Transcript Standards.gov - MD ColdFusion User`s Group

User-Centered Design
September 14th, 2004
User-Centered Design
September 14th, 2004
Doug Ward, The Centech Group
Certified Advanced ColdFusion Developer
[email protected]
301-975-5074
User-Centered Design
September 14th, 2004
• What’s the problem?
• What’s the solution?
• How do you do it?
What’s the problem?
• Aggravated customers
• Lost customers
• Lost money
User-Centered Design
“...Usability really just means making sure that
something works well: that a person of average (or
even below average) ability and experience can
use the thing - whether it's a Web site, a fighter jet,
or a revolving door - for its intended purpose
without getting hopelessly frustrated.”
- Steve Krug
User-Centered Design
• Don’t make me think!
• Web pages are actually billboards
• Usability requires user-testing
Things that make you think
• Mystery links
• Happy text
• Misused conventions
• Bad page structure
Billboard Design 101
• Create a clear visual hierarchy
• Get to the point!
• Direct users to what they want
Usability Testing
• Testing one user is 100% better than testing
zero users
• Start testing early
• The importance of representative users is
overrated
• Testing is an iterative process
What to test
• “Get it” testing
• Key task testing
User-Centered Design
• Don’t make me think!
• Web pages are actually billboards
• Usability requires user-testing
Resources
• Steve Krug - "Don't Make Me Think"
– http://www.sensible.com/
• Jakob Nielsen & Marie Tahir - "Homepage Usability"
– http://www.useit.com
• Jesse James Garrett - "The Elements of User Experience"
– http://www.jjg.net/
• Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morville - "Information Architecture"
•
– http://www.louisrosenfeld.com/home/
Douglas K. Van Duyne, James A. Landay, Jason I. Hong - "The Design of
Sites"
– http://www.designofsites.com/
Thank You!