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Jan 7, 2000
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Web Site usability
Information architecture
Buzz words
Trends
The role of the communicator has certainly changed and evolved throughout the years. Today, public relations professionals are expected to be proficient in web site design, content development and copy - writing for the Web.
This first issue will take a brief look at web site usability, information architecture, and provide you with valuable links if you wish to gather more information. In addition, there is a column on "Buzz words", words that suddenly appear and gain momentum like a speeding bullet and hopefully, words that would disappear just as fast. There's also "Trends", highlighting the latest in Internet technology.
Hope you enjoy this first edition, feel free to send your comments or suggestions.
Evena Gottschalk
Your boss has his ideas and members of the Web Site steering committee have their ideas about the new web site. They all want lots of graphics and icons.
Yes, you are in charge of web site design, and you're wondering where to start. How about usability? In this article, we'll take a brief look at a usability study conducted in the USA.
Last year, User Interface Engineering ,UIEtips, a product usability consulting firm conducted studies using an eye-tracking system. The studies were able to pin-point where users look when viewing a web page. A prototype web page was designed for the study where users' eye movements were tracked.
Do we read what's at the bottom of a web page?
Not really. Studies revealed that users rarely went to the bottom of a page. They usually scrolled information higher on the screen if they were interested.
Yes we like bright colours and animation, but do we really like them that much?
Bright colors and animation attracted users. However, users eyes did not remain focus for long on the bright colors or animation but quickly returned to the content. In other words graphics are fine, but users want to reach the content as quickly as possible.
How about those ads?
"Users eye gaze often stopped at the borders around ads." Users gaze went from "bottom of the ads at the top of the page and the top of those near the bottom." Users translated these lines as "unimportant to their task." Users were only attracted to ads that were relevant to their mission.
Do users recognize changes to a web page?
Yes, they do. Most users scanned the changed area as soon as it occurred and read the content. It was previously thought that retaining the same layout for all web pages was the way to go. However, the study proved that users do notice changes and that a consistent design might "cause users to miss content of interest."
For more information about usability
and this study go to:
http://www.uie.com
Your Web Site is up and running, but how is information organized on your site? Are users able to access information fast and easily? Do they give up in frustration when information cannot be retrieved? Now there are information architecture consultants to help you organize your company's information.
Information architecture is a relatively new field that designs organizational and navigational systems. Louis Rosenfeld, co-founder and president of Argus Associates, co-author of the best selling Internet book, "Information Architecture for the World Wide Web" and former librarian defines information architecture as, "the design of organization and navigation systems to help people find and manage information more successfully."
For interview with Rosenfeld and usability tips go to http://WebWord.com/interviews/rosenfeld.html
During the last decade we have been bombarded with an overdose of buzz phrases and words. The most recent is a "win-win" situation or win-win for everyone. It appears in newspapers and speeches. It's everywhere. Grammatically speaking, how do we classify win-win? Okay, we know there is the verb to win and the nouns win or winning. But exactly what is win-win?
I need help here. It's fine to create new words and phrases as we evolve. But would somebody please tell me what's with this win-win? By my own method of deduction, if two negatives equal a positive, then a win-win situation is definitely a no-win situation.
Rita Vine in an article Information Highways December/January 1999 issue titled "Web search tools 1999" mentions "guru sites" as one of the latest Web trends. Vine defines "guru sites" as Web directories of carefully selected resources chosen by experts in the field and arranged in a taxomony meaningful to the researcher."
That is , resources scientifically classified where users can easily access information using normal terms.
Who coined the phrase guru sites? Author Reve Basch.
Web site for persons with physical disabilities
visit:
http://trace.wisc.edu/world/tool_nav.html
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