Real World UX

Tips for a Functional Nav

2009-02-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

We have all been to enough websites to know what does and does not work with navigation. There are the standard do’s: have good information scent, keep it consistent, don’t have too few or too many choices, use bread crumbs, etc… In my last blog post , Dropdown Menus Done Right, I talked about how to effectively use drop down menus. Now I want to expand on that and talk about a couple other navigation faux pas I have seen.

Tip # 1: Don’t use navigation as a means of promotion.
I visited a site recently that used its persistent navigation as a form of promotion. This company sells hundred of products. As expected they have a link in the persistent navigation titled “Shop.” But also in the persistent navigation is a link for their most popular product. What is wrong with this? The purpose of the persistent navigation is to allow users to find the information THEY are looking for on the site. The purpose of the homepage is to allow the business to guide users to areas they feel are important.

In order to allow users to find things effectively, it needs to be organized in a clear, straightforward manner. The customer should not wonder why one of the products is in the persistent nav and all the others in the shopping area. Additionally when that product becomes less popular and is placed with all the other products, users should not have to re-learn the website.

Marketing initiatives change frequently. The persistent nav should not change with promotions. Generally a good persistent nav should only change with major changes to the company’s business model.

Tip #2 High School is over, stop trying to be cool.
Before you read Tip #2, you need to first watch the video below. Don’t worry, it’s only a couple minutes and it’s from the onion, so it’s bound to get at least a good chuckle.

When I first saw that video, I thought it was funny because it points out something painfully obvious. As cool, hip, and happnin as Apple is, even they could not get away with a design like this. And they know this, so they wouldn’t even try. Unfortunately, someone else did. This video reminded me of a website a visited recently. http://www.selftitled.ca/ Take a couple minutes and check it out. It’s a perfect example of sacrificing form for function. It looks really cool, but that the only praise I can give. Why did the designer think users would look for the Toyota Yaris at about 300 degrees? Do the colors mean something? To be frank I am not that surprised to see something like this. It looks like it a developers/designers portfolio site. The purpose of the site is to demonstrate how cool he is.

I work in the MLM industry and have heard time after time that Xango has a really cool site. I have to agree, it is cool. But it’s not usable. If I want to win awards, I would err on the side of cool. If I want to make money, I would err on the side of usable. Which Xango has recently done. Check out their new site here. I think they must have learned the hard way.

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Dropdown Menus Done Right

2009-01-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gone to a website and had to deal with oversensitive or extremely complicated drop down menus? I’m talking about those sites where you click the nav item and a dropdown menu appears, but instead of keeping it simple, they expand upon it. Rolling over the sub-nav brings out another menu and then maybe even those menus have drops downs. Some menus don’t even have any indication that there is a submenu until you roll over it. Then you accidentally move your mouse off and the either another menu pops up or they disappear altogether. Ok, Maybe I am being a little dramatic here, but regardless it is annoying. Then trying to navigate these menus on a laptop’s track pad adds a whole new level of difficulty. I am sure if you’re reading this blog you already know exactly what I am talking about, but just in case: check out Provo.org

I have seen other UX professionals recommend not using them at all. I however feel they can be very useful IF used correctly. Here’s some examples on how to do it right. Click on the images below to view the sites.

Do you know of any very good or very bad implementations of dropdowns? Leave them in the comments.

Best Practice: Sign Up Flow

2009-01-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

Recently I was on the Internet conducting a usability exercise and found myself at thedailybeast.com. Navigating the site had completely drained my reservoir of good will. If I was not there for the exercise, I would have left. Instead I fumbled my way through the website. Then went through the reservation process and my reservoir was almost completely filled back up. Their registration process is simple and makes you wonder why more websites don't do it similarly. When I click on the register button, I don't get shifted off onto another path. I small overlay is opened up over the current page.

Once I have entered in all my information, I hit submit and I am done. I don't have to go to my email and click a link to activate my account. I don't even have to use my newly created credentials to log onto the site. It automatically signs me in. And because the registration form is laid over the web page, when I am done signing up, I can easily continue from where I left off. As far as the sign up flow, I don't think I have ever seen anything better. The one thing that I would add to make it perfect is real time error checking.

Whether thedailybeast.com is something that you will use or not, I encourage you to register on the site so that you can get a first hand look at their process.

Book Review: Don’t Make Me Think

2009-01-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

I just got done reading Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug for the second time. That’s right I liked it so much I read it twice in a row! Don’t Make Me Think is book that helps anyone working on the web better understand the basics on web usability and empowers them to get started on their own. When putting this book together Steve made the book exemplify what he was trying to teach, how to provide a good user experience. His writing is very concise and to the point. Because of this, reading it is very enjoyable; he has good examples, pictures and cartoons. How can’t it be great?!

Although this book is basic, it is for everyone that has a hand in building the web; web designers, developers, managers, and usability experts. How does it work so well across all ranges of familiarity with the subject? For those who do not specialize in usability it teaches the basics, and makes it super easy to understand. For those who do specialize in usability, he provides very good examples and explains things very well, allowing us to better describe what we do and why it is important.

Here are some excerpts from a few reviews on Amazon.com:

“Simply put, this book is as entertaining as it is easy to read. It delivers highly useful, critical information about web design best practices, calling attention to the fact that great design keeps its user in mind at all times. The principles he outlines are well-articulated, as he continuously reminds designers that well thought-out functionality and intuitive navigation ultimately is, the basis of the best site designs.”

“I highly recommend it to anyone designing websites, and parts of it to anyone who is hiring someone else to design or redesign their site. By using the methods described in this book and looking at other sites the person has done, you will better assess the quality of the person you are interviewing for the work.”

“If you're a digital media professional, there probably isn't anything here you didn't already know. But it's the kind of book that keeps you nodding your head with it in unison page after page. It's also very well written--Steve is the kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with. His takeaways are straightforward, painless, and evergreen. Should be required reading for every design and production person joining your team.”

Walmart.com, the Good and the Bad

2008-12-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

I have always thought that Walmart has done a pretty good job with their website. They have tons of stuff, and I am able to find most things rather quickly. Today when I visited the site, two things caught my eye. Let’s start with the positive one.

Like many sites they have a slideshow on their home page. These are great because they maximize the most desired website real estate, above the fold on the home page. But one thing that drives me crazy about slideshows. When one does happen to catch your eye, you are only half done reading it when something else pops up. Now I have to figure out how to go back (or maybe even wait till it comes around again, then pause it.) Slideshows definitely have their drawbacks. Walmart however has done something with theirs that helps to minimize that drawback (at least from my point of view).

My problem with slideshows isn’t that the slides change. It’s not knowing WHEN they are going to change. They have introduced a feature that gives the user feedback as to when the slide will change. Essentially the slide number button slowly fills with a new color, when it is full, a new slide is displayed. It isn’t easy to describe so feel free to check it out for yourself here. It’s a solution that is simple and intuitive.

The other thing I noticed at the Walmart site is they are actually selling advertisement space. Although it does have usability ramifications, it is more of a business concern for me. Do they really want to be driving people away from their sites to others sites? How does this make them look to the public? Are they really that strapped for cash that they need to decrease the user experience on their site just to make a few bucks?

Ever Rented a Redbox Movie?

2008-12-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

If I want to rent a DVD, Redbox is the place to go. They have new releases for 99 cents, there's multiple locations in a couple mile radius around my house, and I can return a movie to any redbox location. Super Easy. Super Convenient. Sure it has its downsides too, small selection and scratched discs, but I think the positive far outweigh the negative aspects. Especially since I basically get all my movies for free with promo codes.

But there is one huge downside with redbox. People taking forever to choose a movie. When I go to rent a movie, there might be 2-3 other people in front of me, its not unheard of for me to have to wait 10 minutes to get my turn at bat. If I am renting a movie, not a problem, I'll deal with it. My beef is in returning movies, should I really have to wait 10 minutes to put a DVD in a machine? I think McDonald's actually did a great job with overall usability of the software. The interfaces are intuitive and easy to use. My question is: "Would it be so hard to place a return movie slot on the side of the box?" I want to just walk up, return my movie and get out of there. Anyone else have this same issue?

What do poeple Google? Yahoo

2008-12-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

Google just released their 2008 Zeitgeist. For those of you who don’t know what that is, Google takes all the search terms used in 2008 and lists the most used ones (excluding porn of course, otherwise this would tell us nothing.) Basically it highlights the big events that happened during the past year. So I was not surprised to see stuff like heath ledger, obama, and financial crises on the list. But there were some things that I did find interesting.

• Globally the 3rd fastest Rising term was “facebook login”. This just shows that although the world is getting more connected by using services like facebook, they are not all as savy enough to create a bookmark.

• In Canada the 6th Most popular keyword is “google” (“yahoo” is number 8). Any Idea on what these people are looking for? Why would you go to google.com and search for “google”? This is just odd.

• Also in Canada the fastest rising term was “obama”. Obama also appeared in the top ten in 6 other foreign countries. This just shows that boarders are becoming more faint in this technology age. I believe people in Denmark are searching for Obama because they believe his election to the US presidency will affect them in one way or another.

Apple's Homepage Rocks

2008-12-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

I visited Apple.com recently and although it was by no means my first visit, I noticed something that I really liked about their homepage. Focus. Too many homepages are “promoting” so many things on the homepage the definition of the word seems to lose all meaning. There are a lot of things that I don’t like about apple.com (like where do you find Apple TV?), but this is one thing they have done right.

Other than that, they have done a great job with their homepage; one large promotion, four other secondary promotions. They are very focused in their message. My Personal web browsing habits have shown me that I am much more likely to click on a promotion on a site like Apple’s that a site that is oozing over the brim with content competing for my attention. Why? Because I am not overwhelmed by all the information being thrown at me; their message is clear. Additionally their navigation, search, and site ID are also clear and prominent. And on top of all that, the design is also very pleasing to the eye.

Poor Integration of a Captcha

2008-11-20T12:55:00.000-08:00

Are You Human?
I don't know the history of captchas but I am going to place my bet that they were thought up by a very smart developer. And like most very smart developers, he must have been completely disconnected from the real world. Here is a captcha I came across recently.

WHAT?! I think that the general idea of Captchas is a decent solution to a real world problem, but common folks lets think. I have seen way to many captchas that I have not been able to read. Of course that might not mean that they did not work...