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Intro to Design and Usability
Revision of Week 3: User behavior week from Fri, 2011-02-04 02:26
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We will cover typical user behavior, we'll talk about eyetracking and what it means, and we will start to look at information presentation. This will be another reading and user's point of view task week. This is a good place to leave questions you'd like covered by the reading and discussion next week.
- May include a short presentation on eyetracking and typical user behavior
User Behavior
There are quite a few short articles at Usability.gov on user behavior and how it should guide designers. It's a very good resource, written fairly accessibly, without ads, not focused on SEO, and not requiring a fee for content. I'm also including a number of links to short "alertbox" articles by Jakob Neilsen. Some of the former reference the latter. You'll notice a lot of repetition in how average user behavior is described. That's because there is a lot of predictability in typical user behavior. it's a good thing, because predictable behavior is easier to design for.
Designing to user behavior can improve the performance of any website6,even nonprofits and government sites. It can also increase your credibility5 in the eyes of the user, which will keep them on your site instead of going elsewhere for the same type of content.
Eyetracking - what is it? How does it apply to an "average" user?
Assignment: read resource 1 (Designing for the Average User) and think of someone you may know, who might fit that general description, who you often help with computer or technology tasks. This person is your equivalent to an average user. What is their typical behavior when interacting with a website or UI? How would you build a site so that they did not need your help to navigate it? Discuss.
Resources:
- http://experiencedynamics.blogs.com/site_search_usability/2006/04/designing_for_t.html
- Eyetracking and Web Site Design at Usability.gov http://usability.gov/articles/newsletter/pubs/032010news.html
- Impact of Aesthetics on Attitudes Towards Websites at Usability.gov http://usability.gov/articles/062009news.html
- User Behavior and the "globalness" of Internet http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol7/issue2/taiwan.html - dry, scholarly, but informative regarding languange and culture's impact on usability
- Credibility at Usability.gov http://usability.gov/articles/102009news.html
- ROI on increased usability http://www.useit.com/alertbox/government-nonprofit.html
Information Presentation
Resources:
-
http://www.experiencedynamics.com/science-usability/ui-style-guides Especially notable for mobile and tablet UI style guides (will also be in week 4 resources)
- Organizing Content on Websites at Usability.gov http://usability.gov/articles/082009news.html
Sure thing!
Sure thing!
Can you post this to the
Can you post this to the google group as well? The threaded discussion isn't really user-friendly here. Thanks!
My average user indeed comes
My average user indeed comes to me for help in various computer tasks such as navigating sites or retrieving pictures taken and stored in a digital camera. A new anything can be daunting and I, too, was once new to this, so I don't mind. Though my average user knows how to operate a digital camera, they always succomb to Walgreens or Wal-Mart to retrieve the photos. One reason I know they do this is because it's easier than having to learn how to fully operate something they already have growing doubts and opinions about. This is expected and, in regards to User Advocacy, should be acknowledged. However, their experiences are a bit different when it comes to interacting with a website - they are not intimidated, but rather excited. I remember the first time I attempted my best at explaining how to search for a vehicle on Craigslist. Though my average user had trouble reading the smaller fonts, they performed searches in steps and stuck with it until it became something familiar. Ultimately what I think helped them in getting adjusted was memory of where each link was, no matter what city or state, and the colors associated with them. If I were to build them a site, I think I would incorporate something of the same sort, (links and accompanying colors) but also, perhaps a constant reference/ help menu when they hovered over a new area with their mouse, and a translator, in case their browser didn't have that support.