Web Usability Talk

The Business Case for Optimized Site Usability

Web usability is a significant aspect of a websites function that every company must pay attention to for the current and long term health of their organization. Usability, while seemingly invisible, encompasses everything from SEO, conversion ratios, user experience and authority in the market. Embarking on a usability path and building a strategy can be a challenging task, however it is one that will pay off in spades if implemented well and maintained through testing and optimization. The benefits of adopting a website usability optimization strategy affect all those who come in contact with the company – from prospective and current customers to internal stakeholders. Following best practices from design to development to offer the ideal user experience can deliver an increased level of positive association and better bottom line to the brand it supports. External Benefits of Usability Delivers Faster Conversion Its estimated that sites that have poor usability […]

Scrolling for Better Website Usability and Content Organization

As much as a simplicity approach to both content and graphics for a website is encouraged, when working with a larger amount of assets, scrolling lends a much better approach to usability than breaking up content into separate pages. With sites developing more in depth content and the prevalence of parallax and animated sites as well as constant information stream applications, the approach of scrolling is evolving to site and content specifications. The mantra of ‘above/below the fold’ rules were ubiquitous with designers working to get as much information as possible into the immediately seen space that ultimately would overwhelm the user. Along with technology, the user has evolved, and scrolling is now an integral aspect of many programs and applications – allowing an easier flow of communication to the user, providing a more engaging and usable experience. With the popularity and prevalence of mobility, so much has changed – […]

Choosing The Right CMS to Support Usability

Aligning a company to the right content management system is a critically important decision for the future of an organization – particularly one that may be facing re-entry into the market, rebrand or restructure. Being that there are several types of CMS tailored to the content needs of a business, it is first important for a company to understand why the CMS is necessary. What aspects of content need to be managed and how much? Though there are options such as web, mobile and component – often an enterprise CMS is the route most travelled, being that it has a keen ability to support best practices and be implemented with scalability options. CMS platforms, and in particular enterprise, when used at optimized levels can deliver a level of success to a company not seen before the CMS was introduced. Beyond serving it’s functional purpose(s) to an internal team, a solid CMS […]

Web Navigation: Understanding The Roadmap of UX

An integral element to the aspect of usability on a website is the design of it’s core navigation. This is the system of parts that helps a user move around the experience, helping them find what they need, get deeper into information and complete a task. When a user first comes to a site, it’s much like they are traveling streets in a city they’ve never been before. There is a clear reason for the visit, whether business or leisure, but in order to get to where they need to go, they must be led by visual cues. These visual cues must be in the right order and delivered to the user in clear terms to create a pathway to their final destination. A solid set of principles can help to drive navigation that fosters user connection, engages new users and heightens conversion: Create An Organizational Strategy Taking into consideration the importance of […]

Measuring The Success of Your Web Usability Strategy

To start the process of improving your site’s usability, you’ll have to set up tracking to record the metrics and results. Once you do, you’ll want to keep track of various data such as entry pages, exit pages, visiting time, clickthrough rates and conversions. Then, you should think about how the data corresponds with your site’s purpose. Every website will have a different goal. Some websites will want to engage visitors and get to explore the rest of the site. Other sites will want to go straight for the conversion whether it’s through leads or sales. You have to figure out what your goal is and start testing different designs to meet the metrics for your goal. For example, if you want to increase engagement, you should aim to increase time spent on site and try to move visitors towards a specific funnel. As important as it is to have […]

5 Ways to Design a More Intuitive Mobile App

With rampant talk of responsive design and the overwhelming use of mobile devices as a primary device for users, the importance of a mobile presence is clear. Naturally, the time of a mobile user is at a premium so it’s paramount for mobile apps to be as intuitive as possible. Designing an interface that is centered around UX and usability is the keystone to create a mobile app that truly ‘works’ for the user. #1: Know Your User User experience doesn’t exist without the user – so it’s critical to involve them in the process – understanding who they are and what drives them. Conducting user and competitive research – not simply gathering analytics, but getting into the field, engaging with the ideal user – and applying these findings to the initial phase of design is a non-negotiable process. Data is a big part of gathering the information needed, however, in a project’s […]

Ecommerce Usability: Getting It Right

For any business, whether brick and mortar or solely web based, ecommerce has become a required aspect. Online sales worldwide have reached an all time high in the trillions and it’s clear that the majority of consumers do much of their shopping, if not all, online. This trend is only on the upswing, and consumers have become increasingly discerning in the sites they purchase from. To increase traffic and conversions, a business must focus on every detail, with specific attention to the site’s usability in order to create the user experience that has become a prerequisite of doing business in the digital environment. First Impression Nowhere is usability more important than on the landing page, particularly of an ecommerce site. The user has been driven to the site either looking specifically for an item or are curious to find out more about the brand, product or services being offered. Either […]

The Interaction Design + Usability Connection

Understanding the way users interact with your site is crucial in determining what improvements or tweaks are needed – optimal website usability is, of course, a top priority. Directly integrated within web usability, interaction design is greatly focused on satisfying the needs and goals of the intended product users, implementing a heavy focus on designing with stakeholders in mind. Optimal web usability calls for an intuitive user experience, and all possible users (both current and new) must be taken into consideration. The designers that begin this process must be aware of the key aspects that will evoke emotions and calls to action in their target audience – and these emotions must remain positive, avoiding negative associations that could be detrimental to product success. Interaction design in its most basic definition is about building a digital environment for users, designing interactive digital products, environments, systems and services. It is more than just building […]

Best Practices In Digital Prototyping

Creating mock ups for both mobile or web based projects – both physical and digital is important to get a sense of what an interface will look and feel like and should be a given. Prototyping has become an integral step in any screen design process with specific regard to the UX aspect. The action of planning and laying out how the user will process information will allow a greater definition of information hierarchy and result in a clearly optimized solution right from the start. Be The Early Bird Often, if not prototyped in the initial stages, a project will stretch longer than necessary. When prototyping in the beginning stages, stuck spots and design that just isn’t working can be fixed before it gets too developed. Many times, the less optimal route is chosen anyway so the site or app can launch on time and then corrected when there are more resources to […]

How to Think About Corporate Site Design and Strategy

For many companies, the role of the corporate website has shifted from a go-to destination for their brand to a channel for public relations. Brand websites and mini websites have taken the role in selling and engaging the target audience. While companies have evolved their strategies in terms of what to do with their other sites, very few have done much in terms of creating an effective corporate web design. Before even discussing design, it’s important to come up with a corporate website strategy. You have to start by asking the important questions. Why are people going to your corporate website? Will you need a mobile version of your site? What goals do you have for the corporate website? How will you go about achieving these goals? You have to map out your strategy so that you can come up with how the design can support the goals. Once there […]

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