Prioritizing Web UsabilityNielsen and Loranger

Chapter 2: The Web User Experience

Paul Ammann

http://cs.gmu.edu/~pammann/

SWE 432

Design and Implementation of Software for the Web

04/21/23 2

Overview

• How Well Do People Use the Web?

• User Satisfaction with Web Sites

• How People Use Sites

• Search Dominance

• Scrolling

• Complying with Design Conventions and Usability Guidelines

• Information Foraging

First Time User: You have Less Than Two Minutes!

04/21/23 3

How Well Do People Use the Web?

• The Measure of Success– Progress Users Make in Completing a Task at a NEW Site

– Example Task: Make a Reservation

• Web-Wide Success Rates– 66 % (Site Specific Tasks) vs. 40% in the 1990s!

– (60% Web-Wide Tasks)

• Success by Experience Level– Low Experience: 59% (Site-Specific) to 52% (Web-Wide)

– High Experience: 72% (Site-Specific) to 67% (Web-Wide)

Users Fail a Lot!

04/21/23 4

User Satisfaction With Web Sites

• Users Often Don’t Realize What They’ve Missed– Hence Satisfaction is Hard to Accurately Measure

• Key Distinction: Home Page (40%) vs. Deep Link (60%)• Three Guidelines for Supporting Deep Link Users

– Tell Users Where They Are and Where They Can Go• Name/Logo on every page

• Direct, One-Click Link to Home Page

• Search, Preferably in Upper Right Corner

– Orient User to the Rest of the Site

– Don’t Assume that Users Have Drilled Down

Make All of Your Site Accessible

04/21/23 5

How People Use Sites• Average 3.2 Sites Per Task

– Less Than Two Minutes Prior to Abandoning

– Rarely Revisit A Site

• The HomePage: So Much to Say, So Little Time– Average Times: 35 Seconds (Novice) vs 25 Seconds (Expert)

– Experienced Users are Ruthless!

– Clarity is Crucial

– No Long Winded Text – Users Won’t Read It Anyway

– Users Aren’t Reading the Page – They are Figuring Out Where to Go Next

• Examples: QuadGraphics Dial Before You Dig

You Need to Support The User’s Task

04/21/23 6

How People Use Sites (2)• Four Goals in Thirty Seconds For a Home Page

– What Site User Has Arrived At

– What Benefits the Organization Offers Them

– Something About the Company and its Products/Benefits

– Their Choices And How to Navigate To Desired Section

• Interior Page Behavior– Users Read More Content on Interior Pages

– Eye Scans Show Users Spend More Time In Content Area

• Tip: Optimizing Interior Page Links– Put Important Links in Content Area of Interior Pages

• Homepage vs. Interior: Apple vs. IPhones Settings

Home Pages and Interior Pages Are Used Differently

04/21/23 7

Search Dominance

• Percentage a Task Starts at a Search Engine: 88%• The Rise of “Answer Engines”

– Users Search for Answers, Not for Promising Sites

• Four Ways to Grab Value From Search Engine Visitors– Offer Flytrap content:

• Narrowly Focused Pages With Answers to Common Problems

– Embellish the Answer with Rich “See Also” links

– Go Beyond Pure Information• Provide Analysis and Insight

– Publish a Newsletter with Additional Tips and Information

Users Don’t Want You; They Want Your Data!

04/21/23 8

Search Dominance(2)• Organic vs. Sponsored Links

– Organic Links Are Best Matches for User’s Query

– Sponsored Links are Ads

• How People Use the Search Engine Results Page (SERP)– 93 % Visit First SERP Only

– Only 47% Scroll the First SERP• With Google, 4 or 5 Organic Sites “Above the Fold”

– 51% Click on First Site; Only 16% Click on Second Site

• Number One Guideline for Search Engine Optimization– Aim for the Top Spot!

Users Don’t Go For a Lot of Breadth

04/21/23 9

Search Dominance(3)• Keyword Pricing Estimates For Usability Improvements

– Bottom Line: Google is Making a LOT of Money

• Determining the Optimal Bid for a Search Keyword Ad– Maximize Profit, Not Total Business

• How Much is Improved Usability Worth?– Typically Doubles “Conversion Rate”

• Three Reasons to Improve Your Site– Keyword Bids Will Gradually Become Insufficient

– Beat Your Competitor

– Keep The Customers You Get Through Other Channels

Business Case for Commercial Sites

04/21/23 10

Scrolling

• Tip: Design for Short Scrolling– 23% Scroll Home Page First Visit

– 14% Later Visits to Home Page

– 42% Scroll Interior Pages

– 47% Scroll SERP

“Users are Lazy and Ignorant” (page 45)

04/21/23 11

Complying with Design Conventions and Usability Guidelines

• Seven Reasons for Standard Design Elements.– Users Know What Features to Expect

– Users Know How Features Look in Interface

– Users Know Where on Site/Page to Find Features

– Users Know How to Operate Features

– Users Don’t Ponder Meaning of Unknown Design Elements

– Users Don’t Miss Important Features

– Users Don’t Get Surprised

Part of Good Design Is Community Standards

04/21/23 12

Information Foraging

• Information Scent: Predicting a Path’s Success– Users Persist If the Scent is Getting Stronger

• Diet Selection: What Sites to Visit– An Easy Catch

– A Tasty Meal

• Three Ways to Enhance Information Scent– Ensure that Links Describe Precisely What User Will Find

– Use English Instead of Made-Up Words

– Remind Users They Are On The Right Path• Provide Feedback About Their Location And Its Relevance

Web Sites In Darwinian Competition

04/21/23 13

Information Foraging(2)• Patch Abandonment: When to Hunt Elsewhere

– Old Advice: Try to Trap Users On Your Site

– New Advice: Thanks To Improved Search Engines, Users Now Leave When the Foraging Grows Stale

• Design Strategies for Attracting Information Foragers– Support Short Visits: Be an Information Snack

– Encourage Users to Return

– Emphasize Search Engine Visibility

• Informavore Navigation Behavior– Users Ruthlessly Apply Cost/Benefit Analysis For Information

Nuggets

Understand the Informavore!