November 2009 posts

Silver Surfers - computer wiz or novice?

By Frankie Pagnacco on 27 November 2009

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Silver Surfers – computer users with a disposable income and the desire to spend it – are often seen as a seam to be mined. Cue rubbing of hands.

We’ve all heard the stories of the computer wiz grandmother. This category of Silver Surfer is easily catered for because they are confident computer users and integrate more easily into mainstream internet and software use. Here the designer’s considerations lie in integrating the diverse issues related to older users into their designs. But the emphasis tends towards getting them connected so that they can spend, spend, spend. A rich seam indeed.

But what of the novice computer user over 50? Less on the radar are the type of older user who want to do two or three simple things like keep in touch with family, share photos and browse the internet for personal interests. They are concerned with trustworthiness, security and reliability. They also don’t necessarily want to go to a class to learn how to use a computer but want it to be clear what does what, for instance, what is clickable. They may also not be very keen to spend online.

Well, it’s gratifying therefore to see the launch of SimplicITy, a new PC that caters to all these needs as its primary concern. It has no start up screen, no need to log in (so no need to remember pesky passwords) and there are six basic options: email, browse the web, chat, about me, video tutorials (presented by Valerie Singleton no less) and documents. The email option breaks down clearly into the choice of read, write and address book. The system runs on Linux which is said to be immune to viruses and therefore safe and reliable.

Even though the cynic in me believes that getting people connected to the internet these days seems to be about relieving them of their money in one way or another, I nonetheless look forward to following SimplicITy’s successes in the future.

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Guest blog - On a more positive note

By Rhodri Buttrick on 23 November 2009

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My recent posts have been about issues that I’ve encountered while starting university, but on a more positive note, Facebook has undoubtedly helped me most on my way. My university is incredibly well organised in this respect, with a Facebook group for all freshers and a separate group for each of the halls of residence. The freshers group lists the timetable of events for freshers week and while we also get sent all this information on paper, having it on Facebook makes it impossible to lose.

Another huge advantage is that if I have any queries or problems, I can just message members of the Student Union and my Hall Committee or post on the discussion board. I have also made contact with other people in my Hall and on my course. Another great advantage about university information being available online is that I can use a screen reader if there is a large amount of text that needs to be read.

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Content is King, but needs to be categorised properly

By Alistair Gray on 19 November 2009

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Having recently come across a couple of websites where it has been difficult to find the requiredeBay screenshot content through browsing, it made me think about how some website owners prioritise search over browsing. This despite the fact that around half of website users, prefer to browse rather than search.

Site visitors will browse as well as search and because of this you must make sure you’re categorising your content so people are able to browse their way there. You need to think about how users would approach your site content. You then need to group your content accordingly, rather than splitting it as per your internal company structure. Site visitors will not know this structure, and will not care to learn it in order to find what they need.

You could also consider splitting your content according to different user groups (e.g. splitting content on a university website by staff, current students and potential students). Finally, you must ensure you don’t give users too many choices at once, offer clear sub-categories if necessary and allow people to ‘drill’ their way down to the content they want. eBay is a great example of this.

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Registering your frustration

By Alexander Baxevanis on 17 November 2009

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Following the launch of our recent Ecommerce Usability report, one the lowest scoring guidelines was focused on user registration and this made me think of a tip I wrote on this for our newsletter a few months ago.

Too many websites still force users to register without good reason, or provide an ineffective registration process, leading to frustrated users often dropping off the website. This is an all too common occurrence, but there are some steps you can take to alleviate these drop-offs:

  • Ask users to login or register only when necessary
    Those parts of a website that aren’t personalised should be equally accessible by registered and non-registered users. Only ask people to login or register when it’s required to complete an action, not earlier.
  • Make registration optional where possible
    Customers shouldn’t have to ‘create an account’ in order to buy products from an online shop. If a site needs to remember simple previously entered information, this can also be done by using a cookie, which of course requires no effort from the end user.
  • Prominently explain the benefits of registration
    Users will be happier to register if they know that they’re getting something useful, rather than if registration is seen as a barrier between them and their task.
  • Avoid lengthy registration forms
    Another source of frustration comes from questions in registration forms that look irrelevant to the task in hand. Remove such questions and explain the rest e.g. “We need your phone number to notify you in case your flight times change.”
  • Consider progressive registration
    This means asking only the bare essentials in the beginning (e.g. an email address and a password), and enabling users to update and complete their full profile at a later stage.

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Guest blog - Information overload

By Rhodri Buttrick on 12 November 2009

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Since accepting my University place, I have been amazed by the amount of information that is swamping my e-mail account and pouring through my letterbox. I’m not complaining because it is great that the University is so thorough and sends us so much useful information.

However, due to my difficulty with sustained reading, sorting through this information is a massive task. The information is usually sent by post and by e-mail, so I end up reading a lot of it twice. I find receiving stuff via e-mail far better as it is much easier to lose a physical envelope. As of yet my bedroom floor does not have a search box to hunt for important documents!

I also find the more stuff I get sent, the less I want to read it and I end up losing or forgetting things. Most annoyingly I didn’t bother to read a letter concerning buying tickets for the Freshers Ball and I think they have sold out and I will be unable to attend. Not even Cinderella had this much bother.

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