Newsletter issue #41 - 1st August 2007
This issue
Hello and welcome to the August edition of the Webcredible newsletter!
In this issue:
- Feature article: 10 ways to orientate users on your site
- Top tip: When to open links in new windows
- Useful program: Axure
- New articles in July
- Webcredible news in July
Enjoy!
Feature article: 10 ways to orientate users on your site
No matter where users are on your site, they need to be able to quickly and simply work out where they are within the website. As websites get larger and more complex, and more and more people enter deep into websites from search engines, this has never been as important as it is today. Read through these top 10 tips and your site visitors should always be able to work out where they are and where they can go.
Read this article in full at www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-usability/orientate-users.shtml.
Top tip: When to open links in new windows
In last month's top tip we explained why opening links in new windows is generally a bad idea for usability. There are some exceptions however, when opening links in a new window is actually a good idea. Provided you always warn users in advance, here are a few examples of when you should open links in a new window:
- PDFs and Word documents Computer users generally associate reading PDF and Word documents in Adobe Reader and Microsoft Word respectively. So, if your website links to one of these files, users that have finished reading the PDF/Word document will often close down the window in order to return to the Internet browser. If the document hasn't opened in a new window they've lost your website.
- Contextual help When working through a form, users will often need contextual help to aid them in completing some of the fields. This help is usually accessed by clicking on a question mark (or a similar icon) and the help text is opened in a new window (or displayed on the page). Because the help typically opens in a small pop-up window users are fully aware of how to return to the page they were on. They can then toggle between this new window and the main page, using the help text as they complete the form.
- Large images Most product pages have a picture of an image which, when clicked, displays a larger version of the picture. Links to large images should also open in new windows as they may take a while to download. Users can continue to browse through the main web page whilst waiting for the image to fully appear in a separate window.
- Newsletter links Links within newsletters (such as this one) should also be set to open in new windows. Webmail clients can sometimes open links within the email window, meaning the site that's being linked to opens inside users' email, rather than the full web browser.
Useful program: Axure
Axure is an excellent program designed specifically for creating wireframes, flow diagrams and prototypes. It's an essential program for anyone involved in information architecture and user interface design.
Read about and download this program at www.axure.com.
New articles in July
Read this and many other articles at www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources.
Webcredible news in July
- We want to know about your mobile Internet usage
- We're still recruiting a lead user experience architect!
- Training courses all sold out this month!
- Webcredible in Daily Express
Read these news stories in full at www.webcredible.co.uk/about-us/latest-news.shtml.
We're recruiting!
Webcredible currently has a job vacancy for a lead user research consultant. We're looking for someone to coordinate our IA and near end UCD user research offering so you'll really need to know your stuff. Read all about this vacancy at http://www.webcredible.co.uk/jobs/usability.shtml and then send in your CV - you could be working here in our London offices sooner than you think!
Vote in our poll!
We're running a poll to find out about your mobile / cell phone Internet usage. We'd really appreciate it if you took a moment to vote in our poll - it'll only take about 10 seconds of your time!
Put your opinion across and vote in our poll at www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/polls.
Training courses
Courses continue to sell out well in advance! Our next training courses will take place in our training centre in Aldgate, London in September and October:
- Usability testing training - Monday 3rd September. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our usability testing training page.
- Writing for the web training - Tuesday 4th September & Monday 1st October. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our writing for the web training page.
- Web usability training - Wednesday 5th September & Wednesday 3rd October. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our web usability training page.
- Web accessibility training - Thursday 6th September & Thursday 4th October. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our web accessibility training page.
- Advanced CSS training - Friday 7th September & Friday 5th October. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our advanced CSS training page.
About Webcredible
Based in London, UK, Webcredible is a user experience consultancy. Tailor-made usability, accessibility & design solutions include:
- User-centered design
- Accessible web design
- CMS services
- Usability
- Accessibility
- Training
- Website review lite
Please contact us on 0870 242 6095 or info at webcredible.co.uk, or consult www.webcredible.co.uk for further information.