Category Archives: Web Usability

Starbucks customers stampede website – Be Careful What You Ask For!

Hundreds of coffee-obsessed consumers chimed in moments after Starbucks launched a Web site asking customers to pitch changes the company should make to revive its struggling US business. Be careful what you ask for – You may get overwhelmed by … Continue reading

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Consumers earn Free Stuff with “Free Love”

FREE LOVE: the ongoing rise of free, valuable stuff that’s available to consumers online and offline. From AirAsia tickets to Wikipedia, and from diapers to music. This is the new consumerism on the Web. Read about it at http://www.trendwatching.com/briefing/. FREE … Continue reading

Posted in Technology, Users, Web Usability | 1 Comment

Scientific Web Design: 23 Actionable Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies

I conducted eye-movement research on reading comprehension in my graduate work on my M.A. and Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology back in the early 80′s. Eye-tracking hardware and software have come a long way since then and they provide very interesting … Continue reading

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eCommerce Web Usability Blooper

Great! I found the software I’m looking for, and it’s on SALE! $325, with $75 off, ends up at $250! But wait, it says the discounted price is $395! What is going on!!!! Welcome to the wonderful world of web … Continue reading

Posted in Usability Bloopers, Web Usability | 2 Comments

The human factor in gadget, Web design (CNN News)

More good press for my field of usability and web design: “Experts in the field of so-called human-computer interaction, however, say good design like the YouTube interface is the exception, not the rule. For every slick Apple iPod, there are … Continue reading

Posted in Technology, User Centered Design (UCD), Users, Web Usability | 1 Comment

So You Want to Be a Rock Star (Usability Consultant) – UPA 2007 Panel

Usability Professionals’ Association 2007 Conference: Patterns: Blueprints for Usability, June 11-15, Austin, Texas I am participating on an exciting panel of expert consultants at the 2007 UPA conference. It should be a great time. Please check out the Advance Program. … Continue reading

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Articles/Videos: Steve Krug (Web Usability) and Jakob Nielsen (Application Usability)

Read and view interviews with two colleagues and well-known UI authors and gurus, Jakob Nielsen and Steve Krug. Great Minds in Development: Steve Krug talks about Web usability Article Video Great Minds in Development: Jakob Nielsen – Designing Your Applications … Continue reading

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Web Search Design: Interview with Larry Cornett, Yahoo Director of User Experience Design

Larry Cornett, the relatively new Director of User Experience Design at Yahoo and Kathryn Kelly, Director of PR for Yahoo! Search, speak with Gord Hotchkiss of Search Engine Land. Read the interview here. Gord asked Larry and Catherine about the … Continue reading

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Bad Usability Calendar – 2007

“Finally, it €™s here: This year the Bad Usability Calendar is, if possible, even less usable than previous years.” This is a great teaching tool for highlighting how easy it is to create unusable designs. Created by European designers. Read … Continue reading

Posted in Usability Bloopers, Web Usability | 3 Comments

New! Two Forrester Research Reports on Usability Testing

Forrester Research has just published two studies on usability testing in their new series, “Usability Testing for Managers.” I participated as one of the experts in the field Forrester surveyed for the studies. These studies are usually not publicly distributed, … Continue reading

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Prototyping Tips

A major aspect in user interface and interaction design is prototyping. Typically, prototypes are either low-fidelity prototypes (flip-charts, drawings, PowerPoint, etc.) to evaluate conceptual designs or high-fidelity prototypes (HTML/JavaScript, Flash, application code, etc.) for design, evaluation and development. Learn more … Continue reading

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