What to Expect in 2010: UX/UI Design Simplicity

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I recommend you have a read of this article by WebDesignerWall if you’re interested in UX trends for 2010. I particularly agree with every site having a mobile version. I’ve thought for a while now that mobile is going to be the biggest access point for the internet in the very near future. The only thing stopping this was screen sizes and cost but we have seen a huge improvement in the last year on both of these in the form of touchscreen phones and flat rate unlimited data price plans. I love the ‘Clean and simple’ point too, but that goes without saying 😉

Here are the 2010 trends the article discusses:

– Clean and simple

– Single page websites

– Sliders

– Modal boxes

– Smart navigation and taskbars

– Text as the new image

– Larger page layouts

– Mobile version of every site

– eCommerce tweaker shopping

– Smart forms

What is the optimal line length?

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There isn’t one.

It depends on whether you want your users to read the page faster or you want them to like the page.

Research by Dyson (reference below) showed that users read web pages faster at an optimum length of 100 characters and longer. However, when asked, they prefer shorter line lengths and believe they read these faster (even though they don’t).

Dyson, M.C. (2004). “How Physical Text Layout Affects Reading from Screen.” Behavior & Information Technology, 23(6), pp. 377-393

iPad. How tablets will change the web

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The waiting is over! Apple have just announced their much anticipated tablet, iPad. What do you think? Will you be getting one?

Context of use

I did wonder what the purpose of tablets were. What do they give you that a laptop and mobile don’t? The answer is portability, speed, lightness and a large direct touch interface. In my opinion, tablets will be used primarily for personal use in the home, such as lounging round on the sofa surfing the net, playing games or reading an e-book (use cases whereby a laptop would be too bulky but a phone wouldn’t give you the screen size to enjoy the task). The iPad is perfectly aimed at the majority of home users who just need a device for web surfing, playing music, watching movies, storing photos, playing games and more fun stuff!

How tablets will change the internet

Web pages are currently designed for mouse-based scrolling interaction. Most users have mice with scroll wheels. This makes scrolling quick and efficient, so web pages are often designed to be scrollable, thereby fitting more content onto a single page.

Tablets require a different interaction paradigm due to their touch user interface. To use the flicking gesture to scroll would be tiresome, frustrating, even dizzying on a large device such as the iPad. The ideal interaction style for a touch tablet is for the whole web page to fit the tablet screen, the user then sees an overview of the page and can zoom in to the areas they are interested in.

Apple have priced the iPad very competitively, they want the iPad to be a household device. Judging from the comments i’ve seen so far on Facebook and Twitter, people want one! It really could be the next big thing.

Be prepared, if it is as successful as the iPhone, you will need to think about the design and interaction of your website to make it more ‘tablet-friendly’.

Tablet-friendly design:

– Remove (or limit) scrolling
– Each page fits the tablet screen space (remembering portrait and landscape modes)
– Design for a ‘zoomable’ interface
– Think finger-friendly hit areas
– Don’t overcrowd the page. Draw the user to where you want them to click by using space, pictures and larger text size.
– Don’t make text titles too small. Users should be using the ‘zoom in’ action because they want to read more, not because they can’t read the text.

More on the iPad to come!

Google – keeping it simple

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Have you noticed that for some time now Google have been gradually adding more and more links to their homepage? This is typical ‘Feature creep‘ and unfortunately happens a lot.

Feature creep is when “extra features go beyond the basic function of the product and so can result in over-complication, or “featuritis”, rather than simple, design” (wikipaedia).

Google became the best search engine because of it’s simplicity. Think about it…what do you users really need on a search engine site? Strip it right back and all they actually need is a search box to type in and a button to press to get the results. They aren’t distracted by unnecessary clutter. They have one aim and they can perform it efficiently and effectively, achieving greater satisfaction.

However, even Google hasn’t managed to escape the dreaded ‘feature creep’. Recently it had begun to look like this:

Disappointing hey? The once simple site has become crowded with links.

BUT fear not! Google have recognised their featuritis and have tackled it head on with a rather ingenious solution. Now when you go to Google, it’s like going back in time to the old days when there was just a big search box and button. This is what you see:

Doesn’t it feel good? Very very simple. The cursor is positioned inside the search box so all the user needs to do is type and hit the return key or the search button. However, what about all the other features? Surely some of them were useful? Yes they were. Now for the clever part…. if the mouse is moved even slightly all the extra features fade in (via a nice transition). They are there if the user needs them.

Why does this work?

If the user wants to quickly search it is most likely they are poised ready to type as soon as the google page loads up. By positioning the cursor inside the search box, there is no need to touch the mouse. Users going to Google primarily to search have an excellent experience. Simple, fast and effective.

Users going to Google to do anything other than search will be used to having to use their mouse. Their existing mental model involves using the mouse. They may be slightly surprised upon seeing the new screen, but one tiny movement and the hidden features appear.

Search use case – keyboard focussed

Other use cases – mouse focussed

The new design provides a good fit between the interaction style of the user and the site behaviour.

Ergonomic christmas tree carrying

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It’s the 1st of December and I’m sure many of you are now getting your warm coats and scarves on ready to go hunt down the perfect tree for christmas, chop it down and drag it home. Ok, it’s probably more likely you’re nipping to the local b&q to buy one pre-cut but let’s give a moments thought to how you should pick it up and carry it home. Of course, we’re going to be looking at the ergonomic method.

Ergonomics?

Ergonomics is the science of adjusting the task to the man. It is concerned with the motion and activity of people, their use of tools and machinery, and the design and arrangement of work for greatest safety and efficiency. Injuries can occur when there is a mismatch between the physical demands of a task and the capacity of the person doing the task.

Lesson 1: Bend the knees not the back!

You might have heard this one before. When lifting anything heavy (like a big christmas tree) you should bend down using your knees, keeping the back as straight as possible. Pick up the object and stand up using your legs to bear the weight (push up from your knees). Leg muscles are much stronger than back muscles. Trying to lift using only your back muscles can result in bad back syndrome and i’m sure you don’t want to have a bad back over the festive season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wrong! This man is bending his back and not his knees. Ouch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right 🙂 This man bends his knees, using his strong leg muscles to lift the tree.

Lesson 2: Stand close to the object being lifted

Minimises strain on the back and arm muscles. Aids grip and lift.

Lesson 3: Get a friend to help

If the tree is particularly heavy get a friend to lift the other end.

Lesson 4: Wear PPE (personal protective equipment)

Wear sensible clothes that cover your skin and protect it from the needles. Gloves are a must!

Lesson 5: Stretch!

Ok you may feel a bit stupid doing this one but it will benefit your muscles and decrease risk of injury if you stretch before and after lifting a heavy object.

More christmas tips to come! Have a happy ergonomic christmas!

Want a FREE usability review?

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yay

Oh Yes!! To celebrate World Usability Day this coming Thursday, I would like to offer a free usability review to someone. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a website, it could be an iPhone app or anything else that I can easily access.

If you want to be considered, fill in the contact form or email usabilitygal@googlemail.com with details of what you would like reviewing. Closing time for entries is 8pm Wednesday 11th Nov.

Good luck!

Move Over Maslow! The Users’ Hierarchy of Needs

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Back in 1943 a psychologist called Maslow published what he termed a ‘hierarchy of needs‘ that can be applied to every human being. At the bottom level are physiological needs that every human needs to exist, like shelter, food and water. At the very top are factors that contribute to a feeling of self-actualization, like morality and creativity. You can read more here. The triangle shape is deliberate, in that there are a much greater number of people at the physiological level and only a small number who reach self-actualization.

We can apply Maslow’s concept to the user and their experience of any product or service. Starting from a base of does the product or service perform at a basic functional level to the ideal of the user being so engaged that they lose all track of time and enter a state of flow. 

Take a look at the Users’ Hierarchy of Needs below and think about where your product or service fits. What actions are you taking to step up to the next level and improve your users’ experience?

users hierarchy of needs

50% off the new Steve Krugg book!

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Hey everyone!

I am really excited to have just seen on Amazon that Steve Krugg has a new book coming out on December 28th called ‘Rocket Surgery Made Easy‘. Don’t worry, it’s not actually about rocket surgery, rather it continues his usual theme of usability and user experience. As the title suggests, the book is all about making them easy to understand but this time with an emphasis on understanding and being able to conduct your own usability testing. If you haven’t read his book ‘Don’t Make Me Think‘, I would greatly urge you to do so as it’s certainly one of my favourite usability reads. His style is concise, informative and injected with down-to-earth humour and real life examples. The book is also filled with plenty of colourful examples to illustrate his points.

The RRP is ÂŁ28.99, however on Amazon at the moment, their pre-order price is half that at ÂŁ14.49. Amazing! Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

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