Usability isn't only for Web design. It's also applicable in the real world as things aren't always well-designed. Paying attention to real world design can help you think through usability for Web design. For instance, there is an elevator in New York where the numbers are in three columns. The numbers go across, but in this elevator they go from right to left instead of left to right. It's in English not Hebrew.
Elevator in NY:
10 9 8
7 6 5
Most elevators:
8 9 10
5 6 7
This concept can be applied to a Web page by assuring numbers, letters, and other meaningful groups of information are sorted in a logical order.
I also saw a school speed zone sign where it said to slow down during the following times:
7:30 AM - 8:15 AM
2:45 AM - 3:30 PM
Hmm... figure out what's wrong with this sign? This one can also teach a lesson for Web design usability. What lessons come to mind?
Donald Norman talks about such design in The Design of Everyday Things. While I was in the hospital twice in a little over a one week period, I discovered a few usability problems.
The room I was in last week had a small TV, the kind that hangs from the wall like those you see at the blood centers. It had no captions, but the law (Television Decoder Circuitry Act (TDCA)) only requires TVs 13 inches are captioned. NBC didn't work on that TV. Go figure... it was the only channel I could enjoy without captions because the olympics were on and sports are easy to follow.
The one good thing about that small room was the button to call the nurse. It didn't have a speaker, so no one would try speaking to me when I called. She would just come as soon as she could.
My first room for the second visit's adventures had a brand new flat screen TV. The only way to get the captions turned on was to fiddle with the options on the side of the screen. Could not do it from bed. Thankfully, tall Hubby was there to do it. Not everyone has the luxury of having someone there to do it or even with the know-how.
The TV remote control was on a remote with three buttons: call nurse, light on / off, and TV. I could only go one way in changing the channels. If on channel 5 and wanted to be on channel 4, I had to go through all the channels to get to channel 4.
The second room had the same TV and remote set up. Once again, tall Hubby had to turn on the captions. This time, when I called the nurse, she talked back through the speaker. We had to remind every shift and multiple nurses on that shift that I couldn't hear over the speaker.
Luckily, I had family with me to help talk to the nurse. But I was alone all morning and without my implant. So I could not even hear any sound coming from the speaker where I could say what I needed and hope they caught it. Thankfully, I had a nurse who came in often enough that I didn't need to call.
meryl k. evans is the Content Maven behind meryl k. evans, meryl k. evans. She is also a PC Today columnist and a tour guide at InformIT. She is geared to tackle your editing, writing, content, and process needs. The native Texan resides in Plano, Texas, a heartbeat north of Dallas, and doesn't wear a 10-gallon hat or cowboy boots.
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareNew Web sites are springing up online by the millions.... Read More
Page ranking by search engines such as Google are not... Read More
Probably you know someone who has created a web site... Read More
FIRST IMPRESSIONS. First impressions often leave lasting impressions. Impressions... Read More
In the early years of the internet the actual design... Read More
Are you going to design or redesign new website or... Read More
An ongoing challenge for webmasters today is to provide fresh... Read More
Web Site Awards are given from other sites to reward... Read More
Web advertising has taken many forms, including those that appear... Read More
Don't mess with those links! When you're designing your site,... Read More
Many web site designers don't design their sites for the... Read More
I taught myself HTML back in the mid-nineties and was... Read More
Remember the day that you got your new computer (or... Read More
The Basics You have a flourishing business ? everything is... Read More
Hello, how is your website doing?Are sales flowing in?If you... Read More
As a web designer, I have a personal interest in... Read More
If you have a web site to which people pay... Read More
If your website is falling through the cracks, the chances... Read More
Many businesses want a simple website where they tell people... Read More
Even after you've managed to bring traffic to your site... Read More
The internet continues to grow and has become the default... Read More
Chris, a new consulting client, asked me to help him... Read More
The following list of websites is the best compilation of... Read More
Geared Up with a website and lots of energy to... Read More
Did you know that many folks make "buying decisions" when... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..Well it is not Elvis, that's for sure.I am a... Read More
About two years ago, I had a go at commercial... Read More
When a prospect lands on your website will he or... Read More
Creating an appealing, functional, and effective Web site is much... Read More
Creating your own website is actually easy in today's world... Read More
Just about every list of the "Top 10 Web Design... Read More
Argh, where's the contact button?! Believe it or not, some... Read More
It's been said again and again, when it comes to... Read More
So you've decided to take the plunge. You know that... Read More
Usability isn't only for Web design. It's also applicable in... Read More
I've seen articles (and websites) that suggest you can buy... Read More
In this article we will be looking at why you... Read More
In today's world, a web site is virtually mandatory for... Read More
So, what's in a website design anyway? And, how do... Read More
A client asked me, at what point do you change... Read More
Page ranking by search engines such as Google are not... Read More
One of the single most important aspects of effective navigation... Read More
Websites, there are literally billions of them out there in... Read More
One of the most popular methods of traffic generation is... Read More
Countdown to Armageddon - at least you'd think so judging... Read More
We've all read the countless publications about effective web site... Read More
Everybody talks about the importance of testing your sales copy... Read More
There are often many mistakes encountered when creating a webpage... Read More
In retailing there is a saying that sales are made... Read More
This article gives free tips on how to find a... Read More
Web Design |