http://tc.eserver.org/publisher/Usability_News A listing of works published by Usability News 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/Usability_News http://tc.eserver.org/33444.html http://tc.eserver.org/33444.html Jupiter Research reports that only 14% of consumers say personalised offers or recommendations on shopping Web sites lead them to buy more often from online stores, and just 8% say that personalisation increases their repeat visits to content, news or entertainment websites. By contrast, the majority of consumers said that basic site improvements would make them buy or visit websites more often - 54% cited faster-loading pages and 52% cited better navigation as greater incentives. http://tc.eserver.org/33353.html http://tc.eserver.org/33353.html It is easy to be complacent about the future in this climate and to forget the lessons of the dotcom crash of a few years ago. At that time, usability professionals struggled in a market that was dominated by cost-cutting. The problem then was that usability had a limited business offering that focused on optimisation. http://tc.eserver.org/33365.html http://tc.eserver.org/33365.html Building an effective website is often seen exclusively as the job of the web team, and viewed as a design or technical issue. However, having worked with many different organisations, we would argue that often what stops them improving their website is the organisation itself. Developing an effective website often requires organisational change: it requires a culture where people at all levels in the organisation adopt behaviours that make a ‘good user experience’ an important goal. If the organisation is not focused on providing a good user experience, then the web team will be unable to build an effective website. http://tc.eserver.org/33337.html http://tc.eserver.org/33337.html FAQs don’t have that great a reputation, but recently, I’ve been working on FAQs for a client. Their computer help desk was annoyed about answering the same things again and again. Why not divert potential callers to a FAQ instead? http://tc.eserver.org/33234.html http://tc.eserver.org/33234.html In 2001, Bernard determined that users were able to form a schema for the location of web objects on informational websites. The current study investigates whether users' expectations have changed since the 2001 study. Changes were found in the expected location of the site search engine, internal links, and advertisements. http://tc.eserver.org/33256.html http://tc.eserver.org/33256.html The first UPA UK salary survey results show a range of £18,500 to £90,000 paid to British usability specialists, with a mean of £37,801 and a median of £35,000. http://tc.eserver.org/33198.html http://tc.eserver.org/33198.html There are three different types of breadcrumbs represented in websites – path, attribute, and location. Path breadcrumb trails are dynamic in that any given page will show a different breadcrumb trail based on how the user reached the page. Attribute breadcrumb trails display meta information showing many different trails representing several possible paths to reach the page. http://tc.eserver.org/33117.html http://tc.eserver.org/33117.html he recent press coverage of the Bath University research paper "Readability Assessment of British Internet Information Resources on Diabetes Mellitus Targeting Laypersons" has raised interesting questions about some of the methodologies used to measure users' experience on the web. On the face of it, the conclusion and the methodology used is fine, but due to the indiscriminate nature of automated testing tools, it doesn’t present the entire picture and, at worst, can give the impression that the users of these websites can’t understand the content at all, which may not be the case. http://tc.eserver.org/33118.html http://tc.eserver.org/33118.html This study compares reading performance between an ornate sans serif font (Gigi) and Times New Roman. The traditional measures of reading speed, comprehensibility, and subjective preference were employed. http://tc.eserver.org/33121.html http://tc.eserver.org/33121.html This study examined the effects of line length on reading speed, comprehension, and user satisfaction of online news articles. Twenty college-age students read news articles displayed in 35, 55, 75, or 95 characters per line (cpl) from a computer monitor. Results showed that passages formatted with 95 cpl resulted in faster reading speed. No effects of line length were found for comprehension or satisfaction, however, users indicated a strong preference for either the short or long line lengths. http://tc.eserver.org/33133.html http://tc.eserver.org/33133.html You are writing captions or labels for fields in forms, for example 'Name' or 'Date of birth'. Should they be finished with a colon, or not? http://tc.eserver.org/32983.html http://tc.eserver.org/32983.html Scientists tell us that visual communication is natural human behaviour which all normally sighted persons engage in every day and take for granted, yet it is the product of a complex human intelligence that is very poorly understood. http://tc.eserver.org/32844.html http://tc.eserver.org/32844.html During the summer of 2003, we ran an online questionnaire, conducted interviews and carried out a literature review on Web accessibility. One hundred and seventeen respondents participated and they included designers, information officers and accessibility advocates. This initial set of results are intended to encourage debate on the subject. http://tc.eserver.org/32801.html http://tc.eserver.org/32801.html Resumes play an important role when applying for a job. Unfortunately, many applicants focus only on the content of the resume and not the appearance. The typeface chosen to display the resume not only influences the physical appearance, but also influences how an employer may view the applicant. In this study, resumes displayed in a high appropriate typeface (Corbel), resulted in the applicant being perceived as more knowledgeable, mature, experienced, professional, believable, and trustworthy than when displayed in a neutral typeface (Tempus Sans) or low appropriate typeface (Vivaldi). Moreover, the applicant was more likely to be called for an interview when their resume was displayed in a high appropriate typeface than a neutral or low appropriate typeface. http://tc.eserver.org/32802.html http://tc.eserver.org/32802.html First-person shooter (FPS) games have become increasingly popular, and the player’s ability to accurately control their weapon is very important in these games. This study assesses players’ accuracy on eliminating targets in the FPS game Star Wars Battlefront II using three different input devices (mouse, Playstation 2 controller, and joystick) with two different rifle types (sniper and blaster rifle). No significant performance differences were found between input devices although subjectively participants believed they peformed the worst with the joystick. http://tc.eserver.org/32803.html http://tc.eserver.org/32803.html This study examines eye movement patterns of users browsing or searching a 1-column and 2-column news article on a web page. The results show a higher number of fixations for information in the second column of an article than for the same information in the lower portion of a single column. In addition, the typical "F" pattern appeared in the left column of the 2-column layout, but not in the right column. Users also fixated more on other page elements, such as ads, when they were browsing than when they were searching. http://tc.eserver.org/32804.html http://tc.eserver.org/32804.html This article continues the investigation of the legibility of onscreen typefaces and the influence of individual character features on correct identification. Specific attributes of alphanumeric characters and symbols shown to be the least legible were measured and analyzed using a statistical method called classification tree analysis. Results from this analysis for the number "1" and the "÷" symbol are discussed. http://tc.eserver.org/32805.html http://tc.eserver.org/32805.html This article provides general guidelines for card sorting analysis and interpretation. Tips include how to deal with dual group membership, individual differences, effects of semantic clustering, and items in a miscellaneous group. http://tc.eserver.org/32806.html http://tc.eserver.org/32806.html This study examined the eye movement patterns of users browsing a web-based portal interface. Results demonstrate consistent scan patterns in both 2 and 3-column portal layouts. In the 2-column portal, users viewed the page through the top, left channel and proceeded to scan the rest of the portal page in a reverse 'S' pattern by row. In the 3-column portal layout, users typically started scanning in the top, center channel, and then proceeded to scan in a reverse 'S' pattern through the rest of channels by row. Implications of these results to portal design are discussed. http://tc.eserver.org/32807.html http://tc.eserver.org/32807.html This article provides a summary of a usability evaluation of a university portal website. University faculty, staff, and student users were asked to complete representative search tasks and provide feedback on the portal usability. Several user interface design issues were found to impact user performance in terms of task success and perceived task difficulty, in addition to overall satisfaction. From these results, recommendations are made for university portal design related to the default 'home' page, channel customization and configuration, and placement of user-specific functions. http://tc.eserver.org/31197.html http://tc.eserver.org/31197.html This study evaluated the usability of three websites for Spanish-English Dual Language K-8 schools. Twelve participants (6 parents, 6 teachers) reviewed and performed tasks on the three public school websites. Site usability was determined through both objective and subjective measures, including task completion time, first-click, total number of pages visited, task success, perceived task difficulty, user satisfaction, and overall ranked preference. Results indicated that one site was preferred more than the others by both user groups and resulted in more efficient search behavior. Clear navigation, link terminology, and proper use of both languages were found to be critical factors contributing to the sites’ usability. http://tc.eserver.org/31195.html http://tc.eserver.org/31195.html This study investigated the effect that a font has on the reader's perception of an email. Based on a previous study by Shaikh, Chaparro, and Fox (2006), a sample email message was presented in three fonts (Calibri, Comic Sans, and Gigi). The three chosen fonts represented a high, medium, and low level of congruency for email messages. The least congruent typeface (Gigi) resulted in different perceptions of the email document and its author. However, no significant differences were found between the moderately and highly congruent fonts. http://tc.eserver.org/31191.html http://tc.eserver.org/31191.html This study investigated the effect of website typeface appropriateness on the perception of the site's company. Results indicate that typefaces that are high in appropriateness should be used for websites. Neutral and low appropriate typefaces significantly decreased the perception of the company as judged by professionalism, believability, trust, and intent to act on the site. http://tc.eserver.org/31192.html http://tc.eserver.org/31192.html This study investigated the legibility of onscreen typefaces and the influence of individual character features on correct identification. Specific attributes of alphanumeric characters and symbols shown to be the least legible were measured and analyzed using a statistical method called classification tree analysis. Results from this analysis for the letter "e" and the number zero are discussed. http://tc.eserver.org/31196.html http://tc.eserver.org/31196.html This article discusses users' visual scan paths of web pages containing text and/or pictures while conducting browsing and searching tasks. User performance on three usability tasks on an e-commerce website is described. Results show that users follow a fairly uniform scan path when browsing through pictures, and a more random path while specifically searching through them. Additionally, users appeared to follow Nielsen's 'F' pattern (2006) while both browsing and searching through text-based pages. http://tc.eserver.org/31194.html http://tc.eserver.org/31194.html TechSmith's recent release, Morae 2.0, features a new graphing tool, integrated satisfaction survey, and embedded task definitions. The editable marker log in Observer and the improved timeline controls in the Manager improve operator efficiency. This article highlights these and other new features of the new 2.0. http://tc.eserver.org/31199.html http://tc.eserver.org/31199.html TechSmith's Morae is a powerful tool that is useful for any usability study. Its simplicity, efficiency, cost effectiveness and portability has redefined the data collection process and allows researchers to focus on the user experience rather than the data collection tools. This article discusses some of the features of this tool and proposes some enhancements to make it even more powerful to usability practitioners. http://tc.eserver.org/31198.html http://tc.eserver.org/31198.html This paper summarizes some of the major lessons learned about conducting usability tests with visually impaired participants while working as interns at Google, Inc. The lessons were in four major areas: (1) recruitment and scheduling, (2) preparing the usability lab for testing sessions, (3) using think-aloud protocol with screen readers, and (4) helping observers to get the most out of the test sessions. http://tc.eserver.org/31193.html http://tc.eserver.org/31193.html A list of common mistakes with e-commerce shopping cart design were identified in a previous issue of Usability News. This article revisits that list and reviews how 500 of the top Internet retail sites of today implemented their shopping cart design. http://tc.eserver.org/28100.html http://tc.eserver.org/28100.html Usability is a discipline which seeks to achieve positive outcomes, yet in some corners it has developed a negative image--as witnessed by the website usabilitymustdie.com. This article explores some of the reasons as to why this negative image may exist. It encourages practitioners to be better trained and those who hire them to demand the highest quality from the profession. http://tc.eserver.org/27543.html http://tc.eserver.org/27543.html This study investigates the breakdown of the psychomotor components of three different input devices, the mouse, trackball, and RollerMouse™ using the Stochastic Optimized Submovement Model. Primary movement time (PMT), Total Movement Time (TMT), Primary Movement Distance (PMD), and Total Movement Distance (TMD) were examined for each device. Results showed that psychomotor variables related to the primary phase of movement help to pinpoint how performance efficiency is affected by a particular device. For example, the relationship between %PMD and efficiency suggests that a device that affords users an initial accurate movement decreases the need for more or longer corrective submovements, thus reducing movement time. http://tc.eserver.org/27544.html http://tc.eserver.org/27544.html This study compared two evaluation techniques, Usability Testing and Cognitive Walkthrough, in their ability to identify errors in aviation maintenance documentation. The techniques were evaluated to see how much unique information they each produced as well as the type of errors identified. Results showed that the techniques were complementary in their findings and both are recommended in the development of technical documentation. http://tc.eserver.org/27535.html http://tc.eserver.org/27535.html This study investigated the effect of the type (banner ad, pop-up ad and floating ad) and state (animated and non-animated) of online advertisements on recall and recognition of the advertisements. It was hypothesized that floating ads, pop-up ads, and animated ads would be easier to recall due to their intrusive nature. Results showed that participants in the pop-up ad and floating ad condition had better recall of the presence of the ad as well as better recognition. Animation did not significantly influence any of these measures. http://tc.eserver.org/27546.html http://tc.eserver.org/27546.html This study evaluated the effects of white space on visual search time. Participants were required to search for a target word on a web page with different levels of white space, measured by level of text density. Screens were formatted with one of four types of graphical manipulation, including: no graphics, contrast, borders and contrast with borders under two levels of overall density and three levels of local density. Results show that search times were longer with increased overall density but significant differences were not found between levels of local density. Only the use of contrast was found to be significant, resulting in an increase in search time. http://tc.eserver.org/27527.html http://tc.eserver.org/27527.html This study examined the effects of line length on reading speed, comprehension, and user satisfaction of online news articles. Twenty college-age students read news articles displayed in 35, 55, 75, or 95 characters per line (cpl) from a computer monitor. Results showed that passages formatted with 95 cpl resulted in faster reading speed. No effects of line length were found for comprehension or satisfaction, however, users indicated a strong preference for either the short or long line lengths. http://tc.eserver.org/27542.html http://tc.eserver.org/27542.html This study reports a psychophysical comparison of four ergonomic mouse-type devices to the standard mouse. It was hypothesized that muscle activity transferred from the distal to proximal limbs for some of the ergonomic mice may result in increased load on the shoulders and declines in target acquisition performance. Results revealed a potential tradeoff between performance and safety with the devices as participants performed the best with the standard mouse but reported more wrist exertion with this device. http://tc.eserver.org/27529.html http://tc.eserver.org/27529.html This study examined the usability of educational websites for children. Children ages 7 - 11 performed seven search tasks with one of three websites. Overall, participants, especially those less than 10 years of age were not very successful. Terminology, number and organization of links, location of information above the fold, and length of individual pages all influenced performance on the tasks. http://tc.eserver.org/27545.html http://tc.eserver.org/27545.html This article describes the Evaluation Toolbox (Chaparro et al., 2004) - an aid to understand the process of evaluating the usability of aviation maintenance documentation -- from the initial development stage through the final pre-publication stage. This toolbox provides techniques to help technical writers better understand their users and to evaluate their documentation more effectively and efficiently. http://tc.eserver.org/27533.html http://tc.eserver.org/27533.html This article introduces six new ClearType fonts developed by Microsoft. Legibility of two of the serif fonts, Cambria and Constantia, is compared to the traditional serif font Times New Roman. Results show that the legibility, as measured by the number of correct identifications of briefly presented characters, was highest for the new font Cambria, followed by Constantia, and then Times New Roman. Old style digits, such as 0,1, and 2, used in Constantia resulted in confusion with the letters o, l, and z. Times New Roman symbols were confused with both letters and other symbols. http://tc.eserver.org/27526.html http://tc.eserver.org/27526.html This article discusses how eye-tracking can be used to supplement traditional usability test measures. User performance on two usability tasks with three e-commerce websites is described. Results show that eye-tracking data can be used to better understand how users initiate a search for a targeted link or web object. Frequency, duration and order of visual attention to Areas of Interest (AOIs) in particular are informative as supplemental information to standard usability testing in understanding user expectations and making design recommendations. http://tc.eserver.org/27528.html http://tc.eserver.org/27528.html This study investigated the effects of multi-column displays and justification on reading performance and satisfaction of an online narrative passage. Participants read a short story displayed in one of six formats (one, two, or three columns, in either a full or left-justified format). Results showed a significant column x justification interaction with reading speed significantly faster for the two-column full-justified text than for one-column full-justified, and significantly faster for one-column left-justified than for one-column full-justified or three-column full-justified text. Post-hoc analyses indicate that the faster readers may have benefited most from the two-column justified format. http://tc.eserver.org/27540.html http://tc.eserver.org/27540.html This study investigated the generalization of a home metaphor used in the Tide.com Stain Detective (Nelson & Hibner, 2003) to middle-class Indian females. The stain detective was developed with American women based on a card sorting activity. A similar card sorting activity was conducted with six Indian females. Results showed that the Indian participants grouped the stains by the amount of work that was required to remove it, rather than by the location where it occurred. http://tc.eserver.org/27530.html http://tc.eserver.org/27530.html This article examines the usability of FlipViewer software for digital FlipBooks. The FlipViewer software allows users to read online documents in a three-dimensional e-book format simulates a paper document. Participants performed 11 tasks with a FlipBook and their performance was evaluated. Some tasks were difficult for participants to complete, however, participants were satisfied overall with their experience using FlipViewer® and 100% indicated that they would recommend the product to others. http://tc.eserver.org/27536.html http://tc.eserver.org/27536.html This study investigated the common password generation practices of online users. Three hundred and fifteen undergraduate and graduate students completed a survey querying (1) the types and number of different password protected accounts maintained; (2) actual practices used in generating, storing and using passwords; (3) practices believed they should use in generating and storing passwords; and (4) general demographic information. Results indicate that, in general, users do not vary the complexity of passwords depending on the nature of the site (bank account vs. instant messenger) or change their passwords on any regular basis if it is not required by the site. Users report using lower case letters, numbers or digits, personally meaningful numbers and personally meaningful words when creating passwords, despite the fact that they realize that these methods may not be the most secure. http://tc.eserver.org/27532.html http://tc.eserver.org/27532.html This study sought to determine if certain personalities and uses are associated with various fonts. Using an online survey, participants rated the personality of 20 fonts using 15 adjective pairs. In addition, participants viewed the same 20 fonts and selected which uses were most appropriate. Results suggested that personality traits are indeed attributed to fonts based on their design family (Serif, Sans-Serif, Modern, Monospace, Script/Funny) and are associated with appropriate uses. Implications of these results to the design of online materials and websites are discussed. http://tc.eserver.org/27539.html http://tc.eserver.org/27539.html This study examined the effects of enhanced layout (headers, indentation, and figure placement) on reading performance, comprehension, and satisfaction. Participants read text passages with and without enhanced layout. Results showed that reading speed and comprehension were not affected by layout, however, participants were more satisfied with the enhanced layout and reported it to be less fatiguing to read. http://tc.eserver.org/27547.html http://tc.eserver.org/27547.html In this study, reading performance with four white space layouts was compared. Margins surrounding the text and leading (space between lines) were manipulated to generate the four white space conditions. Results show that the use of margins affected both reading speed and comprehension in that participants read the Margin text slower, but comprehended more than the No Margin text. Participants were also generally more satisfied with the text with margins. Leading was not shown to impact reading performance but did influence overall user preference. http://tc.eserver.org/27537.html http://tc.eserver.org/27537.html This article examines user performance and satisfaction of a university schedule of courses using the FlipViewer® digital FlipBook format. This format was compared to a schedule of courses website and subjectively compared to the university’s printed schedule of courses catalog. Results indicate that the participants performed some tasks faster with the FlipBook format and found it to be engaging and easy-to-use. http://tc.eserver.org/27531.html http://tc.eserver.org/27531.html This study examined the effects of mouse pad usage on performance of a target acquisition task. Results indicated no performance difference between three specialized mouse pads, a traditional mouse pad and no mouse pad. In addition, no significant differences were found between each of the mousing surfaces based on kinematic data. The results suggest that manufacturer claims of increased performance cannot be supported by empirical evidence. http://tc.eserver.org/27538.html http://tc.eserver.org/27538.html This study evaluates the usability of computer-based avionics system using a methodology described by Schvanevelt, Berringer & Leard (2004) which calculates the accessibility of information based upon the priorities users place upon the individual information sources. We discuss some of the unique usability issues facing engineers designing hardware and software for technically-advanced avionics systems. http://tc.eserver.org/27541.html http://tc.eserver.org/27541.html This study discusses the contributions of eye-tracking data to traditional usability test measures for first-time usage of websites. Participants viewed the homepages of three different websites. Results showed that eye-movement data supplemented what users verbally reported in their reactions to a site. In particular, the eye-tracking data revealed which aspects of the website received more visual attention and in what order they were viewed. http://tc.eserver.org/27534.html http://tc.eserver.org/27534.html In 2001, Bernard determined that users were able to form a schema for the location of web objects on informational websites. The current study investigates whether users' expectations have changed since the 2001 study. Changes were found in the expected location of the site search engine, internal links, and advertisements. http://tc.eserver.org/27414.html http://tc.eserver.org/27414.html Some of the criticism Jakob Nielsen is now drawing comes from the very community he represents. A few years ago, Jakob was King and we were delighted that someone had managed to raise awareness of usability and the benefit to design that involving the user might yield. That has now given way to a frustration with the authority he commands. http://tc.eserver.org/23308.html http://tc.eserver.org/23308.html There has been speculation that a breadcrumb trail also aids the user's 'mental model' of the site's layout to reduce disorientation within the site (Bernard, 2003); however, we have not found research to validate this assumption. It would seem logical, however, that a constant visualization of the path to the user's current location would increase their awareness and knowledge of the site structure. http://tc.eserver.org/23307.html http://tc.eserver.org/23307.html Fonts are described in terms of their face, style, size and color. There are two main types, namely, serif and sans serif. Serif fonts have small appendages at the top and bottom of the letter. Serif fonts are the preferred fonts for large blocks of text, since the serifs are thought to help to distinguish each letter and thus, make it easier to read strings of characters. Sans serif fonts consist of only primary line strokes and are therefore simpler in shape, e.g. Arial and Futura. In standard typography these fonts are used primarily for short phrases, e.g. headings. This study compares reading performance between an ornate sans serif font (Gigi) and Times New Roman. The traditional measures of reading speed, comprehensibility, and subjective preference were employed. http://tc.eserver.org/23303.html http://tc.eserver.org/23303.html The effects of music on performance on a computer-mediated problem-solving task were examined. Participants completed the task in anonymous dyads as they were exposed to either Classical music, Punk music, or No Music. Results indicate that those in the Classical music condition performed better on the problem solving-task than those in the Punk music or No Music conditions. However, those listening to the Classical music offered more off-task comments during the task than those listening to No Music. Implications for website designers are discussed. http://tc.eserver.org/23305.html http://tc.eserver.org/23305.html One of the primary challenges confronting designers of mobile computing devices is the issue of efficient text entry. One potential solution is to group multiple letters onto single keys, similar to the T9 keyboard currently used on telephones. Two experiments examined the effects of perceptual grouping on soft keyboard transcription rates. Results from Experiment 1 showed significantly slower transcription rates for QWERTY keyboards with grouped keys. Results from Experiment 2 showed various levels of perceptual interference due to the different Gestalt grouping effects. These results indicate that perceptual grouping can negatively affect text entry performance, and placing multiple letters onto single keys reduces the speed at which users can transcribe words. http://tc.eserver.org/23304.html http://tc.eserver.org/23304.html Thirty-six websites designed for older adults were evaluated as to how well they complied to 25 'senior-friendly' guidelines recommended by the National Institute of Aging. Results indicate that a majority of the sites complied to guidelines related to basic navigation and content style but not for text size, text weight, or site map availability. Implications of compliance to these guidelines on user satisfaction and performance are discussed. http://tc.eserver.org/23301.html http://tc.eserver.org/23301.html Recent studies have shown that while the use of breadcrumb trails to navigate a website can be helpful, few users choose to utilize this method of navigation. This study investigates the effects of 'mere exposure' and training on breadcrumb usage. Findings indicate that brief training on the benefits of breadcrumb usage resulted in more efficient search behavior. http://tc.eserver.org/23306.html http://tc.eserver.org/23306.html Users' specific online activities, their knowledge of computers and the Internet, and how they feel about being online could differ significantly. In order to obtain a more robust measure, researchers may want to consider how and what users think, feel, and do online when they assess level of experience. In this article we explore each of these areas and present a new measure of measuring online experience. http://tc.eserver.org/23309.html http://tc.eserver.org/23309.html RSVP is a method of displaying text one word (or sentence) at a time in the same area of a screen. RSVP has been used as a method of teaching reading, speed reading, as well as assessing reading speed and comprehension in students and adults. At SURL, we have been interested in the use of RSVP with small-screen interfaces, such as those used on handheld devices. http://tc.eserver.org/23302.html http://tc.eserver.org/23302.html This study reports on the usability test of three weight loss websites. In addition, eye tracking patterns were observed for initial exposure to each site home page. Results indicate that participants were able to search the Atkins diet site more efficiently than the Jenny Craig website or Weight Watchers website and preferred this site overall. Analysis of eye-tracking data suggests users first fixate on graphics and large text even when looking for specific information. Interface issues contributing to overall satisfaction and preference are discussed. http://tc.eserver.org/23171.html http://tc.eserver.org/23171.html A piece written by Ian Lloyd (Accessify bod) about how accessibility was worked into the project management life cycle. http://tc.eserver.org/19599.html http://tc.eserver.org/19599.html While you may not agree with everything Nielsen has to say, he's definitely provided a number of good tips on how to go about usability, and raised the awareness of user experience issues to a much broader audience - including those who sign the checques. The downside is that Nielsen's promoted 'usability' as being synonymous with 'user experience' to many people and we'll be clarifying the difference for years to come I fear. http://tc.eserver.org/19600.html http://tc.eserver.org/19600.html Over 66% of searchers examine fewer than five results with more than one in three Web searchers viewing only on one document in a given session. Users' search strategies are not those believed traditionally effective, but a close analysis reveals they work well on the Web. http://tc.eserver.org/19601.html http://tc.eserver.org/19601.html A mailing list now connects users with visual impairments willing to act as testers and website developers concerned with accessibility. http://tc.eserver.org/19602.html http://tc.eserver.org/19602.html Looks at usable writing, and convincing the legal department to adopt the tenets of clear writing. http://tc.eserver.org/19145.html http://tc.eserver.org/19145.html Defining 'the user experience' is difficult since it can extend to nearly everything in someone's interaction with a product, from the text on a search button, to the color scheme, to the associations it evokes, to the tone of the language used to describe it, to the customer support. Understanding the relationship between these elements requires a different kind of research than merely timing how quickly a task is accomplished or testing to see how memorable the logo is. http://tc.eserver.org/19141.html http://tc.eserver.org/19141.html Usability can sometimes be more about belief than about evidence or engineering, with usability testing heading the list as a central tenet of the dogma of modern practice. One disgruntled participant in a recent conference even commented: 'It is unbelievable that an instructor at CHI would question the importance of user research and usability testing'. Yet, precisely because of its leading role, it is important for the profession to question the dogma of usability testing and for professionals to keep abreast of new developments and changing perspectives. http://tc.eserver.org/18285.html http://tc.eserver.org/18285.html As websites continue to fight for the attention of potential users, designers must begin to look not only at the inherent usability of the site, but also its perceived usability. For instance, Tractinsky (1997) found a correlation between perceived usability and aesthetics when investigating ATM machines. Subjects based their overall opinion of the usability of the ATM on the 'look' of the machine. Moreover, in examining users' first impression of websites, Shenkman and Jonsson (2000) found that the best predictor for the overall judgment by typical users of a website was its beauty. Design principles are frequently utilized by graphic designers to create aesthetically pleasing websites. The term harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, or color. In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. Two design principles that influence harmony are balance and color. When a website is harmonious, it engages the viewer and creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it becomes either boring or chaotic (Lauer & Pentak, 2002). According to Lindgaard (1999), color is a strong predictor in the overall appeal of a website. http://tc.eserver.org/18282.html http://tc.eserver.org/18282.html Breadcrumbs serve two purposes: 1) they provide information to the user as to where they are located within the site, and 2) they offer shortcut links for users to “jump” to previous categories in the sequence without using the Back key, other navigation bars, or the search engine. Breadcrumb paths give location information and links in a backward linear manner. Navigation methods, such as search fields or horizontal/vertical navigation bars, serve to retrieve information for the user in a forward-seeking approach. As suggested by Marchionini, systems that support navigation by both browsing and analytical strategies are most beneficial to users since various patterns, strategies, tactics, and moves associated with both types of strategies are normally used. http://tc.eserver.org/18286.html http://tc.eserver.org/18286.html Given the proliferation of computers and rapidly aging demographic trends, there is a critical need for user interface designs that accommodate older adults. It is known that many adults in this age group experience declines in cognitive, sensory, and/or motor capacities that may interfere with their ability to interact effectively with current user interfaces. Motor behavior slows with age. Compared to younger adults, older adults take longer to complete the same movement, and their movements are more variable, less smooth, and less coordinated (Seidler & Stelmach, 1996). The loss of fine motor skills makes it difficult for older adults to position cursors on computer screens, particularly when interacting with small objects (Chaparro, et al., 1999; Walker et al., 1996). This can lead to greater frustration and possibly increased risk of cumulative trauma due to prolonged periods of time in awkward postures. This article describes one of a series of studies designed to explore alternative interaction techniques to make object selection easier for older mouse users. http://tc.eserver.org/18284.html http://tc.eserver.org/18284.html Personality traits are used to describe the strong consistencies that people demonstrate in their behavior across time and situations. People display behaviors that fall into a continuum of trait extremes. This behavior can be malleable to the situation such as the differences in behaviors across various shopping venues. For example, while consumers may not hesitate to give their credit card to a cashier or give personal or credit card information over the phone, research has shown that many consumers are concerned with online security. Therefore, this study explores Internet purchasing behaviors and the following personality traits: Vigilance and Openness to Change. http://tc.eserver.org/18281.html http://tc.eserver.org/18281.html If there is one basic truism about the Web it is that every designer has their own opinion concerning the best method for presenting menu items on a web page. Two common ways to present menus are to either hierarchically cascade the menu items upon mouse-over, or to simply place most, if not all, of the menu items in a categorical index. Cascading menus have the advantage of requiring little screen real estate. However, they have been much maligned for several reasons. First, it is sometimes difficult to use for the reason that users must precisely control their mouse movements in order to select the correct menu item. It becomes increasing difficult with the number of levels a user must navigate. Second, cascading menus hide menu information until the user positions the mouse over the menu level above it. http://tc.eserver.org/18287.html http://tc.eserver.org/18287.html In this study, user tolerance for delays for three common WWW tasks, including information retrieval, purchasing, and downloading a text file was examined. These tasks were selected since the file sizes differ significantly among the three tasks, so it was expected that tolerance may be higher for those tasks with smaller file sizes. For example, tolerance for delays would be higher for downloading a text file than purchasing or information retrieval, since users may have an expectation that the task should take longer so they may be more willing to wait. End-users may be more tolerant of delays while purchasing online, since information must be exchanged to process the transaction, whereas information retrieval does not require information exchange. http://tc.eserver.org/18280.html http://tc.eserver.org/18280.html This study examined the viability of a Category-Based Usability Theory, which indicates that usability of websites should be accounted for on the basis of the category the website is in. While Web design experts have provided general design guidelines, it is believed that with different site types, design guidelines may differ. http://tc.eserver.org/18283.html http://tc.eserver.org/18283.html In this study, we examined the use of paging vs. scrolling in reading passages, including participants' reading comprehension in paging and scrolling conditions. http://tc.eserver.org/14930.html http://tc.eserver.org/14930.html Development projects should spend 10% of their budget on usability. Following a usability redesign, websites increase usability by 135% on average; intranets improve slightly less. http://tc.eserver.org/13344.html http://tc.eserver.org/13344.html At Wichita State University (WSU), computers and the Internet continue to be incorporated into the course curriculum. We have noticed At Wichita State University (WSU), computers and the Internet continue to be incorporated into the course curriculum. We have noticed there are a wide range of computer skills and web experience among the students enrolled in courses offered in the Dept. of Psychology. We were interested in surveying our undergraduate students at Wichita State to determine just how much computer and web experience they actually have. To do this, we conducted a survey to 488 undergraduates (32% male and 68% female) enrolled in our Introductory Psychology course in the Fall of 1999. Fifty-one percent of the participants were freshmen with a mean age of 21.7 (range 16 to 54 yrs). at Wichita State to determine just how much computer and web experience they actually have. To do this, we conducted a survey to 488 undergraduates (32% male and 68% female) enrolled in our Introductory Psychology course in the Fall of 1999. http://tc.eserver.org/13346.html http://tc.eserver.org/13346.html As companies continue to expand world-wide, effective communication among project teams and employees becomes a serious challenge. This has not only made it a necessity for businesses to share information electronically, but has also made it essential for organizations to promote team learning and innovation through group collaboration.  In fact, as we all know, it is common for business to interact and conduct group seminars in several countries, all at once, via the Internet. For example, several years ago Hewlett Packard conducted collaborative seminars in traditional classrooms.  Now however they focus almost exclusively on instructions via an interactive electronic network.  As Susan Burnett, of Hewlett Packard points out, 'we are constantly pushing to blur the lines between learning and doing the job' by using information technology (Perelman, 1994, p. 88). http://tc.eserver.org/13342.html http://tc.eserver.org/13342.html Will electronic books (e-books) change the experience of reading? Will students soon carry a mobile device in their backpacks instead of a ton of textbooks? Some major university projects at the University of Michigan and at Columbia have already created and distributed electronic versions of textbooks (Epstein, 1999). In addition, Microsoft joined publishing firms and electronic manufacturers to set open technical standards for the electronic book format (Wired News, 1999). So what advantages do e-books offer? Some advantages include convenience and reduced storage space. Anywhere from 10 to 250 textbooks or novels can be held on the device, depending on the e-book model, so you can have a portion of your library with you. In addition, users can annotate, highlight, bookmark, and publish their own content on the e-book. By removing the need for paper, the cost of books should decrease and also decrease environmental damage. Another advantage of the e-book is accessibility. Those with visual impairments can increase the font size to improve readability. http://tc.eserver.org/13341.html http://tc.eserver.org/13341.html With the increasing demand for smaller more mobile devices (e.g., PDAs, pen tablets, etc.), manufacturers have been forced to consider alternative methods of input (other than a standard keyboard) such as pen-based input via handwriting recognition or on-screen, soft keyboards.  However, meeting the need for high-efficiency input in these physically constrained environments has proven to be a challenge for designers and researchers, particularly given the fact that they are designing for a “walk-up” market where consumers want to be able to begin using it without extensive practice. http://tc.eserver.org/13345.html http://tc.eserver.org/13345.html It has been a long-held notion that the use of open space or 'whitespace' adds not only to the attractiveness of the design of a written publication, but adds to the functionality as well. For example, it has been stated that whitespace plays the crucial role of 'directing the viewers attention to the regions where important information is provided and allowing the global structure of the composition to assume a meaningful configuration' (Mullet & Sano, 1995, p. 126). It is contended that Whitespace 'gives the eye a place to restIt can help to organize the material on the page. It can tie successive pages together by repetition of identifiable areas' (White, 1974, p. 48). However, it has been asserted by Web usability researcher Jared Spool that these assumptions should not apply to Web design. http://tc.eserver.org/13343.html http://tc.eserver.org/13343.html From check station point-of-sale devices (restaurants, grocery stores, etc.) to information kiosks, to the cars we drive (navigation systems), touch screens have become the input device of choice.  While the versatility of the touch screen is highly desired, the poor performance it achieves relative to the mechanical keyboard has been something that users have been forced to deal with.  Empirical research studies have found that touch screens consistently produced slower and less accurate performance when compared with keyboards  (Barrett & Krueger, 1994; Wilson, Inderrieden, & Liu, 1995). Schneiderman (1998) outlines the many advantages and disadvantages to using a touch screen. http://tc.eserver.org/13339.html http://tc.eserver.org/13339.html The designer can construct and place the contents on the website with a good degree of confidence that it will reflect the mental model of the representative user. The placement of the content on the website, however, is critical to a site's eventual success. For this reason, this article is intended to address some of the more important human factors issues in the design of the content within a website. http://tc.eserver.org/13340.html http://tc.eserver.org/13340.html Mobile computing devices, which are commonly known as either personal digital assistants (PDA) or personal information managers (PIM), are an emerging technology that has the potential to be very useful in specific areas of computing.  One area in which mobile computing devices are gaining favor is in data collection, especially in places where larger computers are impractical.  While the use of these devices as a data collection tool is not a new idea (see Drury, 1987), it has been a bit slow to take off.  However, recent advances in this area of technology have allowed the gap in functionality between mobile computing devices and personal computers to be closed to such an extent that these devices may be considered to be as functional in many ways as a laptop or palmtop computer for collecting data.  In fact, the conversion of paper and pencil forms such as surveys, questionnaires, and assessments to these devices may be considered a next logical step in the use of mobile computing devices. http://tc.eserver.org/13329.html http://tc.eserver.org/13329.html An independent-living senior center recently approached us with a request to 'build a system that could track the fitness activity of their approximately 160 older residents.' The center houses a Fitness Club that offers seven different fitness classes, personal training, physical therapy, a pool, a spa, and access to a multitude of exercise equipment (i.e., stationary bikes, treadmills, and weights). At the time of the request, residents were signing their names and activities on a sheet of paper as they entered the Fitness Club. Occasionally, the sign-in sheets were summarized into monthly reports to show resident attendance by class and the type of equipment they were using. http://tc.eserver.org/13331.html http://tc.eserver.org/13331.html Studies examining the legibility of fonts on computer screens have almost exclusively investigated young to middle aged adults. However, because of many age-related factors affecting reading, one should be fairly cautious in generalizing these findings to older adults. In light of this, this study sought to examine this population by studying the legibility, reading time, as well as the general font preference for two types of serif and sans serif fonts at 12- and 14-point sizes on computer screens. http://tc.eserver.org/13335.html http://tc.eserver.org/13335.html In the last five years, we have witnessed a virtual explosion in the number and variety of hand-held devices that use small-screen interfaces (SSIs). These devices, which may include everything from personal digital assistants (PDAs) to cellular telephones, offer the convenience of portable, or even wearable interfaces. This convenience, however, comes at a price; the amount of information that can be displayed on the screen at one time is very small. Moreover, manual scrolling, tabbing, and paging are required to present successive displays of information. This, of course, limits the usefulness of these devices, especially if the information that is viewed is more than just a small amount. These limitations serve as a critical usability concern as more and more consumers use hand-held devices for such things as reading e-mail, browsing the web, and reading documents. http://tc.eserver.org/13336.html http://tc.eserver.org/13336.html The most common medium for advertising on the Web is through the use of banners. This form of advertisement often combines animation, sophisticated graphics, and even audio to endorse product information. Currently, advertising companies test the effectiveness of banners  by calculating their 'click-through' ratio rate (Briggs & Hollis, 1997). This ratio is the number of times an ad appears on a page compared to the number of times an individual clicks on the banner. It has been argued by Nielsen (1997) that click-through ratio rates are typically about 1%, which suggests that 99% of the time Internet users don’t bother to click on advertisements. http://tc.eserver.org/13338.html http://tc.eserver.org/13338.html Without question, the impact of computer-mediated communication, such as e-mail, chat groups, and group support systems on the functioning of businesses and society-at-large has been considerable. This impact has led to many assertions, like the ability of computer media to level, in some respects, the business interaction process by bringing individuals from anywhere within the business hierarchy together. Moreover, it has been maintained that it may also produce more open and democratic interactions than face-to-face communication by masking the normal trappings of authority or status that are commonly found in face-to-face communication (Sproull & Keisler,1992). However, we still do not have a firm grasp of what effect this medium has upon both male and female attitudes stemming from task-related interactions. http://tc.eserver.org/13332.html http://tc.eserver.org/13332.html When it comes to conferences, traditional paper proceedings are quickly being replaced by their electronic counterparts. The annual conference of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society is no exception. Last year’s 2000 conference proceedings were available solely on the CD-ROM, “Ergonomics for the Millennium.” After working with the proceedings ourselves and hearing other conference attendees comment on the difficulties accessing information from the proceedings, we decided to conduct a quick usability test on the software. http://tc.eserver.org/13333.html http://tc.eserver.org/13333.html Devices with Small Screen Interfaces (SSI), such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), are in great demand due to their small size and their many functions. One  important drawback, however, is the limited amount of real estate that can be devoted to the presentation of text. When considering this limitation, questions arise as to the best way to present electronic text so that both the quality of the reading experience and user preference is optimized. http://tc.eserver.org/13334.html http://tc.eserver.org/13334.html The development of the electronic book (eBook) has offered an alternative to the traditional printed text medium. The advantages of the eBook, such as increased storage capacity (10-250 texts per eBook), decreased storage space and weight, and decreased cost of production to the consumer, make it an attractive option for consumers. In addition, previous research has indicated no significant differences exist for reading speed and reading comprehension between paper and eBook presentation (Selvidge & Phillips, 2000). It is therefore not surprising that the University of Michigan and Columbia University have already created and distributed electronic versions of textbooks for some of their major university projects (Epstein, 1999). However, if the eBook is to be considered as a viable alternative to the traditional book, then it is important to explore the usability of the device. http://tc.eserver.org/13337.html http://tc.eserver.org/13337.html By far the two most common types of fonts currently used on the Web are the serif font, Times New Roman (TNR) and the sans serif font, Arial. The question is, which one is more legible and at which size? In the past, it has been determined that serif fonts, which have ornamental strokes at the tip and base of each letter, are easier to read on paper than sans serif fonts, which do not have serifs. This is because it is believed that serifs help distinguished each individual letter (Albers, 1963). However, this benefit may be reduced or even eliminated on computer screens because of their display particularities, like poorer screen resolution and aliasing or 'jaggies,' as it is commonly known. http://tc.eserver.org/13330.html http://tc.eserver.org/13330.html Children today are reading large amounts of text on computer screens, either in the classroom or for leisure. In fact, currently there is a drive to supplement or even replace some traditional pen and paper lectures and tests with computer-based ones. However, to date there has been no research specific to a younger population investigating preferences for different types and sizes of fonts for reading online. This study sought to address this need by examining four types of fonts at 12- and 14-point sizes in order to help determine the font combination that is perceived as most readable on computer screens and most preferred by children. http://tc.eserver.org/13327.html http://tc.eserver.org/13327.html The Internet has changed the way information is displayed. According to Weinman and Heavin, (1997) “It is no longer necessary to only create compelling visuals and information - the speed with which your site is viewed is also subject to critique,” (p. 36). Internet audiences are not captive. They can leave, and often do, at any time. It is the daunting task of web designers to not only draw the audience into a page, but to keep them there. One way to attract and keep an audience is by maximizing image quality while minimizing download time. This can be accomplished by choosing appropriate graphic file formats and by utilizing a variety of file size reduction techniques. http://tc.eserver.org/13321.html http://tc.eserver.org/13321.html A general survey of the Web finds that a majority of sites use 12-point fonts (size= 3) for much, if not all of their written content. With this in mind, we examined the most popular font types at this size for differences in effective reading speed (accuracy/reading time), as well the perception of font legibility. http://tc.eserver.org/13328.html http://tc.eserver.org/13328.html An essential ingredient in constructing the content of a website is knowing the typical users' mental model or 'schema' for the characteristic location of web objects on a website. Knowledge of this schema and constructing a site that reflects this should aid in the site's accessibility. This, in turn, should produce more accurate and faster information retrieval, as well as greater satisfaction with the site. However, little is known about the average users' schema for the location of web objects on a typical website. http://tc.eserver.org/13326.html http://tc.eserver.org/13326.html More and more companies are relying on e-commerce as a principal method of revenue. However, little is known about the behaviors of online shoppers. The focus of this research was to assess users’ attitudes regarding online consumer behaviors. This research considers nine Internet behaviors across five consumer behavior processes: (a) Motivation and Need Recognition, (b) Information Search, (c) Alternatives Evaluation, (d) Purchase Decision and Purchase, and (e) Purchase Outcomes. The behaviors studied include: clicking on banner ads, reading e-mail advertisements, searching for product information in online stores and using search engines, using comparison engines and online reviews to evaluate alternatives, purchase products, and accessing online customer support via e-mail and websites. http://tc.eserver.org/13325.html http://tc.eserver.org/13325.html Statistics show staggering numbers of users abandon their shopping carts before making a purchase - many times due to 'poor user experience' (Gordon, 2000). In our continuing quest to further understand how people shop online, we investigated sites from two different domains that are of interest to today's university students: grocery shopping and student textbooks. http://tc.eserver.org/13324.html http://tc.eserver.org/13324.html Surveys are an invaluable tool for helping organizations stay abreast of issues within the corporate social environment. As the cost and pace of daily business increases, so does the need for high quality, cost-effective, timely, and efficient data collection. Traditionally, surveys have been done using paper methodologies, which can be costly to administer in terms of time, labor, and materials. The advent of the Internet has dramatically increased the ease, reach, and speed of survey administration and data collection, while simultaneously decreasing associated costs, making surveys faster, easier to administer, and cheaper than ever before. http://tc.eserver.org/13322.html http://tc.eserver.org/13322.html An important issue regarding the physical layout of a web page is the use of space or in this case, how the contents of a web page should be placed within the confines of a window. Web designers have dealt with this issue by using several different methods. The oldest method is to simply allow the contents of a web page fill the entire window. This method, which is known as a ‘fluid’ layout, has the flexibility to expand and contract along with the size of the window. It also is the simplest design to implement. However when reading its content, a fluid layout may have the drawback of forcing viewers to horizontally scan more than other types of layouts. http://tc.eserver.org/13323.html http://tc.eserver.org/13323.html Online newspapers and journals, as well as many other types of informational sites, are invariably confronted with the question of where to place links associated with the online document. Currently, many informational sites place associative links below (as seen with CNN.com) or on the side of the document (as seen with techreview.com), while a shrinking number of sites embed associative links within their documents.