All posts by nomensa

1st October 2008 by nomensa | User Experience

With the success of social websites being so widely reported in the media, more and more companies are feeling pressured to jump on the Web 2.0 bandwagon.

But will mashups, tagging and blogs really lead to a good experience for your users? Will you see a return on your investment? And if you are implementing Web 2.0 features in your website, how can you encourage users to participate?

23rd July 2008 by nomensa | User Experience

Metaphors are used in human-computer interaction to describe unfamiliar concepts or systems, like a computer, in terms of familiar elements, like files and folders.

In the realm of e-commerce, many retailers employ aspects of physical stores to describe the user’s interaction. One popular metaphor is the “shopping cart” – a space for users to store items for later purchase. “Shopping cart” is only one of many terms used to describe this feature, along with bags, baskets, selections, orders and lists… even the top online retailers have not come near to a universal standard.

How does the terminology we use reflect the metaphor we’ve chosen? How appropriate is the metaphor to the user’s task? And is it appropriate to use a metaphor at all?

3rd July 2008 by nomensa | User Experience

Despite websites coming in many varied shapes and sizes, managers and editors often require a solution to a very common problem. They want their customers to trust their website, navigate fluently and come away having achieved whatever they set out to do. The difficulty is that the solution will inevitably come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes.

Managing an existing website can often mean that you are tasked with frequent requests for new content, features and functionality. What’s more; it is likely that your website now needs to stay even more in tune with other communications policies and channels. Over time, you may have integrated online forms, podcasts, videos, RSS, online payments or email updates. These additions will either tie your website in more closely with other things that you do or enable yet further lines of communication with your customers.

29th January 2008 by nomensa | User Experience

‘Web 3.0.’ ‘Content aggregation.’ ‘Mashups.’ Another day of technology news, another chance to jump on the latest website bandwagon. But for many companies, a more successful strategy lies much closer to home. Improve the usability of your website’s core offerings and you can dramatically increase website traffic, and ultimately revenue.

Whether you are at the stage of thinking about creating a new website, or have an existing website that has been in operation for many years, usability is crucial to providing your users with an engaging and enjoyable user experience.

6th August 2007 by nomensa | Web Accessibility

The United Nations recently commissioned the world’s first global audit on web accessibility. The study evaluated 100 websites from 20 different countries across five sectors of industry (media, finance, travel, politics, and retail). Only three sites passed basic accessibility checkpoints outlined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 1.0), and not a single site passed all checkpoints.

28th February 2007 by nomensa | User Experience

Everyone has had a frustrating experience online. Having a website that is easy to use is more important than ever. Consumers are demanding an intuitive and rewarding online experience and voting with their feet when it’s poor. Offline Brands that have taken decades to build loyalty and trust can be dismissed online in an instant by a failing to provide an in increasingly improving standard of user experience.

Price and availability may still be high on the consumer agenda must as the gap between pureplay and clicks and mortar business closes the battle for customers is switching to the science of usability and consumer behaviour.

31st October 2006 by nomensa | Web Design

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a billion dollar industry, and something that website owners and marketers can no longer ignore. Gone are the days when adding a long list of keywords into your metadata and a listing in the Open Directory (DMOZ) would boost your search ranking. Today it takes strategic planning and knowledge to ensure that your company climbs to the top of the SEO ladder.

31st August 2006 by nomensa | User Experience

Not so long ago the phone was an amazing invention which revolutionised communication between humans. It has now become a piece of technology which is deeply ingrained in modern life.

In less than twenty years, mobile phones have gone from being rare and expensive pieces of equipment used by businesses to a pervasive low-cost personal item. In many countries, mobile phones now outnumber land-line telephones, with most adults and many children now owning mobile phones. It is now not uncommon for young adults to simply own a mobile phone instead of a land-line in their home.