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User Interface Design for the Web

User Interface Design for the Web. Lawrence Najjar lnajjar@viant.com. Outline. Why usability is important Challenges for designing Web-based user interfaces Web user interface design process. Why Usability is Important. Biggest problem with Web is download time 1

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User Interface Design for the Web

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  1. User Interface Design for the Web Lawrence Najjar lnajjar@viant.com

  2. Outline • Why usability is important • Challenges for designing Web-based user interfaces • Web user interface design process

  3. Why Usability is Important • Biggest problem with Web is download time1 • Second biggest reason people don’t buy from Web site is navigation difficulties2 • 28% of Web shoppers surveyed had trouble finding the product they wanted3 • 83% of Web shoppers surveyed left a site due to bad performance, especially poor navigation and slow downloads4 • 62% of Web shoppers surveyed gave up looking for a product online3 • Dissatisfied customers tell about 10 others5

  4. Why Usability is Important (continued) • If usability improved, sales can improve • IBM sales increased 400% after site redesign6 • Digital Equipment Corporation found 80% increase in revenue7 • One study8 estimated that improving the customer experience increases conversion rate by 40% and increases order size by 10%.

  5. Challenges for Designing Web-based User Interfaces • Short download times • Limited interaction options (ex. no drag-and-drop) • Broad user population • Impatient users • Many application choices • Diverse interaction hardware and software • Multiple languages • Disabled users

  6. Web User Interface Design Process • Define users • Define functional requirements • Write use cases • Develop site diagram • Build interactive wireframe mockup • Test usability • Write functional design specifications • Perform acceptance test

  7. 1. Define Users • Develop user profile • Perform experience architecture • Create personas and scenarios

  8. User Profile Facility Managers

  9. Experience Architecture Audience Tech expert Gadget lover Tech novice Learn about products Intent Solve problems Home Get entertained Context Work

  10. 2. Define Functional Requirements • Identify functional requirements • Ask client • Ask users – focus groups, interviews, contextual inquiry, questionnaires • Prioritize functional requirements • Select functional requirements • Get client approval

  11. Functional Requirements

  12. 3. Write Use Cases • Identify use cases • Prioritize use cases • Scope use cases • Select use cases • Get client approval

  13. Use Cases

  14. 4. Develop Site Diagram • Identify sections and subsections • Name sections • Iterate with client

  15. Site Diagram

  16. 5. Build Interactive Wireframe Mockup • Show how functions may work9 • Don’t show graphics • Don’t use raw HTML • Don’t connect to databases or other tools • Iterate with client • Make changes quickly and cheaply

  17. Interactive Wireframe Mockup

  18. 6. Test Usability • Add graphics to several typical task pathways • Recruit five representative users • Ask users to try to perform typical tasks • Record problems • Ask participants to complete questionnaires • Fix interactive wireframe mockup • Repeat

  19. Usability Test

  20. 7. Write Functional Design Specifications • Capture image of functional design of each page • List each control • Describe how each control works

  21. Functional Design Specifications Global buttons – top navigation bar • GE Home - links to the GE Home page at http://www.ge.com • Customer Center Home - links to the Power Systems customer center at http://schexnweb.sch.ge.com/cgi-bin/xnetmainmenu.exe • Sales and Service Home - links to the GE Power Systems Sales and Service home page

  22. 8. Perform User Acceptance Test • Use actual pre-launch site • Ask representative users to perform typical tasks

  23. Conclusion • Web usability is important • A user interface design methodology can help improve usability • The real world is different from the academic world

  24. References 1 Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center (1998). GVU’s 9th WWW User Survey. Atlanta: Georgia Institute of Technology, College of Computing, Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center. Available: http://www.gvu.gatech.edu/user_surveys/survey-1998-04 2 Kadison, M. L., Weisman, D. E., Modahl, M., Lieu, K. C., and Levin, K. (1998, April). On-line Research Strategies: The Look to Buy Imperative. Forrester Report, 1(1). Available: http://www. forrester.com 3 Seminerio, M. (1998, September 10). Study: One In Three Experienced Surfers Find Online Shopping Difficult. Inter@ctive Week. Available: http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/quickpoll/981007/ 981007b.html 4Thompson, M. J. (1999, August 9). How to frustrate Web surfers. Industry Standard [On-line]. Available: http://www.thestandard.com/metrics/display/0,1283,956,00.html 5 Albrecht, K. & Zembre, R. E. (1985). Service America. New York: Warner. 6 Tedeschi, B. (1999, August 30). Good Web site design can lead to healthy sales. New York Times e-commerce report [On-line]. Available: http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/08/cyber/commerce/30commerce.html 7Wixon, D., & Jones, S. (1992). Usability for fun and profit: A case study of the design of DEC RALLY version 2. Internal report, Digital Equipment Corporation. Cited in Karat, C., A business case approach to usability cost justification. In Bias, R. G., & Mayhew, D. J. (1994). Cost-justifying usability. San Diego: Academic Press. 8Creative Good (2000, June 12). The dotcom survival guide. Creative Good [On-line]. Available: http://www.creativegood.com/survival/

  25. References (continued) 9 Najjar, L. J. (2000). Conceptual User Interface: A new tool for designing e-commerce user interfaces. Internetworking, 3.3 [On-line]. Available: http://www.internettg.org/newsletter/dec00/article_cui.html

  26. Additional Readings • Najjar, L. J. (1990). Using color effectively (TR 52.0018). Atlanta, GA: IBM Corporation. Available: http://mime1.gtri.gatech.edu/mime/papers/colorTR.html • Najjar, L. J. (1999, June). Beyond Web usability. Internetworking, 2.2 [On-line]. Available: http://www.InternetTG.org/newsletter/jun99/beyond_web_usability.html • Najjar, L. J. (in press). E-commerce user interface design for the Web. In Proceedings of 9th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Available: http://mime1.gtri.gatech.edu/mime/papers/e-commerce%20user%20interface%20design%20for%20the%20Web.html • Nielsen, J. Useit.com http://www.useit.com • Nielsen, J. (2000). Designing Web usability. Indianapolis: New Riders.

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