Posted on Tue, Mar 30, 2010
The Internet is a great thing, but we wouldn't be able to consume our favorite websites if it wasn't for a web interface - the Internet browser.
But which browser is best? Well, the answer is subjective. Does ease of use make the best browser? What about speed or availability of useful extensions and plug-ins? And then there's the nerd stuff - what about the handling of CSS, HTML4 or HTML5?
While we can't answer which browser is the definitive web interface, we can tell you which are the most popular.
Any surprises there? Firefox seems to be peaking, but will the upcoming years see them losing ground to Google Chrome? Let us know what you think.
Data sourced from w3.schools.com
Posted on Fri, Mar 26, 2010
Here at Evolve we love research and we love social media, so you can imagine how excited I was to come across this article. Last month, marketing research firm
Chadwick Martin Bailey conducted an online survey among 1500 consumers nationwide to gauge the usefulness of social media for brands. They partnered with
iModerate Research Technologies who conducted one-on-one interviews to add qualitative insight to the data.
The results they found were impressive. After becoming a fan of a company on Facebook, consumers were 60% more likely to recommend that brand and 51% more likely to purchase something from that brand. After following a brand on Twitter, consumers were 79% more likely to recommend the brand and 67% more likely to purchase from them.
Of course, having a social media presence is only the first step. The keys to success in social media are providing relevant, interesting content for your followers and engaging in conversation with them. The content you share should help you attract and retain followers, as well as help establish yourself as an expert in your field. Engaging in conversation with your followers shows them that there is a person behind the account who is interested in them.
Just like with traditional networking - you need to tell people who you are and what you do, and you need to get to know them. Most people prefer to do business with people that they know and trust, and social media is an excellent medium to foster these relationships.
Posted on Wed, Mar 24, 2010
Color Me Badd. They used a mouse, just like you.
Many of us use a mouse as our main interface with a computer and software.
We've been using this same input mechanism for the last 20 to 25 years. Given the rate that technology is advancing, you perhaps would expect to see huge leaps in interface design, but this hasn't really been the case.
Sure, many of us use touchpads on our laptops, but in a lot of cases the touchpad simply replaces the functions of a mouse. While the medium looks different, the functionality remains the same.
Apple has evolved touchpad, and more recently mouse, functionality by allowing fingertip gestures to carry out additional functions such as scrolling, zooming and moving/opening new windows. But still, the core functionality piggy-backs technology that's a quarter of a century old.
The folk at 10/GUI are rethinking how humans currently interact with computers and software with a goal of evolving the process. 10/GUI do note that a radical change in input mechanic will mean that software will have to be designed to take advantage of this. Their proposal isn't simply a replacement mouse, it is a whole new way of interacting.
Have a look at this 8 minute video and be sure to read the comments below - there are a ton of great points for and against the technology. Let us know what you think!
10/GUI from C. Miller on Vimeo.
Posted on Mon, Mar 22, 2010
In the next few weeks, the Age of Conversation 3 will be published.
This unique book, a collaboration of 176 authors, addresses how the global marketing landscape is changing and features a lot of quality conversation about business buzzwords including, of course, social media.
A little nearer the time of publishing I will post more information about the book and my contribution but in the mean time, here are some facts:
Oh yes, to prove I wasn't fibbing about the number of authors involved, here is a full list of them (some of whom you will already be familiar with):
Posted on Thu, Mar 18, 2010
Each year more and more cell phones come equipped with Internet access. Whether it's a smartphone or a regular old cell phone, it's becoming harder to find one that is not capable of accessing the mobile web. With this increase in accessibility, more consumers are turning to their phones when they need to access something online and are not near a computer.
However, even though most cell phones provide Internet access, using websites on a cell phone can be a chore. Usability guru Jakob Nielsen conducted a series of tests on mobile sites last year and found that users only have a 59% success rate when using the mobile web, compared to 80% when using a desktop or laptop computer. Some issues such as the small screen, lack of a traditional mouse and smaller (and often non-QWERTY) keyboard are unavoidable. But even with these limitations, companies can improve their mobile usability by providing a mobile version of their website that is optimized for cell phone use.
Mobile websites should limit their functionality to the most common user tasks and keep graphics to a minimum. The use of Flash should be avoided since many phones (even the iPhone) cannot read Flash content. Restaurants tend to be a big offender of this, and on more than one occasion I have changed dinner plans because I could not view the menu or find the hours of operation when accessing a restaurant's website on my iPhone.
When accessing the site, users should be auto-routed to the correct version (full or mobile) based on the device being used. It is also wise to provide a link to the mobile site on the full website, and vice versa, just in case the user is not routed properly or needs to access functionality not available on the mobile site.
While having a mobile website will not solve all of the usability issues for mobile users, it certainly helps. Jakob Nielsen reports that users had a 64% success rate when using a mobile site verses a 53% success rate when using full websites. The type of phone also makes a difference; with the fancier, more hi-tech phones achieving greater usability. However, when designing for usability you should always design for the novice users and most basic devices.
Posted on Mon, Mar 15, 2010
I'm fortunate enough to be participating in the Xbox 360 multiplayer beta test of Activision (publisher) and Bizarre Creations (developer) upcoming video game racer, Blur.
I'm a pretty experienced video game nerd and I have to say that this is one of the most hands on and usable games ever developed.
Any game which allows you to jump in and play straight away without the need of manuals, tutorials, FAQs or support oozes usability. Blur is such a game.
Bizarre Creations has used standard racer controller mapping - left stick steers, right trigger accelerates and left brakes. This control scheme has been replicated across a multitude of racing games in the past which means that most users will not have to learn or re-learn the function of the physical interface.
As the game loads, bite sized information is displayed on screen displaying extra game functionality. This way, by the time the user is in his or her very first game they know how to race and how to switch and fire power ups.
Veterans and newbies alike, everyone knows how to play the game. This is extremely important in a multi-player environment as everyone, regardless of experience, has an equal chance of winning. Well, Jules probably doesn't but she doesn't have time for nerdy games like this between all the diaper changes and sippy cup refilling.
This brings me on to my next point - this is the most accessible racing game I have ever played. Since the learning curve is so low people who have been playing the game for days or weeks hold very little advantage over those who have been playing for 10 minutes. This makes Blur an extremely engaging experience.
Like any good website or product, Blur evens the playing field by allowing all users achieve what he or she wants with confidence and minimal instruction.
By the way, there is one more thing that makes this game stand out. Although nothing to do with usability, it has everything to do with something very close to our hearts. Social media.
Blur is the first mainstream Xbox 360 title that has Twitter integration. To keep things competitive with your buddies, Blur will autotweet updates about your performance and progress.
While I will not use this feature, it excites me to see large game developers integrating our virtual pastimes into our social media presence.
I for one will be buying this game upon release on May 25th thanks to Blur's unparalleled focus on usability and accessibility. I will then proceed to whip Stewart up and down the race track, but that's just a little gaming smack talk for you.
Posted on Wed, Mar 10, 2010
Researching the best price for airfare can be quite the chore. I should know; I just spent the last two days researching flights to visit my family in Florida this summer. During this process, I noticed some clear distinctions between Southwest Airlines and other airline and travel websites.
When evaluating prices on most airline websites, users are bombarded with choices that are often presented in a confusing format. On some websites the user is not shown the price at all until they select an itinerary. On other sites the user is shown a page with only departing flights and a "lowest possible price." Once the user selects the departing flight, they are then shown return flights with a broad range of prices. Comparing travel among different dates can be even more cumbersome, often forcing the user to go back to the home page and start all over with each alternative date.
This is not the case with
Southwest Airlines. Once the user enters their travel details, they are taken to a page that makes evaluating flights easy as pie. The departure and return flights are presented on the same page and the price for each ticket type and flight are clearly marked. Placing the cursor over one of the ticket types reveals a short checklist comparing the features of each ticket. If the user wants to see how changing one of the travel dates will affect the price, they can simply click one of the date tabs shown at the top of the departing and returning flight boxes.
Southwest also has a nifty tool that shows the lowest price each day for the month. By selecting the "low fare calendar," the user is shown a calendar with the lowest fare each day for both their departing and returning flight. Getting this information on most other airline and travel websites would require a lot of trial and error (not to mention note taking).
It appears that Southwest understands that a positive user experience yields satisfied customers. Shopping for flights can be very stressful, so anything that makes the task easier will go a long way. I have flown Southwest in the past and have always been impressed with their customer focus, so seeing these updates to their website makes me even more likely to turn to them first for future flights.
Marketing professionals in Oklahoma City have a unique and exciting opportunity tomorrow. Southwest's Online Spokesperson and Emerging Media Specialist,
Christi Day, will be the guest speaker at tomorrow's
AMAOKC meeting. Christi is the voice behind
Southwest's Twitter account and a moderator on their "
Nuts About Southwest" blog. She will be sharing how she uses social media to create positive buzz for Southwest and how to portray your brand's unique personality on different social media channels. We hope to see you there!
Posted on Tue, Mar 09, 2010
Stuck in an idea-generation rut these days? Why don't you ask your target audience for their ideas? Better yet, why don't you pay them for their ideas?
Incentives are a necessity and the norm for research respondents, but what are you paying for? You're usually paying a flat amount to each respondent to simply complete the survey, focus group, IDI, etc. Complete being the key word here. You're not paying them to give you their best and brightest ideas. But what if you paid more for the best ideas?
A group called TRC in Pennsylvania ran a test with two groups of online respondents. Each group was presented the same two questions asking for new ideas for two different clients. One group was entered into a lottery to win several $20 gift cards, while the other group was entered into a lottery and promised $200 if their idea was chosen as the winner. The winning ideas were chosen by an online panel in a separate survey.
I'm sure you can just imagine the dramatic increase in completion and better quality of answers from the group that was competing for the $200 prize. According to TRC smart incentives work best in quantitative research, but I think it can also work in qualitative studies, albeit a little differently.
Read more about the results in this article written by Rajan Sambandam of TRC.
Posted on Thu, Mar 04, 2010
The British like to do things backwards.
The rest of Europe uses the Euro, the Brits use Pounds Sterling. The first floor in the UK is actually the second floor in the US. The British drive on the left whereas we in the States, and most other places in the world, stick to the right.
However, there are some things that aren't backwards - in fact, there are some very logical, practical and usable things that I love about England.
Just like a usable website provides clear visual clues as to what the user should do next, the streets of London do too.
Look at this picture of my friend, an American tourist in the heart of Piccadilly Circus. Despite his confused where-on-Earth-am-I face, Jamison knows exactly which way to look when crossing the streets on either side of him.
The placement is logical, the lettering is clearly visible and the functionality is needed.
The streets of London may not be paved with gold, but they certainly are usable.
Posted on Tue, Mar 02, 2010
The London Underground, or The Tube (pronounced Teuwbe to the English), has been around in some form for 150 years.
Since the mid 1800's, the landscape of London has changed dramatically. As the City expands, so does The Tube.
A big part of being able to get around England's capital city firmly rests upon the usability of The London Underground map. What used to be a collection of seven stations in 1863 , is now a network of over 270.
It's really interesting to see how the maps of the London Underground have changed over the years - the rapid increase of passenger stations left the maps clustered and confusing. Obviously, for the sake of usability, the maps changed from accurate geographic depictions to stylistic yet functional reference materials.
Behold...
Here's The Tube in 1889. The route is geographically accurate.
In 1908 more stations and lines were added. Colors and bold lines are used to make the map easier to read.
In 1921 the map started to represent a spaghetti dinner as stations after station were added to the London Underground network.
1926 saw a stylistic change in The Tube map. For the first time, the background was removed leaving only the lines of the Underground. Things still look cluttered though - the station names look remarkably close together making the map hard to read.
Now, 1933 is pretty much when things were turned on their head. Harry Beck comes up with the genius idea of removing geographic scale from the map in favor of readability and usability. BOOM!
There haven't been any radical departures from the above design in the last 80 years. Every now and again the map was redesigned, but due to issues of usability they reverted back to a design more in line with Becks.
The map below lost it's color. That makes tube routes difficult to distinguish. But it was 1940 and there was a war going on. Rationing and cutbacks were everywhere - even print and paper quality took a hit. We'll let the London Underground off on that one.
The redesigned tube map in 1959 is interesting. The tube lines follow horizontal and vertical paths only...unlike the 1933 design which included diagonal lines. Notice how the bold lines and bold text give the map a claustrophobic appearance?
The 1963 version of the map added back diagonal lines, but eliminated curves. This design is much harsher and as a result it is harder to read. Needless to say, this version didn't last long.
Let's fast forward to today. As you can see there are a lot more stations on the map. Icons have been added to the map to show stations with wheelchair access. Also, the map contains banded shaded areas. These represent tube zones to allow passengers to more accurately estimate the cost of their journey.
There have been a lot more designs over the last 100 years or so. Here is a fully comprehensive list of tube maps.
The successes and failures of various versions of the London Underground map were based on visual appeal and clarity. The same logic can be applied to products and websites. Clear labeling, distinguishable colors and simple interfaces always promote usability whereas an overabundance of options, cramped UI and colors of low contrast do not.
Now take a look at those maps again. Which one do you think is easiest to read?