“Very short sessions on usability testing could be bad for the profession”. It was another of those discussions that I have from time to time, where I know that we’re not going to reach an agreement but I’m trying toContinue reading… It’s time to make a bigger pond
Author: Jane Matthews
Dos and don’ts of web traffic measurement
Last week I was deep into one of my favourite things: brooding on web traffic data. And it got me thinking about the joy of measurement – particularly in the context of making websites easy to use. Usability testing isContinue reading… Dos and don’ts of web traffic measurement
Four ways to lose an order (and one way to get one)
A week before Christmas I was shopping online, as usual, but this time with some relatively clear requirements rather than purely as a displacement activity from the important business of writing a report. These were the requirements: delivery before ChristmasContinue reading… Four ways to lose an order (and one way to get one)
Flash is 99% good (for the right audience)
A few years ago, Jakob Nielsen got a lot of attention with his “Flash: 99% bad” alertbox. At the time, I thought that it was a bit extreme. Why not allow ad agencies, graphic designers and movie sites to indulgeContinue reading… Flash is 99% good (for the right audience)
Piggy in the middle? Why people choose the midpoint in rating questions on questionnaires
Questionnaires often ask us to rate something or other. Recently, I’ve been asked about: ♦ my satisfaction with a huge website ♦ the effectiveness of a selection of ways to maintain or increase charge-out rates ♦ the cleanliness of aContinue reading… Piggy in the middle? Why people choose the midpoint in rating questions on questionnaires
“We’ll never get this past legal”
The other day I was trying to persuade someone to kill off a paragraph of the purest, most incomprehensible gobbledegook. Although she agreed that there was no merit in the paragraph, she rejected my suggestion with that depressing but commonContinue reading… “We’ll never get this past legal”
The value of ‘other’: other countries, other choices
Yesterday I was scrolling down yet another list of countries – must have been over 150 of them. There’s always a slight frisson to the game for me: will I find United Kingdom? Or perhaps I’ll be offered England, ScotlandContinue reading… The value of ‘other’: other countries, other choices
Fuzzy recommendations – being definite without being dogmatic
The other day I was in a project feedback meeting. I caught myself using the phrase ‘non-negotiable recommendations’. Now obviously a recommendation is something for consideration and is therefore intrinsically negotiable. So why did everyone nod in agreement at theContinue reading… Fuzzy recommendations – being definite without being dogmatic
The Market Research Society Conference, or “usability? what’s that?”
A few years ago, I realised that when we’re testing products with the general public, we’re actually doing a type of market research. So I joined the Market Research Society in the hope of making connections with other market researchers,Continue reading… The Market Research Society Conference, or “usability? what’s that?”
Making web forms easy to fill in
Introduction and definitions What is a form? BFMA has its own definition, but for this tutorial I am going to propose one that looks at a form from the point of view of the person who fills it in –Continue reading… Making web forms easy to fill in