Christmas Shopping Woes

I am peeved about my experience with one of the online shopping sites recently. I set off redeeming my gift voucher and trust me it was a can of worms.

The shopping home page is miserable(cluttered), I bet my 8^th standard daughter would've designed an intuitive and superior one!

Online shopping is a big deal and I am surprised to see how recklessly and callously it’s done, playing with those silly animations on the home page around navigation is just unforgivable and ridiculous.

I am one who doesn’t give up easily, therefore I search for a couple of items through the chaotic product listing by going back and forth and try to add them to my shopping cart but can’t find the add to cart option upfront! So… I click on the product details(new page renders) and find the ‘add to cart’ option there, great God. Now how do I add the other item to the cart I’ve chosen to buy? You guessed it right, I have to hit the back button on the browser couple of times to reach the page, because there’s no option to go back to the page from where I started, I only have the option ‘Shop More’.

One hilarious thing about this site is that you find yourself signing in a couple of times though you are already signed in.

Well, I went through the rigmarole to complete the purchase and promising myself never to use this site ever in future. I give my gift certificate number in the text box and pay the balance amount through my credit card, you think am done with the transaction? Sorry boss, NO.

The transaction processing page shows up and gives a message ‘OUP Waiting for Gateway Response’ and I wait there for the message to show up ‘your transaction successful’ or something to that effect, but that doesn’t happen.Reluctantly, I call the customer support, and they sweetly tell me that the application has some problem and my money and gift certificate will be credited back between 48-72 hours.

48-72 hours? Holy cow! Why should I wait? Their inefficiency can’t be my inconvenience, right.

This is one classic example of losing business and customers because of bad design. Usability matters a lot for sites which do business online, when will the folks understand this simple truth and wake up to the fact?

Focus on Users

Making a great website or an application is not just enough, you have to deliver what your users want in a way they want.

How do I figure out what and how my users want? Well, there are many techniques and methods through which one can easily find this out.

If you are coming up with a new concept then you can achieve this through market research, individual interviews and FGD (focus group discussions). The data collected through these techniques and methodologies helps in understanding the user needs and wants and above all helps in creating the persona. Persona help us to create tailor made applications for our users, unlike one size fit all. Giving more than what user is looking for boosts the UX factor of the application when it is simple to use, non obtrusive, intuitive and without arrogance. If, our intent is to invite beginners with a great initial experience while also attracting power users whose excitement and expertise will draw others to the product, then we can achieve this feat without much ado by ensuring good User Experience.

In case you are coming up with a product which is already in use and has competition, then the technique used to gather data is more or less similar to the ones we have discussed above, however, in this case we will conduct extensive user tests with the similar existing applications to find out the usability roadblocks, pain points and user satisfaction of the said product. Once we have this invaluable data in our hand designing our product becomes pretty simple. What we are doing hereafter is just improvising the competitor’s product ensuring it is user and usage centered. Because there’s no point reinventing the wheel!

To design a great product and be best in the trade is not a child’s play, however, it’s neither impossible too.

Right from concept to commissioning stage, the product stake holders should have the clarity of the product and stick to that without deviation. Define product guidelines, abide to them, and follow the best practices and standards for coding, design etc to make the product a benchmark standard for others.

All said and done, end of the day, if we understand the users and focus on them, all else will follow on it’s own.

Being best is not an end point, but a starting point....

What is 49-O in Constitution of India?

49-O in Constitution of India

Did you know that there is a system in our constitution, as per the 1969
act, in section " 49-O" that a person can go to the polling booth,
confirm his identity, get his finger marked and convey the presiding
election officer that he doesn't want to vote anyone!

Yes such a feature is available, but obviously these leaders have never
disclosed it....
This is called "49-O".

Why should you go and say " I VOTE NOBODY"... because, in a ward, if a
candidate wins, say by 123 votes, and that particular ward has received
"49-O" votes more than 123, then that polling will be cancelled and will
have to be re-polled. Not only that, but the candidature of the
contestants will be removed and they cannot contest the re-polling,
since people had already expressed their decision on them.

This would bring fear into parties and hence look for genuine candidates
for their parties for election. This would change the way; of our whole
political system....... it is seemingly surprising why the election
commission has not revealed such a feature to the public....

Please spread this news to as many as you know...
Seems to be a wonderful weapon against corrupt parties in India ... show
your power, expressing your desire not to vote for anybody, is even more
powerful than voting.... so don't miss your chance. So either vote, or
vote not to vote (vote 49-O) and pass this info
on...

Use your voting right for a better INDIA

Don't make users think

Even Google can commit silly usability mistakes!
Recently they've launched Themes for GMail, the placement of information was prominent on the page, catches the user attention,Usable enough. But, when the user clicks on the 'Hide' and tries to revisit the Themes at a later time he/she has a mental load to figure out from where to access it.After spending a couple of minutes frantically searching for the link on the GMail, realizes that it could be under 'Settings', lands on the 'Settings' page and starts scrolling down the page to look at the term called Themes, doesn't find it.Finally, a smart colleague sitting next to him shows the Themes link on top of the page clubbed alongwith other links. The typical Usability problem here is the Placement, it's obvious to have it as top link,but lacks the prominence hence loses the Users' attention. Users would look for the information bang on page, rather than going through the navigation,because the teaching has not happened yet.Best way to teach users about a new feature is to display a call-out sort of message above/below the link which would improve the prominence to a great extent.

To support the above observation, I have done the User Testing with few colleagues of mine,including myself, we were actually scrolling down the page to look for 'Themes'.
Don't make users think!

Past Perfect, Present Tense and Future (Im)perfect

Long time no post.Sorry. Now that we are in recession times, best thing that we can do is, revisit our business strategies and improve the products in hand and build the database.
We forgot the basics in the mad rush,therefore,this down time is like a blessing in disguise.Upgrading ones own and team's knowledge will be extremely useful and keeps the folks focused.
Sooner or later the markets are going to improve,nobody knows when though, therefore,this is the right time to get our acts right and be ready with all our guns blazing to meet the future.

Online Users Are Less Forgiving

The online user behavior is pretty funny,they are very impatient,GOD(Google) knows why.

They are always on the edge,ready to hit the browser back button,they decide the fate of the website which is at their disposal under 3 seconds.Because,Google has fetched more than a million pages and that results page is just a click away!

They don't read our laboriously built content nor care a damn about the great design we have come up with either.They just want to see the stuff they are looking for and that too in their expected location and lingo.If they find it then they mentally measure it's authenticity,and luckily if that too matches then they hang around the site and browse,else they vamoose and never come back.This typical behavior reminds us MJ's song 'All I wanna say is that,they don't really care about us'

What's the solution then?
Knowing beforehand who the site users/visitors are solves this problem to a great extent.Once we know the users and have a fair measure of their tasks,objectives, goals,likes,dislikes, preferences,capabilities,ethnicity,demography etc., then we can plan our sites accordingly and win their loyalty.

Therefore,Know your Users because they are less forgiving.

Users Failure=Website Failure

Failure of users is website failure.On the web, in the age of Google, design has no margin of error, and there are no stupid users, only inadequate designs.

Google is obsessed with making sure its users never fail, no matter how “stupid” they are. Google makes users feel smart. That’s why we all keep going back to Google,though there are many reputed sites catering the same.It enjoys the Users' Trust,by taking care of its users' basic requirement and fulfills it with absolute accuracy.If Google rules the internet in every aspect in the coming times then don't be surprised.

What is that extraordinary thing about Google that it enjoys 100% user patronization,is it the design? Sorry.There's nothing much to it's design,look and feel wise,then what? The billion dollar secret is,it's ability to give what users want under 3 clicks. Google holds their users’ experience above all else and that is one of the many things that has made them so dominant.They understand their USP pretty well and stick to it.

Why other websites don't learn this simple funda? Why do they want to settle for peanuts,read as revenue from ads,and not build user base/trust and become the dominant force in their respective domains which would generate residual revenue in the long run.In my opinion,sites other than Google are not confident of their product strategy and business models,hence settle for short term gains instead of creating a brand value of their site and reap benefits in long run.

High time guys,wake up to your users' needs,address them subtly without annoying them and live long online for a good time.

Keeping an Online Product going,how?

Important features of an online Product

1. Clean and hygiene
2. Meeting the User needs
3. Ability to deliver the intended results
4. Intelligent
5. Giving more than Users’ expectations
6. Built on good Technology platform
7. Robust & Smart Database
8. 24 x 7 x 365 server uptime

1. Clean and hygiene
The User Interface should be clean, consistent and bug free.

2. Meeting the User Needs
The website must allow the Users to complete their tasks Efficiently and Effectively.

3. Ability to deliver the intended results
The website must give the desired results and live up to its user’s expectation. The TRUST Factor is achieved this way and makes the visitors The Patronizing Users.
• If it’s a jobsite then good number of jobs/resumes should be available
• If it’s a matrimonial site then profiles
• If it’s a property site then properties, etc

4. Intelligent
The system should be intelligent enough to anticipate its user’s next step and bring it on to the page.

5. Giving more than Users’ expectations
Providing usable content and some good unique features which the competitors don’t have will ensure retaining the users and improves The Preferred factor.

6. Good Technology platform
Allows the website to adopt latest features and makes it technically scalable as well.

7. Robust & Smart Database
Fetch results effortlessly and run any number of queries without crashing and getting corrupted.

8. 24 x 7 x 365 server uptime
This should go without saying.


One bad experience and poof...customers are history. Sure, you can replace them, but at five times the cost.

Gandhiji's Perspective of Pluralistic Usability

“I do not believe in the doctrine of the greatest good of the greatest number.
It means in its nakedness that in order to observe the supposed good of fifty-one percent,the interest of forty nine percent may be or should be sacrificed.
It is a heartless doctrine and has done harm to humanity.The only real dignified human doctrine is the greatest good of all.” Mahatma Gandhi

If the essence of this quote is applied to present state of usability practices, it reveals the weakness of statistics based design decisions taken during user testing and feedback sessions. From the perspective of usability experts or designers, it is very convenient to justify design decisions based on what majority of users demanded. Such user feedback is often very representative and based on tiny sample of users. But in the light of Gandhiji’s quote, it is quite possible that one might be doing gross injustice to users in minority proportion.

This thought gives rise to the idea of ‘pluralistic usability’ wherein the concerns, design expectations, requirements of ‘not just the representative sample of users’ or ‘not just the majority of users’ but ‘all the users’ need to be considered. It reaffirms the challenge of user study involving diverse dimensions of users such as physical, mental, educational, professional, linguistic, social, cultural,religious, historical, political, geographical and what not. Such exhaustive user study is paramount for any software product design activity. The techniques and methods need to be designed to transcend the geographic barriers for reaching out to users. One may consider reading my small experimentation of reaching out to large number of users through remote usability. At the same time, one has to appreciate the fact that software products need to be designed, developed and delivered in a resource bound format. Also one needs to understand the meaning of ‘pluralistic usability’ within the scope of software and its targeted users. There could be one solution with lot of customizability or many different solutions for addressing the plurality of users. The designers may or may not succeed in designing for all users in literal sense; but feeling the gravity and magnitude of this challenge, can show us our limitations; and motivate us to push these limiting boundaries further.

Afterthoughts:

* There is scope of new exploration in the contradiction between ‘the greatest good of the greatest number’ (the approach followed in usability testing) and ‘the greatest good of all’ (I understand this as the real goal of pluralistic usability). Actually, what we do in ‘participatory design approach’ is also a form of democratization. It is intended to win acceptance from diverse people (users in our context).

* The greatest good of all’ isn’t really an impossible ideal. The wide range of customizable features (often not provided in a very usable manner) offered in the software products are meant to address the needs of different kinds of users. It is an effort to achieve ‘the greatest good of all’ within the limits of targeted users of the given product. The professionals are already inching towards this goal though not knowing that Gandhiji has already worded it so profoundly. It leaves no place for 80-20, 51-49 or whatever percentages.

* The interesting thing is Gandhiji said something 5/6 decades back, which is so profound and so fitting in our context of usability.

* After all, isn’t usability meant to liberate the users from usability problems….

How do users Read your Website?

Commenting on how users read the web, usability expert Jakob Nielsen believes that actually, "They don't."

Flawless spelling, eye catching pictures and bright colours on a website are all very well but research suggests that visitors will most often scan a page before delving into detailed reading. Usability has become a popular buzz word in web design but in the past, usability guidelines relied on common sense or basic user testing with websites. However, in the past few years, accurate eye tracking technology has enabled researchers to pinpoint exactly how websites are read, revealing the common 'hotspots' which attract users.

Many findings from eye tracking studies adhere to well known usability rules and also go hand in hand with good accessibility practice. But there are some more surprising results which show that focusing on the more basic layout issues could boost the usability of your organisation's website.

EYE TRACKING RESEARCH
Using technology which records minute eye movements, a number of researchers have carried out studies into web usability and accessibility
Experts including Jakob Nielsen and the Poynter Institute are amongst those who lead the way in this field. These key findings might help your organisation to improve the design of your website, in turn ensuring its accessibility and usability:
- Nielsen has found that only 16 per cent of users read a page word by word - most users will scan, letting their eyes flit over areas of interest before going back and reading areas of interest in more detail.
- So, a thoughtlessly designed page, with distracting pictures or links within the text is like an obstacle course, leading visitors off the course of the page they have visited.
- Web pages are often read in an F or E pattern, with users more likely to read longer sentences at the top of a page and less as they scroll down.
- Users are excellent at blocking out what they don't want to view - this includes some pictures and banner advertising where they don't want to see it.
- Pictures are not always eye catching - they can often be ignored. Good images should provide useful information which links into the text. Users respond best to real people rather than models, and subjects who look directly into the camera.
- The top left of a web page is a 'hotspot', which attracts most viewing from visitors. The far right columns and bottom section are the least viewed areas.
- To grab users' attention, you should use relevant snappy headers and blurbs, and use half the amount of text which you would in non-web writing. Longer paragraphs seem to discourage viewing - even one sentence paragraphs are fine.
- One column layouts perform better in viewing tests - users seem to be more used to this standard and simple format.

GOOD PRACTICE
Many websites, public and private sector fall down on usability tests, but there are examples of good practice out there which can be taken as inspiration:

RNIB: This charity site uses small but relevant thumbnail style pictures to add colour and interest. These are attractive but do not drag the eye away from reading the text around them.
Short and to the point descriptors are also used which summarise sub-pages, and these are placed strategically in the top-centre hotspot.

Charities Commission: Colourful pictures are used sparingly - there is only one on the homepage and the rest of the design interest comes from the bright colour scheme. The most important information is boxed off in the top left of the page - priority viewing for users.
The menu on the right is highlighted in orange to attract users' attention - research has found that right-justified menus can be attention grabbing as they appear on the opposite side to what users are used to.

DIRECTGOV: This sub page contains relatively little information on the face of it - the text is sparse but punchy and headers in particular are to the point. Hyperlinks direct users to the information they need and fast. This makes for a very effective public service website. There is a clear menu to the left, but also a clear, differently coloured menu of related links to the right which directs users' gazes to the right.

Oxfam: Large pictures are used on the Oxfam site, but again, they match the text's subject well and are not posed, model shots. Headers are simple and straightforward and the text is limited to a few sentences which link to drop down menus, an interactive map and other sub pages which contain more in depth information.
Bright blue, banner-ad style links connect the page to Oxfam's charity campaigns and encourage donations - these are placed on the right of the page, which has been found to be an effective area for ads, despite being out of the main F-area.

SHARPEN UP YOUR WEBSITE
Every organisation is different, but reaching the widest possible target audience should be a target for every website. If eye tracking studies are anything to go by, many non profits could benefit by taking into account these findings and investing in some thoughtful web design.

What an Idea Sir ji

Let’s recall the oft aired ad of Idea on our TVs. The tech savvy Sir ji, principal of the school, arranges the class room sessions through mobile phone for all those kids who fail to get admission in his school. Very Effective indeed!

But, Sir ji should’ve actually consulted a Usability consultant, ask me why?

Well, first let me tell you what Usability is… Effective, Efficient and Satisfaction.

How well an application fits into users' needs is it's Effectiveness and Sir ji scores full marks here.

How well the whole process comes across to its audience is its Efficiency, here Sir ji fails to score good marks, because the output from this phone would be pretty feeble as the kids are listening to the lecture in open air. Possibility of errors and poor understanding of lectures would result due to system’s bad audio output.

Satisfaction of any system, application or thing is highest when it is used for the first time, to retain the same level of positive satisfaction for subsequent uses the application in context need to be Effective and Efficient. When all these 3 attributes combined are in good measure positive User Experience is achieved.

Therefore,

Sir ji must attach the mobile phone through which lectures are delivered to a good audio system and enhance the output quality.

To give a real class room experience to the kids, he must live telecast the class room sessions to all those deprived kids.

Then I would say What an Idea Sir ji.

Who moved my Users?

Remember the allegorical, ‘who moved my cheese?’ written by Spencer Johnson? Story of two mice “Sniff” and “Scurry” and two men “Hem” and “Haw”. It describes how to deal with change in one's work and life.

Here I make an analogy, continuously successful companies are like the two mice and once upon a time successful are the two men.

The companies that are successful with their businesses don’t relax and sit back to bask in glory, instead they anticipate the future situations and keep the search for cheese, in this context, the users and ensure the cheese filled stations are always accessible, no matter what the competition is. These companies are always taking stock of the situation and ready for change, hence when the situation demands for change their transition is smooth and no jerks are felt.

On the other hand are the two men, that is, companies that are living on past laurels and reluctant to accept the change, which eventually pay the price when they realize their cheese is moved, users have stopped patronizing their products.

Every monopoly business eventually gets over crowded and their blue oceans turn into red in a matter of time.

Moral of the story, be ready for change and change quickly, don’t relax.

Change Happens

They Keep Moving The Cheese

Anticipate Change

Get Ready For The Cheese To Move

Monitor Change

Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old - Monitor the User behaviour and their needs

Adapt To Change Quickly

The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese

Change

Move With The Cheese - move with times and competition

Enjoy Change!

Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese! - enjoy the user loyalty

Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again & Again

They Keep Moving The Cheese - retain your users.

Good artists copy, great artists steal.

Sounds familiar? yes, you're right, it's said by none other than the great Pablo Picasso himself. How this saying applies to today's online products?
We've been seeing the art of copying rampant and well accepted in our internet domain. Everyone wants to own their "own" Facebook or MySpace or Linkedin or whatever the flavor of the month is. So they copy it, trying to emulate some successful online community or the most happening application. But then it fails, big time. And they scratch their heads and abandon any non-traditional efforts claiming that they just don't work.
So what's the difference between copying and stealing? When you copy, you're trying to be like something or someone else. When you steal, you make it your own. Did you hear that? You make it your own. And when you make something your own, it becomes part of who you are, you internalize it.
We've seen this happen, too. And many times, the program that is "stolen" is improved upon because the company owns it. It becomes part of their DNA. It's much more than a tactic or a means to an end. It becomes a part of the very brand and the business is woven around it to make it a new product all together.
So before you decide to copy whatever social community tools are hot this month, first take a look inside and make sure you're ready to own it. If it's right for you and you can improve on it then steal away. You might just create the next thing everyone else will try to copy.
Because, mere copying leaves you clueless about the product's potential and mileage that can be achieved out of it, you don't know who the product users are and their expectations.
Therefore, whenever you see a path breaking product and want to own it, Just Steal, don't Copy.

Build trust through Usability

Today we see so many portals offering various online solutions, how many are actually successful in their endeavor? Let’s try to figure out what’s going wrong with those portals which are not able to keep visitors on their sites and have trouble in converting the visitors into users.
Let’s study an e Recruitment portal.
Job Seeker’s mental model about the site:
1.Fresh jobs are posted regularly
2.The site provides relevant search results in good number
3.The site provides easy and effective search
4.Quick & Easy Registration process / Resume upload / Apply jobs
5.Quick responses from the recruiters.

Items 1 & 5 are not really in control of the site owner, but, 2,3&4 are certainly under control and if all the above 5 expectations of the users is met, they are going to patronize the site.

Assumption

One thing we have to understand, that the users are not going to rely on just one single job site for checking the job opportunities and applying jobs, they are definitely registered on more than one site, as most of us have multiple email accounts of different service providers (yahoo, gmail, hotmail etc). Therefore, no matter how many players are there in the fray, sites that live up to the users’ expectations are going to sustain the competition and get visitors in good numbers and can successfully convert them into users!

Typical challenge for the service provider

As a service provider it is of paramount importance to win the users confidence and trust to ensure a successful usage of the site.

Keep the existing users and continuously add new ones.

Product development approach

The product owners must understand clearly in the very beginning of the product development life cycle, what do they want out of their product? Based on that objective the product needs to be designed.
Allow the user to complete his task effectively, efficiently and quickly, because he’s on the site with a specific goal, in this case, might be for searching a job or applying a job or updating the resume or whatever.
To ensure that, conduct user testing of the key tasks to avoid post production surprises.

Minimize or better avoid distracting images and ads on the key landing pages. Plan the real estate to place ads strategically. If your ads are going to rake in phenomenal revenues then place them in such a way that the users are seduced to click them.

User research results say that users are ad blind, therefore, if important information is placed alongwith them there’s a great possibility of missing user’s attention.

Upgrading the site frequently as per the changing user needs, behavior and web trends keep the user interest intact. Happy users are going to talk good about the site and recommend to their friends, acquaintances and family, free buzz marketing.

End Note

If you don’t have the users, then you won’t have those ads either, eventually.

Notwithstanding the type of service / product, the above strategy holds good for all.

Therefore, to achieve the confidence and trust factor, sites must be User Centered and Usable to ensure continuous patronization.

OK ? certainly not!

I am really puzzled and flabbergasted when the programmers ask the users to click on 'OK' button to close an error message pop-up window. I keep asking myself and am sure you all acquiesce, are we ok with an error in the first place?If not,then why are we forced to click on that silly button? Microsoft guys are notoriously popular for these type of messages, remember how frequently we encounter the message'Internet Explorer has performed an illegal operation,need to close' and as if thats not enough,they shamelessly ask us 'do you want to inform Microsoft corp about this' and we have to certify their inability by going clicking 'Send' or 'Dont send' to close that disgusting window.Unfortunately, IE did not bother to provide a work around as Firefox folks does, ability to restore the session.But, who bothers about the users and their frustration?
A single bad online experience is enough to drive away the users, so beware all you product development folks,users are not OK with all that junk you try to shove into their faces.
Happy browsing folks,wish you all a very pleasant online experience.

Is Findability, Usability?

Hi guys,
Most of the product developers don't give a second thought how their information is organized on the site,because most of the times the information architecture is done by the designers who hardly know what Usability is.I hope you all agree with me if I say that,unless one finds what he/she is looking for in a product cannot use it.If they cannot find it,then they cant use it. Hence,giving the importance to the Findability of information or features is very important.
Let me share an incident happened with me recently,to tell you why Findability is important...
Our iron box is generally placed near the plug point in the corner of my children's bedroom,but that day my wife placed it on the computer table while cleaning the room,and when I went into the room looking for it could not find it though it was right in front of me.I came out of the room yelling that it's not there.I was dragged into the room and was shown it lying on the comp table. It immediately struck me......oh man !!! it's Findability issue :-)
Moral of the incident- though I was looking around was not really seeing the object I wanted to as my mind was programmed to look for it in the place I expected it to be.
That means,Users expect certain information on specific locations,based upon their previous usage experience . Therefore,placing the information in it's place is the best solution and by doing so ,improves the Findability, thereby Usability is achieved alongwith good experience too.

Usability say

How much say a Usability expert should have in product development? And if the management is least bothered about the Usability issues then what?
It's not how much "say" the usability expert has, it's the influence they have on product strategy. For the most part, the usability industry has done itself a disservice by insisting it should be the gatekeeper of good design. Instead, design professionals should make their methodologies more visible and consumable for all company stakeholders. If management is "least bothered" with usability, it's because the benefits have not been communicated in a way that is relevant to them. Example: talk about processes that reduce development cycles, measure the before / after of customer satisfaction, analyse the usability-related costs of support and training, compare your product's e-quotient wity that of a competitor.... In other words, put it in a business context - managers don't care where you place the pixels!