Reading Summary: Steve Krug's "Things You Need to Get Right"

So I'm reading Chapter 6 of Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think, "Street signs and bread crumbs" and he begins with an analogy between a department store and a webpage, to show how navigation works and can be optimized.  It's a cute little comparison - except that he leaves out one very important detail - at least in my opinion.  He talks about how in a department store there is a hierarchy from Department to Aisle, etc. - and says that is like menus and sub-menus on a web page.  Here's the kicker though, a department store has real merchandise, and chances are your product is only going to be in one place even if the product could feasibly fall in a number of categories (I like to think of bottled ice tea instead of his chainsaw example, is it with the tea and coffee? or the juice? or the soda?).  Well, in a store it is in ONE place - but on the web?  It can show up wherever people might possibly be looking for it!

The rest of the chapter was "eh" - it's starting to become apparent that this is a book from 2006.  It has good notes on navigation structure and the basics are all kind of the same, but Krug waxes on about how amazing tabs are - and guess what? in 2013 they're barely used any more (except in internet browsers!).

In Chapter 7, "The first step in recovery is admitting that the Home page is beyond your control" specifically talks about pull downs, the old fashioned kind he decided weren't worth his time (but hey, new fangled pull downs are all the rage now!).  It just goes to show you that you can never really rule anything out or say that something is the absolute best forever.  Technological advances make a huge difference, and as with everything else, style is just always changing - even if it's reminiscent of the past.

Other than that there was some interesting information on taglines, how they should really tell - very quickly - what it is your site does.  And how home page space is at such a high premium.  It's definitely easy to see how a homepage could become over crowded.  I also appreciated his analysis of sites and what he would change (and even how he thought he might change something but decided that didn't work, etc.).  It was helpful.

And that's that for now.

Aside: Infuriating Errors in Textbooks

I am taking two classes this summer, and since I don't only plan on using this blog for only one class, I've got to break in with a complaint.

Last week I was reading my textbook, the cutely titled White Space is Not Your Enemy by Kim Golombisky & Rebecca Hagen and I became infuriated when it talks about "greeking" and "greek text."  The example of this text tool that they gave was  "Lorem impsum..." and the book said that

1. IT IS GREEK
2. IT HAS NO MEANING

Here's the thing folks, it's Latin.  I mean, come on - the letters used are part of the Latin alphabet - Greek looks very different!  AND the "lorem ipsum" was derived from a passage written by Cicero.  So at least at its core, it makes sense.  Now, it is true that often the whole passage is nonsensical - especially because there are some letters that ancient Latin writers didn't use (like J and K), but it does have true, logical origins!

I hate when textbooks lie. Especially when it's just a matter of not doing any research whatsoever.

*Please note: I have a minor in Greek and Roman Classics. I have a Master's in Technical Communication Management (and technical communication uses the Lorem Ipsum often); and I'm a purist nerd that gets upset over stuff like this!

Reading Summary: Steve Krug's "Guiding Principles"

This week's reading assignment was to read Chapters 1-5 of Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think - aka, the "Guiding Principles" section.

I've got to say, I think I'm going to like this book.  And I even say this after reading it on a computer screen.  That's a big thing for me, I have a whole soap box I could climb on about the advantages of printed books - but hey, for school? e-books have some positive features as well.

Krug writes in a completely conversational style and has made a point of writing a short and easily accessible book.  His book is a bit old now, this second edition was published in 2006, but everything that I've read so far seems completely relevant and syncs up with the knowledge I already have.

The chapter titles are

1. Don't make me think!
2. How users really use the Web
3. Billboard Design 101
4. Animal, vegetable, or mineral?
5. Omit needless words

In essence these chapters lay the foundation for understanding what users are really looking for when they go to a web page: a frustration free experience that tells them what they need to know using the least amount of brain power.

The things I found the most interesting were Krug's ideas about the acceptable numbers of clicks, and how three mindless clicks equals one thoughtful click - when calculating mental payload.  It really makes sense to me. I also appreciated how he said that users will invest some time to muddle through a difficult site - although I wonder how much the statistics have changed on that in the last 7 years.  

The most painful part for me was Chapter 5 - "Omit needless words."  Now, I agree with this, I know it to be true, but it still hurts.  It makes me second guess everything I've ever written and published to a page (including this blog post).  My 10th grade AP US History teacher was the first to teach me that less is more when it comes to writing, but I still have a long way to go!

Overall though, I really am enjoying this book and look forward to reading the next section in the near future!

Testing 1, 2, 3 (4) - Music Streaming Sites

(originally published at http://infm.mercer.edu/infm322/2013_su1/kimberlym/usability/usability.html)

Using the System Usability Scale that was referenced on Usability.gov’s Template page , I determined that the below sites are, as far as usability goes, good or bad.


I decided to look at sites that all serve one purpose – to provide streaming music online. Please note, user accounts already existed for these sites.


I actually, personally, really enjoy using all of these sites, but some, to me, have figured out a better way of doing things!
*these usability tests are a reflection of my own personal opinions; no other users were surveyed.

The Scenario: Listen to music that you do not own, for free, using an internet browser.

The Good

Pandora

Score

100/100

Comments

Although Pandora.com got a 100/100 on the system usability scale, that doesn’t mean that there’s not room for improvement! It’s a great site, but it’s missing functionality that other music streaming sites are now offering (like listening to entire albums by a selected artist, etc.). For what it does though, which is introduce you to music that using the “music genome project” it thinks you’ll like, it does superbly.

Grooveshark

Score

90/100

Comments

Grooveshark is one of my favorite music streaming sites. It gives you options to find specific artists/songs/albums OR to listen to a genre-based station. Pros Clear search bar and navigation bar. Simple interface Cons In site navigation can feel off going back to the previous page. Adding one song vs. adding all songs can be a little confusing, although I don’t know how they could make it more clear.

The Bad

Spotify

Score	62.5/100
Comments	The biggest problem with Spotify is that you cannot listen to Spotify using a web browser. Using a computer, you have to download a program that uses a lot of your system’s juice. It made the results of the survey skewed, since I couldn't really test the product. But I think the score reflects that well without injuring its reputation completely.

Google Play - Unlimited Music

Score

90/100

Comments

In my opinion, Google, usually a fiend for amazing usability, has made a mess of Google Play. Logging in to use the unlimited music offer that’s now going on, the user is bombarded with items that do not lead you to the correct place. “Unlimited Music Made Easy” is the front and center advertisement, even if you’ve already signed up for this feature! And clicking that ad doesn’t take you to the application if you’ve already signed up. Clicking “Music” on the left of the screen just takes you to where you can BUY music, not listen to the promised unlimited amount. You have to click “My Music” in the top navigation bar to get to the unlimited music. In a grayed out, small font, the site does nothing to help users find their way. The eyes move right over the navigation bar to the brilliant colors and moving ads.

Hey, this is my work! Please don't use it without permission. -KMM

Week 1!

Well, as it always does, life rears its head and gets in the way of school work.  I went to Pennsylvania for Memorial Day weekend (and also to celebrate my graduation and birthday) only to find that the computer I thought that I would have access to was not working. Joy.  And then, on my birthday, I pick up a nasty bug at the airport that knocks me out for the rest of the week.  But here I am, catching up - better a bit late than never, right?  AND by the end of the week I should have a new computer so the whole process should be much less painful (I'm working with a 2006 machine that has the slowest processor I think I've ever dealt with).

Anywho, you don't care about that! Let's get down to business:

Week 1 of Intro to Multimedia and Web Design Tools (INFM322)

Our reading assignment for week one was to read the Basics and Methods section of www.usability.gov.
I was really excited to find this great resource!  I love usability - I really do.  It's one thing to create something amazing, but if people can't USE it, then what's the point?

It was interesting to see concepts that I've practiced and traits of studies that I've been a part of clearly defined.  I've conducted a couple of usability tests, and been a subject in a couple, but somehow I didn't realize that some surveys I've taken have been employing usability techniques as well, such as card sorting. Who knew? Not me, but now I do.

Usability is about how easy and intuitive it is to use something.  And in this day and age, when people have endless other options, it's essential that using something isn't frustrating - if it is, people will find something else to use.  A lot of research has been done in the field, and I'm glad to see it present on the usability.gov site - but I am aware that the field is always evolving as people find more efficient ways to do things and users adapt. Look at operating systems for example! The place where usability has become pretty much the essential focus.  There may be best ways of doing something, now, but everyone still has their own ideas about it. I look forward to seeing how we use usability in the rest of our term activities.