Prioritizing Web Usability
Nielsen and Loranger
Chapter 2: The Web User Experience
Paul Ammann
http://cs.gmu.edu/~pammann/
SWE 432
Design and Implementation of Software for the Web
Overview
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How Well Do People Use the Web?
User Satisfaction with Web Sites
How People Use Sites
Search Dominance
Scrolling
Complying with Design Conventions and Usability Guidelines
Information Foraging
First Time User: You have Less Than Two Minutes!
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How Well Do People Use the Web?
• The Measure of Success
– Progress Users Make in Completing a Task at a NEW Site
– Example Task: Make a Reservation
• Web-Wide Success Rates
– 66 % (Site Specific Tasks) vs. 40% in the 1990s!
– (60% Web-Wide Tasks)
• Success by Experience Level
– Low Experience: 59% (Site-Specific) to 52% (Web-Wide)
– High Experience: 72% (Site-Specific) to 67% (Web-Wide)
Users Fail a Lot!
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User Satisfaction With Web Sites
• Users Often Don’t Realize What They’ve Missed
– Hence Satisfaction is Hard to Accurately Measure
• Key Distinction: Home Page (40%) vs. Deep Link (60%)
• Three Guidelines for Supporting Deep Link Users
– Tell Users Where They Are and Where They Can Go
• Name/Logo on every page
• Direct, One-Click Link to Home Page
• Search, Preferably in Upper Right Corner
– Orient User to the Rest of the Site
– Don’t Assume that Users Have Drilled Down
Make All of Your Site Accessible
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How People Use Sites
• Average 3.2 Sites Per Task
– Less Than Two Minutes Prior to Abandoning
– Rarely Revisit A Site
• The HomePage: So Much to Say, So Little Time
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Average Times: 35 Seconds (Novice) vs 25 Seconds (Expert)
Experienced Users are Ruthless!
Clarity is Crucial
No Long Winded Text – Users Won’t Read It Anyway
Users Aren’t Reading the Page – They are Figuring Out
Where to Go Next
• Examples: QuadGraphics Dial Before You Dig
You Need to Support The User’s Task
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How People Use Sites (2)
• Four Goals in Thirty Seconds For a Home Page
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What Site User Has Arrived At
What Benefits the Organization Offers Them
Something About the Company and its Products/Benefits
Their Choices And How to Navigate To Desired Section
• Interior Page Behavior
– Users Read More Content on Interior Pages
– Eye Scans Show Users Spend More Time In Content Area
• Tip: Optimizing Interior Page Links
– Put Important Links in Content Area of Interior Pages
• Homepage vs. Interior: Apple vs. IPhones Settings
Home Pages and Interior Pages Are Used Differently
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Search Dominance
• Percentage a Task Starts at a Search Engine: 88%
• The Rise of “Answer Engines”
– Users Search for Answers, Not for Promising Sites
• Four Ways to Grab Value From Search Engine Visitors
– Offer Flytrap content:
• Narrowly Focused Pages With Answers to Common Problems
– Embellish the Answer with Rich “See Also” links
– Go Beyond Pure Information
• Provide Analysis and Insight
– Publish a Newsletter with Additional Tips and Information
Users Don’t Want You; They Want Your Data!
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Search Dominance(2)
• Organic vs. Sponsored Links
– Organic Links Are Best Matches for User’s Query
– Sponsored Links are Ads
• How People Use the Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
– 93 % Visit First SERP Only
– Only 47% Scroll the First SERP
• With Google, 4 or 5 Organic Sites “Above the Fold”
– 51% Click on First Site; Only 16% Click on Second Site
• Number One Guideline for Search Engine Optimization
– Aim for the Top Spot!
Users Don’t Go For a Lot of Breadth
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Search Dominance(3)
• Keyword Pricing Estimates For Usability Improvements
– Bottom Line: Google is Making a LOT of Money
• Determining the Optimal Bid for a Search Keyword Ad
– Maximize Profit, Not Total Business
• How Much is Improved Usability Worth?
– Typically Doubles “Conversion Rate”
• Three Reasons to Improve Your Site
– Keyword Bids Will Gradually Become Insufficient
– Beat Your Competitor
– Keep The Customers You Get Through Other Channels
Business Case for Commercial Sites
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Scrolling
• Tip: Design for Short Scrolling
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23% Scroll Home Page First Visit
14% Later Visits to Home Page
42% Scroll Interior Pages
47% Scroll SERP
“Users are Lazy and Ignorant” (page 45)
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Complying with Design Conventions
and Usability Guidelines
• Seven Reasons for Standard Design Elements.
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Users Know What Features to Expect
Users Know How Features Look in Interface
Users Know Where on Site/Page to Find Features
Users Know How to Operate Features
Users Don’t Ponder Meaning of Unknown Design Elements
Users Don’t Miss Important Features
Users Don’t Get Surprised
Part of Good Design Is Community Standards
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Information Foraging
• Information Scent: Predicting a Path’s Success
– Users Persist If the Scent is Getting Stronger
• Diet Selection: What Sites to Visit
– An Easy Catch
– A Tasty Meal
• Three Ways to Enhance Information Scent
– Ensure that Links Describe Precisely What User Will Find
– Use English Instead of Made-Up Words
– Remind Users They Are On The Right Path
• Provide Feedback About Their Location And Its Relevance
Web Sites In Darwinian Competition
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Information Foraging(2)
• Patch Abandonment: When to Hunt Elsewhere
– Old Advice: Try to Trap Users On Your Site
– New Advice: Thanks To Improved Search Engines, Users Now
Leave When the Foraging Grows Stale
• Design Strategies for Attracting Information Foragers
– Support Short Visits: Be an Information Snack
– Encourage Users to Return
– Emphasize Search Engine Visibility
• Informavore Navigation Behavior
– Users Ruthlessly Apply Cost/Benefit Analysis For Information
Nuggets
Understand the Informavore!
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