CFUNITED – The premier ColdFusion conference Fundamentals of Good Usability Presented by Doug Ward June 28 th, 2006
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Hello Ajax!
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006
Doug Ward Certified Advanced ColdFusion Developer Work for The Centech Group, Washington DC On contract at NIST (National Institute of Standards & Technology)
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Agenda What is usability? oCognitive Friction oImplementation Model What is usability on the web? oConventions oExamples
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Jakob Nielsen says… “Usability is a quality attribute relating to how easy something is to use…”
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Usability can pertain to physical objects…
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Usability can pertain to computers…
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Strong correlation between action and reaction
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Weak correlation between action and reaction
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 We develop relationships with computers
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006
Cognitive Friction is… “…the resistance encountered by a human intellect when it engages with a complex system or rules that change as the problem changes.” - Alan Cooper
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Cognitive Friction is…
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 The Implementation Model is… “…the actual technical solution to a problem.”
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 The Implementation Model is… VCR Circuit Schematic
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 The Implementation Model is… VCR Flowchart
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 The Implementation Model is…
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 …the User Interface!
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Argh!
Double Argh!
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 User-Centered Design… “…involves a separation of concerns between the implementation model and the interface design. User-Centered Design approaches the interface primarily from the user’s perspective.”
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Agenda What is usability? oCognitive Friction oImplementation Model What is usability on the web? oConventions oMystery Links oHappy Text oBad Page Structure
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Conventions…
Misused Conventions…
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Krug’s First Law of Usability “Don’t Make Me Think!”
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006
Things That Make Us Think Mystery Links Happy Text Bad Page Structure
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Krug’s Second Law of Usability “ It doesn’t matter how many times I have to click, as long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice.” - Steve Krug
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Billboard Design 101 Users don’t read, they scan Don’t explain, direct
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006
Putting it All Together
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 What We Learned What usability is oCognitive Friction oImplementation Model What usability on the web is oConventions oMystery Links oHappy Text oBad Page Structure
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006
Presented by Doug Ward Thank You! Fundamentals of Good Usability
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Resources Don’t Make Me Think The Inmates Are Running the Asylum Prioritizing Web Usability - Steve Krug - Alan Cooper - Nielsen & Loranger
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Presented by Doug Ward Thank You! Fundamentals of Good Usability
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Things That Make Us Think… Document, Forms, Phone Lists, are available from our HR Dept. by clicking here. Mystery Links
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Things That Make Us Think… Happy Text
June 28 th – July 1 st 2006 Things That Make Us Think… Bad Page Structure