Most of us in user experience are used to thinking short-term—in weeks or months. But, increasingly, organisations are planning to build long-term relationships with their customers. The European Survey Research Association Conference was a chance for me to hear from thoseContinue reading… Lessons in longitudinal studies
Author: Caroline Jarrett
Using EEG in a usability test of a survey
We all know that people will give up on surveys if they are too long or too boring. But exactly how long is too long? Exactly how boring is too boring? One of my most fascinating clients is Kantar, theContinue reading… Using EEG in a usability test of a survey
Form assessment toolkit: a step in the right direction but misses the real issues
Records are crucial for government. Neil MacGregor, in his radio series A history of the world in 100 objects chose a government record – a Mesopotamian clay tablet – to describe the origin of writing, and explained that writing wasContinue reading… Form assessment toolkit: a step in the right direction but misses the real issues
Design to read: guidelines for people who do not read easily
People may struggle with reading for many reasons – from physical and cognitive problems through to stress, lack of time, or the challenges of viewing text on today’s small mobile devices. ‘Design to Read’ was an project to learn about andContinue reading… Design to read: guidelines for people who do not read easily
The question protocol: how to make sure every form field is necessary
What is a question protocol? A question protocol is a tool for finding out which form fields are required. It lists: every question you ask who within your organisation uses the answers to each question what they use them forContinue reading… The question protocol: how to make sure every form field is necessary
UXLX: Label placement in forms – and other time-consuming controversies
Here’s a look at current research into where to place labels – the text that stands for a question – if you want your forms to be usable. This presentation to the 2010 User Experience Conference in Lisbon also examines someContinue reading… UXLX: Label placement in forms – and other time-consuming controversies
Surveys That Work: Using Questionnaires to Gather Useful Data, Seattle 2010
This presentation to the Society for Technical Communication 2010 conference in Seattle, US, compares survey processes and looks at some of the detail of designing surveys – including how to avoid survey error. Surveys That Work: using questionnaires to gatherContinue reading… Surveys That Work: Using Questionnaires to Gather Useful Data, Seattle 2010
Don’t put hints inside text boxes in web forms
When you are making a digital form, is it OK to put a hint inside a text box? The short version of my advice: don’t do it! Hint text is rarely effective as a way of helping users, but insteadContinue reading… Don’t put hints inside text boxes in web forms
Designing forms for technical specialists
I had the opportunity to give a talk on forms at the EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) – “EBI provides freely available data from life science experiments, performs basic research in computational biology and offers anContinue reading… Designing forms for technical specialists
Delivering Better Ballots
“An election is not held to test voters’ ability to follow instructions, but to receive instructions from the voters as to which candidates they will elect. No legitimate public purpose is served by designs that distort those instructions.” It’s goodContinue reading… Delivering Better Ballots