Usability 2.0?

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on December 16, 2008 - 6:45pm

Usability 2.0 I gave a two day workshop on User Experience best practices in Web 2.0 at Gallup (yes, the polling organization) in Omaha last week.

Here's a slide from the seminar I thought you might find interesting capturing Usability 2.0 (whatever that is). It is a take on the infamous O'Reilly diagram capturing Web 2.0 concepts. My favorite is"iphone like magic" because I have had clients asking for web applications with that description.

BTW, my definition of Web 2.0 for the Gallup seminar audience was:

8 Things you need to know about improving online experience- new study

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on August 28, 2008 - 11:35am

User_happy
A new study (July 2008) entitled 'Factors that Improve online experience' by Sathish Menon and Michael Douma from the Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement offers key insights on the current state of online user experience.

The study reinforces known usability truths, sheds light on user perceptions but more interestingly points to disconnects
between designers and users. The study surveyed
perceptions, expectations and practices across various audiences and
contrasted the results.

The key findings and what they mean:

What color do you like? The usability of look and feel (strategy with icons, images, branding elements)

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on June 18, 2008 - 5:39am
Visual Designers at whiteboard

 The graphical or visual aspects of an interface are the most easily recognizable. They require no methodology (Graphic design vs usability) or design distinctions, (What is design?).

Everyone from CEO to programmer can understand an interface by it's visual treatment. For some the interface is "eye-candy" and for others representative of organized emotional response and visual perception.

Oftentimes, the confusion over who dictates the design can lead to confusion and often a gratuitous use of graphics. This problem can be compounded by an interface being dictated entirely by a designer (where usability resources are absent, underfunded or ignored entirely from a development process).

"Forcing functions"- interaction design technique, used but not widely understood

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on April 28, 2008 - 10:05pm

Istock_000001051000smallWhat is a forcing function?

A forcing function is a constraint where the user "is forced" to complete a task based on a limited, paired down set of features or controls.

Forcing functions help streamline, simplify or minimize how a user interacts with a design. Designers benefit from this interaction design technique by reducing navigation redundancy, task effort and the complexity caused by "feature frenzy" (see my previous article on feature creep).

Warning: Third-party Usability is Bad for your Health

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on March 21, 2008 - 3:12pm

3rd_party_usability
There is a huge problem in the software and web services industry: 3rd
party applications, widgets, dashboards or site add-ons can kill your usability efforts.

Poor user experiences with 3rd-party applications can undermine or make your usability efforts look bad. 

Vendors such as PeopleSoft, Vignette and many others are notorious
for providing "clunk-ware", "vapor-ware" or "sneaker-ware" as one of
our clients at Experience Dynamics put it.