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Category: Articles

Formats of telephone numbers – why France and the UK don’t work like the USA

Jane Matthews 4 December 2019 5 November 2007
Formats of telephone numbers – why France and the UK don’t work like the USA

As a UK-based person often browsing US websites (and sometimes even consulting on the design of them), I’ve noticed that the US and Canada have very predictable phone number formats, as in “123-456-7890”. So it’s relatively easy to program aContinue reading… Formats of telephone numbers – why France and the UK don’t work like the USA

Surveys – what is an acceptable response rate

Jane Matthews 15 February 2021 29 September 2007
Surveys – what is an acceptable response rate

It’s been a while since I ranted on about response rates on surveys. In that article, I took the view that “2% is a terrible response rate” and had a few reasons why and tips for doing better. Recently, I’veContinue reading… Surveys – what is an acceptable response rate

Process or outcome? Measuring the success of usability

Jane Matthews 15 February 2021 31 August 2007
Process or outcome? Measuring the success of usability

How do we measure usability when the start and end points are hard to define, and our work is just one intervention? Maybe real successes come person by person, as attitudes change. A friend has been working with a clientContinue reading… Process or outcome? Measuring the success of usability

The book you ought to buy (even if you think you don’t need it)

Jane Matthews 4 December 2019 29 July 2007
The book you ought to buy (even if you think you don’t need it)

This month, I’m enthusing about Ginny Redish’s new book Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that Works (Morgan Kaufmann). If you write, or your clients write, then you’ll learn from it. If you’re working on a content-rich website:Continue reading… The book you ought to buy (even if you think you don’t need it)

Differences between participants and users: representative or not?

Jane Matthews 4 December 2019 29 June 2007
Differences between participants and users: representative or not?

‘“Rule 1 for usability testing: get representative users” Read something like that? Said something like that? I certainly have. And I definitely agree with it, on the whole. But not always: so I thought I’d muse on the issue inContinue reading… Differences between participants and users: representative or not?

How to enhance your site with Flash

Jane Matthews 4 December 2019 23 May 2007
How to enhance your site with Flash

‘Heard any of these remarks lately? ‘Flash is bad’; ‘I hate Flash intros’; ‘Don’t do Flash’. My long-term view has been that Flash is just another technology. Bad if it’s gratuitous showing off; good if it works for your usersContinue reading… How to enhance your site with Flash

How to write good FAQs

Jane Matthews 23 March 2020 28 February 2007
How to write good FAQs

FAQs don’t have that great a reputation, but recently, I’ve been working on FAQs for a client. Their computer help desk was annoyed about answering the same things again and again. Why not divert potential callers to a FAQ instead?Continue reading… How to write good FAQs

Good headings help, bad headings hurt

Caroline Jarrett 13 October 2021 31 January 2007
Good headings help, bad headings hurt

I’ve been on the road recently, teaching my ‘Editing that Works’ workshops to teams of web content providers in a government department. ‘Choose what to say,’ I urge them. And do it like this: apply temporary headings to your text,Continue reading… Good headings help, bad headings hurt

How to get clients to look at wireframes properly

Caroline Jarrett 22 May 2024 6 December 2006
How to get clients to look at wireframes properly

It was the same old story. I was working with Whitney Quesenbery on some wireframes for a client’s website. As usual, she’d done a lovely job on the design. As usual, I’d fussed around with content. We’d done our usualContinue reading… How to get clients to look at wireframes properly

Label placement in forms

Jane Matthews 10 December 2019 2 November 2006
Label placement in forms

For ages, I’ve longed to do some eyetracking experiments on how users look at forms. And recently, I’ve been delighted to see the next best thing: excellent work by Matteo Penzo and his team. Experienced users look for the searchContinue reading… Label placement in forms

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