8 Critical Usability Tips

8 Critical Usability Tips: Quick low cost ways to get impressive results

John Whalen, PhDDirector, User Experience and Design, e.magination

Usability Reviews and Usability Testing

Top 8 Critical Usability Tips

Navigation

Content

Interaction

Persuasive Design

Top 8 Critical Usability Tips

Navigation

Content

Interaction

Persuasive Design

Tip 1: Navigation – KISS – Harder than you think…

Tip 1: Navigation – KISS – Harder than you think…

Trying to describe 10 steps…

…but page has 42 links

…29 related to task at hand

…13 leaving page.

Where do I start??

Notice the numbering:4,5,6,7,8…4,5,6,7,8…4???

Take a step back, think like the user

Make an obvious first step

Distinguish primary and secondary navigation

Provide a table of contents

Informal Test – Where should you click first?

30%Correct

30%Correct

e.magdesign

100%Correct

e.magdesign

100%Correct

Tip 2: Navigation – Less is More

Tip 2: Navigation – Less is More

2 sets of tabs…

Clickable buttons for navigation…

Clickable buttons for actions…

Clickable objects for navigation…

Large distance between question and “Next” button

Large distance between help and question

Tip 2: Navigation – Less is More

NextNextPreviousPrevious

NextNextPreviousPrevious

Informal Test – Which would you prefer?

8%8%

e.magdesign

92%

e.magdesign

92%

Top 8 Critical Usability Tips

Navigation

Content

Interaction

Persuasive Design

Top 8 Critical Usability Tips

Navigation

Content

Interaction

Persuasive Design

Tip 3: Content – Provide visual clues that direct eyes.

A B

0 Seconds

A B

5 Seconds

A B

15 Seconds

After 15 seconds, users “below the fold”

Tip 4: Content – Create scan-able content

✓

Users scan content in an “F” pattern

They skip irrelevant content

Top 8 Critical Usability Tips

Navigation

Content

Interaction

Persuasive Design

Top 8 Critical Usability Tips

Navigation

Content

Interaction

Persuasive Design

Tip 5: Interaction – Make the next step “duh” obvious

Informal Test – Where should you click next?

6%Correct

6%Correct

Amazon

91%Correct

Amazon

91%Correct

What makes it obvious?

• Distinct color• Size• Affordance (click-ability)• Next in user eye-flow• Absence of any other

items with that style• Consistency in

positioning

Tip 6: Interaction – Search + Refine

Do you prefer Search + Refine?

No 15%No 15%

Yes85%Yes85%

Top 8 Critical Usability Tips

Navigation

Content

Interaction

Persuasive Design

What makes it obvious?

• Distinct color• Size• Affordance (click-ability)• Next in user eye-flow• Absence of any other

items with that style• Consistency in

positioning

Top 8 Critical Usability Tips

Navigation

Content

Interaction

Persuasive Design

Tip 7: Persuasion – Invoke reciprocity, social validation, and similarity

Reciprocity: • Give things away.• Create an environment

where you contribute, then ask for something in return.

Tip 7: Persuasion – Invoke reciprocity, social validation, and similarity

Social Validation: • You’re making the

right choice.• Lots of other people

choose this too.

Tip 7: Persuasion – Invoke reciprocity, social validation, and similarity

Similarity: • People just like you choose us.

Tip 8: Persuasion – Find the right social networks and provide thought leadership

Source: Forrester.com

Tip 8: Persuasion – Find the right social networks and provide thought leadership

Develop a B.E.S.T. formula

• Behavioral: Everything you communicate is designed to change customer behavior

• Essential: Your communications really help your customers succeed in their jobs

• Strategic: Your content becomes a integral part of your business strategy

• Targeted: Target your content so that it is truly relevant to your clients.

8 Critical Usability Tips

Navigation1. K.I.S.S. – Make the first step obvious2. Less is More – Remove unnecessary navigationContent3. Provide visual clues that direct eyes to next step4. Create scan-able contentInteraction5. Make the next step “duh” obvious6. Search + RefinePersuasion7. Invoke reciprocity, social validation, and similarity8. Find the right social networks and provide thought leadership

Your Summer Reading List…

THANK YOU!

John Whalen, PhD

Director, User Experience

Twitter: @johnwhalen

Email: john.whalen@emagination.com

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwhalen

…or talk to us!