Get Organized Or Get Lost

Some Web sites intended to help users actually hamper them. Here's how to design sites that keep your users happy.

Shank, Patti. TrainingMag.com (2002). Design>Web Design>Usability

Know Thy User

It's interesting to watch people using a Web site or online course you've built. When they click on the wrong button or mutter about not being able to find something, your instinct is to jump in to show them what to do. Or you may silently ridicule them for not understanding the obvious. But if we blame the user, we miss the point entirely. Navigating an online course should be easy. If the user is making lots of mistakes, it's probably the designer — not the user — who's dense. That's why it's so important to focus on usability when you're building an online course.

Shank, Patti. TrainingMag.com (2002). Articles>User Centered Design>Instructional Design