http://tc.eserver.org/authors/Gaine,_Frank A bibliography of works by Gaine, Frank in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Gaine,_Frank http://tc.eserver.org/22397.html http://tc.eserver.org/22397.html Bobby is a very useful tool but it is all too often misunderstood. Many organisations however, falsely believe that simply passing the Bobby test will satisfy their accessibility obligations. For them, the measure of accessibility is whether or not their pages can attain the Bobby Approved icon. In many ways, this is an understandable perspective. The Bobby icon represents an achievable standard and a tangible, cost effective reward for efforts made towards web accessibility. http://tc.eserver.org/19320.html http://tc.eserver.org/19320.html Colour is used in interface design for a variety of purposes. Not only can colour convey meaning or highlight content, it is also an important part of corporate identity and branding. Where would the Coca Cola brand be without its distinctive red and white livery? All well and good, but the reality is that the use of colour can cause more problems than it solves. Interface designers must treat colour with caution for a variety of reasons - most importantly the huge variety of ways in which any given colour can be perceived. It is well known that older users and those with colour-deficit vision may have difficulty in perceiving certain colours. Different monitors may be poor at maintaining colours the same across displays, and of course many users are still working on black and white displays. In this environment, poor use of colour may mean that text is hard to read, eyestrain occurs, and users become frustrated. With this in mind, designers should consider the following guidelines relating to the use of colour in interface design. http://tc.eserver.org/19321.html http://tc.eserver.org/19321.html State-of-the-art usability engineering should eliminate user errors. But in the real world, those users (the majority) who do not read instructions and prefer to 'figure things out as they go' are inevitably going to come unstuck occasionally. In these situations, interface designers must ensure that the feedback provided is as helpful as possible in setting the user back on the right track. Unclear and unhelpful error messages tend to mean that errors will recur, or take longer to resolve. The resultant frustration can lead users to mistrust the interface or even abort the task in question. This result can be disastrous, if for example it happens during the course of an online reservation or purchasing process. http://tc.eserver.org/19315.html http://tc.eserver.org/19315.html English is the official language of approximately eight percent of the worlds population - a significant number, but still a small minority. Yet the majority of online content is presented in English. Naturally, many organisations will want to reach as many prospective worldwide clients and suppliers as possible, but the reality is that a user will always prefer an application that suits their own language and cultural environment. Globalisation refers to everything an organisation should do to ensure that its web presence meets the requirements of users in different countries. Successful globalisation requires tackling a host of both technical and content issues. Back-end systems that interact with your web presence must be reengineered so they can identify and process any language. The web interface and its content must also be translated and culturally modified for a specific language or target environment (a locale). Its a huge topic - here we highlight only some of the key challenges presented to usability by going global. http://tc.eserver.org/19318.html http://tc.eserver.org/19318.html Amongst Internet developers, Macromedia Flash is certainly something of a hot potato. On the one hand, many designers see Flash as a powerful multimedia tool that encourages originality and dynamism on the otherwise 'static' web. Proponents of usability, on the other hand, have argued that the presence of Flash on a website is a 'usability disease', '99% bad' and have even branded it as 'evil'. They ask the obvious question: why do the biggest, most well known and profitable websites in the world decide against using Flash? However, the reality is that although Flash presents many usability issues, it is not inherently unusable. It can be used to create usable websites - but this requires designers to follow strict implementation guidelines. http://tc.eserver.org/19317.html http://tc.eserver.org/19317.html The convergence of the web and television throws up numerous challenges for usability engineers. As more and more of the population choose to access the Internet through their television (usually via set-top boxes and with the assistance of television remote controls), optimizing web pages for use on these devices becomes a priority. These issues tend to be exacerbated by inherent differences between the two technologies. For instance, television is usually thought of as 'lean-back' technology, whereas the computer is seen as 'lean-forward' technology. Television viewers on average sit more than 9 feet away from their sets, whereas computer users are usually within 13 inches of their monitors. Television viewers are accustomed to being passive and having information presented to them. Computer use requires more active interaction and maximizes user initiative. It is possible that the fundamental conflict between these modes of operation will mean that web-on-television is doomed to failure. But, in the meantime, what can be done to ensure high quality user-experience when viewing the web on TV? http://tc.eserver.org/19310.html http://tc.eserver.org/19310.html The following is an attempt to outline a charter of rights for the user of web applications. They are, of course, unenforceable but compliance with them would represent best practice in the design of user-centred interfaces. More significantly, any violation of the charter would indicate the presence of significant usability problems detrimental to the user experience. And failing to address the requirements of the user leads to frustration, irritation and consequently lost business. http://tc.eserver.org/19300.html http://tc.eserver.org/19300.html It is something of a given in the usability industry that testing with real users is the most effective way of identifying interface issues that may cause usability problems. Whilst it is true that testing is the best way to get real feedback on user experience with a site or application, there is an argument that evaluation by an expert is an equally efficient way to identify these problems. For some reason, the process of expert evaluation in usability circles has acquired the name 'heuristic evaluation', a term that is largely inaccurate in this context and certainly confusing for those unfamiliar with the jargon. However, that is a different story. Here we are more concerned with the pros and cons of expert evaluation as compared with user testing. http://tc.eserver.org/19044.html http://tc.eserver.org/19044.html An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) application is any telephone-based application which interactively takes input from callers and returns output in the form of a previously recorded human voice or other auditory information (Noonan). Cost and efficiency considerations means that IVR applications are fast becoming a common supplement, or indeed alternative, to direct contact with customer service representatives. The principles of User-Centred Design can be applied to make a more efficient and intuitive IVR applications. A solely auditory interface means that the user can hear only one thing at a time. The interface is sequential. With visual interfaces, like computer screens, it is possible to emphasise content through fonts or colour. The user can review any part of the screen at a glance. Therefore, the manner and order in which information is rendered on an IVR application is very important. The following are some guidelines for the design of an intuitive IVR application.