:: madison sapphire ::

Breadcrumbs?

sock007 — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:44:45 +0000

Ok where did all the breadcrumbs go?

First off- What are breadcrumbs?
Breadcrumbs afre the navigational device that looks like a tree of where you are on a site.
Example-
home > Electronics > TVs > HDTV > Sony > 46inch > KDL46XBR8

this shows a few things to the user.
1- How the site looks at classifying its products
2- Where you are in the catalog of products
3- and how to navigate up a level or two to refine your search.

Amazon, the largest online retailer, has abandoned breadcrumbs.
I think this is silly.

Let me give you an example that actually happened to me.

I wanted to buy a Television. The one from the above example.
I searched Google for the model number KDL46XBR8-
Sony 46″ HDTV XBR8 (high end) version

I found many listings- I clicked on one.
It took me to the product page on Amazon.
With breadcrumbs, I could have navigated up a level to see other HDTVS, other Sony Tv’s, etc.
But with NO BREADCRUMBS- I had to use their search or select a category as broad as Electronics to find the TV’s that were similar.
AND after a few attempts I was unable to find the next size up of the same TV, or a similar TV.

I ended up back at Google.
Bad Amazon, SIT!

BOTTOMLINE- breadcrumbs work. They inform the user about how you look at product categorization, show them how to move up that hierarchy and give them a calm feeling of place. Don’t underestimate the power of making the user FEEL calm.
They stay longer and buy more!

Clear

sock007 — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:06:37 +0000

It should be easy.

It should be prevalent.

Clear in meaning. Clear in task.

Clear to the user.

Simple

sock007 — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:04:47 +0000

Simple is not easy.

Making an interface simple is far from easy.
Making an application easy is the goal of most builders.

The bottom line : a simple interface allows the user to experience the content and process flow of the application, not the interface.

Relevant

sock007 — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 06:20:04 +0000

What is relevant to the user?

Not what is relevant to the executives, the developers, the project manager, your cousin, or your boss.

The user still reigns supreme. Relevant to the person using your application, web site, or tool.

User Experience – Is it obvious?

sock007 — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:41:15 +0000

After many years of User Experience work, I find a few trends.

Everyone has an opinion.
Because books on Usability are readily available- everyone thinks they are an expert and are more than willing to tell you what they think. Are your USERS reading the same books before they enter your site?
Developers are sure they know.
I love developers, don’t get me wrong, but how many are the “users” of your product? More than one developer has assured me that the path is obvious, BUT after I checked the logs (Omniture, etc) I see a high number of exits or stalls at that decision point. I recommend testing.
Everything is new- everything is old.
There is nothing new. And Twitter is new. Should your users pass a test before they are allowed in? Your site should be obvious to Twitter users and non-Twitter users alike.

Usability?

sock007 — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:51:45 +0000

So what is Usability? It stems from the frustration you feel at the ATM when it just won’t do what you want it to do, the cool new device that takes hours of time with the manual to make it work right, all the way to the cool new site that won’t seem to take your information.

IS IT USABLE?

Our mantra – Is it Usable? Is it obvious? What does the user need to learn in order to use the interface?