how about this one, “Well, I’m not sure exactly what I want, but I’ll know it when I see it.”

That’s fine with me. I’ve done wire frames since 1995, in everything from Visio, Photoshop (don’t tell anyone), Illustrator, Quark, InDesign, OmniGraffle and Axure RP Pro. Oh, and then there’s paper, matchbooks and cocktail napkins. I think once we even did it in the sand at the beach. Wow, that could have a double meaning.