Newsletter issue #32 - 1st November 2006
This issue
Hello and welcome to the November edition of the Webcredible newsletter!
In this issue:
- Feature article: Filter & sort - Improving ecommerce product findability
- Top tip: Change the colour of visited links
- Useful program: Semantic Extractor
- Top link: UsabilityNews.com
- New articles in October
- Webcredible news in October
Enjoy!
Feature article: Filter & sort - Improving ecommerce product findability
As an ecommerce owner, you generally have two goals for users: You want them to find the products they're looking for and you want them to buy those products. The second obviously can't happen without the first as users can't buy a product if they can't find it! Read this month's feature article to find out how to improve the ecommerce experience so users can find the products they're looking for.
Read this article in full at www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-usability/ecommerce-findability.shtml.
Top tip: Change the colour of visited links
Nowadays so few websites seem to change the colour of visited links, preferring to keep visited and non-visited links in the same colour. Perhaps this is due to the vanity of designers, who want their sites to always look exactly how they originally designed them. This is such a shame as changing the colour of visited links has so many benefits:
- Comparing products When using a product listings page (either on an ecommerce or shopping comparison website), users will likely look at a number of products. To do this, they'll often select a link for a product, skim through the product information and then return back to the product listing page. They'll then repeat this process for other products. Without highlighting visited links it makes it that much harder for users to remember which products they've already looked at.
- Looking for information Looking for a certain piece of information on a website can often be a frustrating experience (particularly if the site hasn't been designed with usability in mind). By showing which links have been visited you at least let users know where they've already looked. Users therefore won't inadvertently return to a page they've already been to.
- Returning to a website Internet users will often return to websites, perhaps a few days after their initial visit. This is particularly true of ecommerce websites where users will often visit the site 2-3 times before actually making a purchase. By highlighting visited links users can of course easily see where it was they'd been previously.
Useful program: Semantic Extractor
The Semantic Extractor provided by the W3C, as the name suggests, extracts semantic information from any web page. Simply type in a URL and the program will show you the structure of the web page, based on the HTML code.
You can use this program at www.w3.org/2003/12/semantic-extractor.
Top link: UsabilityNews.com
Want to keep up to date with the latest news and events in usability? With content updated on a daily basis, UsabilityNews.com is a great place to start!
Check out this site at www.usabilitynews.com.
New articles in October
Read these and many other articles at www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources.
Webcredible news in October
- November training courses all sold out!
- Webcredible website nominated for prestigious award
- Intrusive adverts annoy you the most
- New participatory consultancy service available
Read these news stories in full at www.webcredible.co.uk/about-us/latest-news.shtml.
We're recruiting!
Webcredible currently has a vacancy for a senior user experience consultant. If you want a hands-on role running a variety of usability and IA projects and mentoring other consultants then this could be the job for you!
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 November and December:
- Usability testing training - Monday 4th December. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our usability testing training page.
- Web writing training - Tuesday 7th November & Tuesday 5th December. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our intermediate web writing training page.
- Web usability training - Wednesday 8th November & Wednesday 6th December. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our web usability training page.
- Web accessibility training - Thursday 9th November & Thursday 7th December. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our web accessibility training page.
- Advanced CSS training - Friday 10th November & Friday 8th December. 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 research
- User-centered design
- Accessible CSS web design
- Training courses & support
- Website reviews
- Usability lab hire
Please contact us on 020 7423 6320 or info at webcredible.co.uk, or consult www.webcredible.co.uk for further information.
