For this year's list of worst design mistakes, I decided to try something new: I asked readers of my newsletter to nominate the usability problems they found the most irritating.
I assumed that asking for reader input would highlight many issues that I hadn't noticed in my own user testing. This was not the case. Instead, all of the top thirty problems were covered in existing usability guidelines. Thus, when you read this year's top ten list, you'll probably say, "Yes, I've heard about this before." That's okay.
There's value in reminding ourselves of past findings and raising their priority on the agenda of things to be fixed. Because these mistakes continue to be so common, it makes sense that people continue to complain about them the most.
1. Legibility Problems
Bad fonts won the vote by a landslide, getting almost twice as many votes as the #2 mistake. About two-thirds of the voters complained about small font sizes or frozen font sizes; about one-third complained about low contrast between text and background.
2. Non-Standard Links
Following are the five main guidelines for links:
1. Make obvious what's clickable: for text links, use colored, underlined text (and don't underline non-link text).
2. Explain what users will find at the other end of the link, and include some of the key information-carrying terms in the anchor text itself to enhance scannability and search engine optimization (SEO). Don't use "click here" or other non-descriptive link text.
3. Avoid JavaScript or other fancy techniques that break standard interaction techniques for dealing with links.
4. In particular, don't open pages in new windows (except for PDF files and such).
Links are the Web's number one interaction element. Violating common expectations for how links work is a sure way to confuse and delay users, and might prevent them from being able to use your site.
3. Flash
I view it as a personal failure that Flash collected the bronze medal for annoyance. It's been three years since I launched a major effort to remedy Flash problems and published the guidelines for using Flash appropriately. When I spoke at the main Flash developer conference, almost everybody agreed that past excesses should be abandoned and that Flash's future was in providing useful user interfaces.
Despite such good intentions, most of the Flash that Web users encounter each day is bad Flash with no purpose beyond annoying people. The one bright point is that splash screens and Flash intros are almost extinct. They are so bad that even the most clueless Web designers won't recommend them, even though a few (even more clueless) clients continue to request them.
Flash is a programming environment and should be used to offer users additional power and features that are unavailable from a static page. Flash should not be used to jazz up a page. If your content is boring, rewrite text to make it more compelling and hire a professional photographer to shoot better photos. Don't make your pages move. It doesn't increase users' attention, it drives them away; most people equate animated content with useless content.
Using Flash for navigation is almost as bad. People prefer predictable navigation and static menus.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Blogger Play
Blogger Play
from Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO
http://play.blogger.com/ is really addictive. It's a slideshow of pictures that are currently uploading to blogger. I remember the first time I realized that the nightly TV news would never play re-runs; if you missed the show that night, ..
from Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO
http://play.blogger.com/ is really addictive. It's a slideshow of pictures that are currently uploading to blogger. I remember the first time I realized that the nightly TV news would never play re-runs; if you missed the show that night, ..
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Yahoo! snubs takeover offer
Internet search engine Yahoo! has rebuffed a 44.6 billion US dollar (£22.9 billion) takeover approach from software giant Microsoft.
The online group said the offer - made in a surprise move less than two weeks ago - "substantially undervalues" the business.
The rejection comes after mounting speculation at the weekend that Yahoo! was set to snub Microsoft's bid.
It is believed Yahoo! is holding out for at least 56 billion US dollars (£28.8 billion).
A merger between the two would create one of the world's biggest technology firms and a rival to search engine Google.
But Yahoo! is understood to be planning a raft of defensive moves to fend off Microsoft's advances.
Source: http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hRr42oJvWzlbocYbynGao8jHTHdQ
The online group said the offer - made in a surprise move less than two weeks ago - "substantially undervalues" the business.
The rejection comes after mounting speculation at the weekend that Yahoo! was set to snub Microsoft's bid.
It is believed Yahoo! is holding out for at least 56 billion US dollars (£28.8 billion).
A merger between the two would create one of the world's biggest technology firms and a rival to search engine Google.
But Yahoo! is understood to be planning a raft of defensive moves to fend off Microsoft's advances.
Source: http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hRr42oJvWzlbocYbynGao8jHTHdQ
Friday, February 8, 2008
Google's celebrity
Google's celebrity, not technology, keeps it No. 1
As it turns out, the reason Google Inc. is so dominant in the Internet search game and why competitors such as Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. are having a tough time catching up has a lot to do with Paris Hilton.
Not all search engines were created equal, but today their technology and the websites they dig up are largely the same, analysts say. What separates Google from the rest of the pack is a history of being the first to develop new strategies to improve and monetize its search practices and a willingness to continue to tinker with its winning formula.
While Microsoft and Yahoo were busy building out their portal offerings - adding everything from celebrity gossip links to stock tips to their Web home pages - Google concentrated on building a better search engine.
Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080208.RSEARCH08/TPStory/Business
As it turns out, the reason Google Inc. is so dominant in the Internet search game and why competitors such as Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. are having a tough time catching up has a lot to do with Paris Hilton.
Not all search engines were created equal, but today their technology and the websites they dig up are largely the same, analysts say. What separates Google from the rest of the pack is a history of being the first to develop new strategies to improve and monetize its search practices and a willingness to continue to tinker with its winning formula.
While Microsoft and Yahoo were busy building out their portal offerings - adding everything from celebrity gossip links to stock tips to their Web home pages - Google concentrated on building a better search engine.
Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080208.RSEARCH08/TPStory/Business
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
What is Web Analytics and How it Helps a Website Owner?
A web analytics is a series of reports of quantitative indicator of the behavior of the visitors of the website. It tracks the movement of visitor and the reason of his/her visit. In other words, it provides the clear report of the performance of your website and the trends. From these reports and trends the website owner creates and implements more effective program to increase sales.
Web Analytics are based:
1. Collection of visitor's data from logfiles, and
2. by tagging each webpage with a Javascript.
A third web analytics method is a combination of the two whereby more relevant data can be produced than what is possible with either of the two methods.
Web Analytics Terms:
Number of visits means that how many visitors landed on any page of your website from any source. In the case of log files of server, it will log several files for each visit, while the page-tagging script will only consider the page as a whole seen by the visitor. In either case, each web analytics data will clearly identify if the visitor is new or has come before.
Page Views means different for the two web analytics methods. While tagging script considers the whole page as one request, the logfile on the other hand will record multiple hits (one for each file, including images, .js and .css) within a single page-view.
Hits denotes requests for files from server and is recorded only in logfile.
Unique visitors means new visitors, it is noticed by logfiles as well.
The length of time a visitor spends in seeing a website.
The keyword phrase used to arrive at the website.
The unique IP address and therefore the country from where the visits generated
Visits duration
Files type etc
Data transfer to and from the server is always recorded in server's logfile with clockwork precision. And these files can be easily viewed in web analytics programs such as Webalizer, Awstats, etc. which analyze raw logfile data and portray valuable visitor information in easy-to-follow graphics.
What is difference between Logfile and Page Tagging:
1. Logfile analysis is usually already available in the server. Page tagging is an outsourced option, which means that visitors' data is captured by provider's remote server.
2. Logfile analysis can be viewed only in provider's website, while Google Analytics and Click Tracks are examples of page-tagging web analytics.
3. Since page tagging requires javascript to be installed on every webpage, there is always a possibility that some visitors' browsers do not allow the script to run. Whilw logfiles have no such issue.
4. Logfiles enter transfer of all files, including images and scripts, and therefore certain parameters like hits and page views are not as accurate as with page-tagging web analytics.
5. While logfiles record visits by search engines, page tagging does not.
6. Logfile web analytics record failed visits too. Page tagging takes a request into account only when a webpage is successfully displayed.
Web analytics is a type of feedback from visitor which is available all times. These reports are a great source by which you can analyze relative strength and weakness of your website. From these, you can find which pages are most visited and which keywords are more related to your web site.
Phoenix SEO
Web Analytics are based:
1. Collection of visitor's data from logfiles, and
2. by tagging each webpage with a Javascript.
A third web analytics method is a combination of the two whereby more relevant data can be produced than what is possible with either of the two methods.
Web Analytics Terms:
Number of visits means that how many visitors landed on any page of your website from any source. In the case of log files of server, it will log several files for each visit, while the page-tagging script will only consider the page as a whole seen by the visitor. In either case, each web analytics data will clearly identify if the visitor is new or has come before.
Page Views means different for the two web analytics methods. While tagging script considers the whole page as one request, the logfile on the other hand will record multiple hits (one for each file, including images, .js and .css) within a single page-view.
Hits denotes requests for files from server and is recorded only in logfile.
Unique visitors means new visitors, it is noticed by logfiles as well.
The length of time a visitor spends in seeing a website.
The keyword phrase used to arrive at the website.
The unique IP address and therefore the country from where the visits generated
Visits duration
Files type etc
Data transfer to and from the server is always recorded in server's logfile with clockwork precision. And these files can be easily viewed in web analytics programs such as Webalizer, Awstats, etc. which analyze raw logfile data and portray valuable visitor information in easy-to-follow graphics.
What is difference between Logfile and Page Tagging:
1. Logfile analysis is usually already available in the server. Page tagging is an outsourced option, which means that visitors' data is captured by provider's remote server.
2. Logfile analysis can be viewed only in provider's website, while Google Analytics and Click Tracks are examples of page-tagging web analytics.
3. Since page tagging requires javascript to be installed on every webpage, there is always a possibility that some visitors' browsers do not allow the script to run. Whilw logfiles have no such issue.
4. Logfiles enter transfer of all files, including images and scripts, and therefore certain parameters like hits and page views are not as accurate as with page-tagging web analytics.
5. While logfiles record visits by search engines, page tagging does not.
6. Logfile web analytics record failed visits too. Page tagging takes a request into account only when a webpage is successfully displayed.
Web analytics is a type of feedback from visitor which is available all times. These reports are a great source by which you can analyze relative strength and weakness of your website. From these, you can find which pages are most visited and which keywords are more related to your web site.
Phoenix SEO
50 parts Article Marketing
Niche Marketing with Great Articles
Hold On To Your Customers: Using Articles To Keep Them Coming Back
Higher Rankings Through Private Label Articles
How to Use Article Directories to Increase Traffic
Closing The Sale: Articles as a Follow-Up
Building a Subscriber List with Articles
Be A Forum Star With Great Articles
Using Articles in Blogs
Using Articles and Affiliate Links
Articles and Link Exchanges
Getting Directed Traffic with Articles
Becoming Buddha: Make Yourself an Online Guru
Flog a Blog: A New Sales Device
Viral Marketing with Your Articles
Internet Automation Is Your Friend: Automated Submitters
Articles and Search Engine Placement
Article Directories Drive Traffic
Increasing Sales Conversion Rates with Articles
Articles and SEO
Prove you are an Expert in your Field with Articles
Drive Traffic with Fresh Content
Articles and Keywords
Articles: Your Key to Internet Marketing Success
Search Engine Optimization: Your Page Content
Finding Articles for Your Newsletters
Articles Boost Your Income
Demonstrate Your Expertise with Articles and Ebooks
It's All About the Content: Generating Sales with Articles and Newsletters
Using Article Directories to Drive Traffic to Your Site
What's Wrong with Content Generators?
Using Clean Content Design to Improve Your Website Stickiness
Reap Traffic from Article Directories
Targeted Content Can Increase Affiliate Sales
Article Directories: Good Idea, or Dead End?
Why Use Keywords and Keyword Phrases?
Using Reports to Build Subscription Rates
Developing Newsletters with Private Mailing Lists
Maximize Your Search Engine Traffic With Great Articles
Advertiser-Supported Ezines - From Your Site
Using Private-Label Rights Articles To Enhance Your Business
Credibility, Trust, and Your Name at Stake
Why Should You Have Articles?
Using Squeeze Pages to Encourage Registration
Get Link Exchanges with Great Content
Why Do I Need Private Label Rights?
Articles and Ebooks
Enhancing Site Traffic with Easy Ebooks
Automated Web Publishing: Fresh Content Every Day
Viral E-Books
How Do Spiders Register Content?
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