we are: London

Quick n’ dirty

Creating wireframes and prototypes on a daily basis I like keep an eye pealed for usefull tools to add to the kit. When creating wireframes I like to spend my time thinking. I don’t want ot spend my time wrestiling with an application. I need to translate the picture in my head onto the screen as quickly and easily as possible. Luckily there are some great tools out there for creating both static wirframes and interactive prototypes. One that I came across a while ago is Balsamiq Mockups.

Wireframes are quick to produce and post-it note style widgets can addded

Easy as 1-2-3

Balsamiq Mockups is currently a desktop application but with an online version in private beta. The tool allows users to quickly drag and drop interface elements much in the same style as other more commonly used tools such as Visio or Axure. Balsamiq Mockups would however sit much more within the initial stages of my development process. Its rapid development of ’sketchy’ looking wireframes makes it perfect for throwing together first thoughts. Its quick enough to be a viable option for producing the initial sketches in a clear and neat format that retain the skethcy feel that works so well with paper sketches.

iPhone widgets allow for quick iPhone mock-ups

Tasty features?

There are some tasty features in the Balsamiq Mockups interface.

• A library of 75 interface features such as browser windows, radio buttons and iPhone interface elements.
• Nice snap features allowing users to quickly line up elements within minimal effort and time.
• Usefull post-it note style comments.
• Full screen presentation mode that allows users to present work to clients and collegues.
• Runs on both Mac and PC.

For more information on we are:london’s wireframing and interactive prototyping services please contact hello@WeAreLondon.

Uncategorized, information architecture, interface design, usability design, user centred design, user interface Internet, usability

The Invoice Machine is a web application aimed a helping businesses produce professional looking invoices simply and easily. Hearing about them I took a trip to their website.

The homepage is clear and simple

The homepage

The homepage can be summed up very easily. Clear and simple. This is what struck me as I visited the site. A strong simple hero item with clear calls to action, then some slightly deeper information around ‘Why use it’ and ‘Who is it for’. The homepage not only provides a simple route into the information of the site it answers the questions most users will have when they first visit: ‘What makes this better than anything else?’ and ‘Will this suit my needs?’ Answering these questions upfront will not only help many users decide it is for them without the need to look further but it also gives the site an open and honest feel.

Clearly labelled navigation creates a more usable site

Navigation

Primary navgation is simple and easy to use. Clear calls to action at the foot of pages allow me easy access to the sign-up process.

The use of a table delivers the key information in a easy to interpret way

Content

The content of the site is kept very concise and easy to digest. The tour page contains only a well put together tour video. The pricing page contains simple table outlining the attributes of each price plan. Content is direct, the users are given what they need with no uneccesary information.

Keep it simple

The website as a whole is a good example of how simplicity can lead to a strong and usable website. Users visit a site to get information, a good website needs to identify the key information they are looking for and deliver it in a simple, clear and usable way.

Uncategorized, information architecture, interface design, usability design, user interface Internet, navigation, usability

I have recently been thinking a lot about homepage hero items and had an example brought to my attention. The hero item on Mozy.com brings together many of the ingredients that make a good hero.

• Communicates service benefits - the hero item clearly communicates the service benefits of the site. A bold headline stating the purpose of the service, a key marketing message highlighted and further explanation provided.

• Clear visual hierarchy - A very clear visual hierarchy is used. This allows users to identify the most important information and read only as much information as they require. Some users may not wish to read further than the headline then go straight to an action within the page, while some users may feel the require more information.

• Route into information - The hero item provides a route into information. A user can view the introductory video, They can learn more about the service offered or they can go for gold and sign-up straight away.

• Bold imagery - The imagery used is bold and striking but does not overpower the user or distract from the information presented within the hero item.

Uncategorized, information architecture, interface design, usability design, user interface Internet, navigation, usability

Love him or hate him.

It all comes down to one single, tangible factor, which marks out the good from the bad; soul.

The reason for the Clarkson tribute on the left is this weeks Sunday Times Motoring article on an Aston Martin which sees Clarkson pitting it against design perfection in the shape of an Audi R8 V10.

And to save you the read, the Audi is just too perfect, where as the Aston has soul, something that can’t be created by following set rules, but comes from the heart of those involved and is a direct result of the creator’s passion.

All of which brings us nicely to the argument that has raged on since the start of website design; who is best placed to create the perfect site?

The Good, the bad and the ugly.

Let’s go back to basics and look at who the usual suspects are, in the red corner we have “visual designers” (brand and marketing) and in the blue corner we have “interaction designers” (user centred).

Whilst visual designers have a wealth of ability and passion, it is often focused to heavily on making something look good and the risk of making the same, beautiful creation completely unusable.

Now wheel in the interaction designers, who’s passions lie in the creation of the perfect experience, through usability testing, prototyping and more testing. However, there is a strong argument against all of this testing and refining as it can just blunt a sharp, creative idea, making the end result more function than form.

Experience is all, or read Experiential

For years I thought experiential was about experiencing a design, but it’s not it’s about experience, and this where soul comes from.

An experienced designer is passionate about the look and the effectiveness of a design and ensures their soul is applied to everything they do.

An excellent example of what not to do is a site we reviewed a while back that seemingly missed both design and ease of use steps during it’s development and almost certainly skipped public testing.

Help me help you

If you want to avoid the common pitfalls of digital procurement, ensuring your acgency has suol, then follow these easy steps:

• Check potential agencies have a proven user centred design methodology as well as a creative portfolio
• Ask for CVs of key staff and make sure they are guaranteed to be on the project
• Meet the team and chat to them about what they think is good and bad
• Don’t ever feel that it’s not your right to ask questions
• Ask for clarification on every point until it’s clear
• Remember you’re the client and paying the bills

If you would like to know more then give me a call or drop me a note and we’ll take you through our experiences and see how we can help.

global usability testing, information architecture, interface design, internet research, market research, usability design, user centred design, user interface Design, e-commerce, Internet, Mobile, research, usability

Would you buy one?

It’s been a mad year and next year is set to be even more crazy.

2009 has seen luxury good sales boom, e-commerce sites explode and the final mass adoption of digital video and e-ink.

Mobile internet has taken off thanks to Twitter, Facebook and the iPhone. Social has started to be more powerful than most could have hoped and TV has gone down hill so fast it’s breathtaking.

2009 retrospective

Early this year we predicted a few things that have happened, some clever and some obvious. BBC iPlayer has seen an amazing take up across the country and handled 70 million requests in October,  which is about 7 Petabytes of data or 12.5 Gigabytes per second.

Top 10 key changes in 2010

1. The end of free. Well at least as we know it owing to a drop in ad revenue and cold feet amongst media owners.
2. A new media monster. As the old guard struggle to reorganise, one or two new, media goliaths will take over, buying paid content from the old order and giving it out for free to meet the needs of us consumers.
3. Mobile web will overtake fixed line. For key content mobiles will become the only way to access key info, buy stuff and keep in touch.
4. Visualisation goes mainstream. With the increase in e-commerce traffic the only way to get your head around the numbers is to change your view. Being able to represent numbers in new, visual ways will be coming to a vendor near you soon.
5. The customer will become king. Crowds are causing even more trouble for corporates, as I type, Eurostar is suffering huge PR issues; surely it’s time to wake up to what your customers want?
6. Content strategy is the new usability. Too much emphasis has been placed on cool tech recently such as augmented reality, but these are just shiny bows on a box of rubbish. Clients and customers will wake up to the power of well organised content.
7. Data will kill UK networks. As the iPlayer shows, and to some extent the iPhone, when people get going, they really get going. Streaming video and large file transfers are going to carry on causing the biggest customer satisfaction issues as networks fail over the sheer volume of traffic.
8. No one will beat Apple. When it comes to technology that has completely changed the world, the iPhone is an amazing example, and no matter how hard people try (Palm) no one can get close.
9. e-ink will become the norm. We all love our Kindles, those who have them that is, and finally there is some competition, which means cheaper, better ebooks for all. Migrate newspapers from print to digital and you have a new outlet for old media. Shame about the latency of stories though.
10. Measure your customer’s empathy. Stats, conversion and marketing data standalone to offer a crutch, but only when you bring these together can you really measure how successful your business is. 2010 will see customer empathy ratings used as the standard metric for success.

We will have a review in the summer of 2010 and see what’s on, what’s not and what needs to be added.

customer insight, e-commerce, information architecture, market research, usability design future, Our news

Raising the bar?

When first opened the new Greyhound UK site speaks of a slick simplicity. The clean, cool visual design of the site gives a classy feel not normally associated with budget travel. This good first impression also extends into the usability of the site. The booking process is quick and easy and within a few clicks I have chosen my desired journey. With the release of such a seemingly slick site is Greyhound UK raising the bar for competitors such as National Express and Megabus?

Greyhound UK homepage

Visual design

While the visual design of Greyhound’s site seems far more carefully planned and thought out than the design of the Megabus site, there is far more to consider about the situation. Megabus has a developed brand and targets a specific audience. The garish blue and yellow may not be for everyone but it is instantly recognisable as Megabus, a pleasure Greyhound does not yet have in the UK. The audience Megabus targets want the cheap no frills travel that they provide. Their aim is to get from A to B for the lowest possible price, a slick website is not top priority.

Usability

The Greyhound booking process appears quick and easy but when you consider that they only busses from London to Southampton or Portsmouth and back you would expect this to be the case. A company such as National Express who cover almost all of the UK and parts of Europe has a far more complex booking system to create.

Back to the bar

The Greyhound UK site definitely brings a bit of cool competition to the budget travel site market. Users will remember the slick visual design and the ease of use and this may well drive visitors to the site. The questions is will the online experience of Greyhound UK be enough to users to switch from their well established rivals who are by no means performing poorly.

information architecture, interface design, user interface Design, e-commerce, Internet, Travel, usability

Ever since Jakob Nielsen wrote his alert box column about the virtues of mega drop-down menus there has been a buzz around the web. I have put together a collection of interesting examples.

Action envelope:

Some of the best examples of mega drop-downs can be found on the action envelope site. They utilise them to their full potential using them to section or chunk options, including graphics and also using them to contain functionality such as login forms.

The options given to the user are clearly divided with bold headings. The use of graphics helps to engage the users.

The use of large graphics provides engaging content for the user.

The mega drop-down menus allow users access to functionality such as the account sign-in form. This reduces clutter on the screen however it must be clear to the user that this functionality is located here.

Samsung

Samsung have a large quantity of information contained within their site. They have used mega drop-down menus to display all options to the user. Doing this allows them to link directly to the information they require without drilling down several layers of navigation.

Gateway

Gateway makes good use of graphics. By providing graphics in their menu it not only makes the content more engaging but helps users to identify their desired product. This also helps to visually group the elements. The links at the foot of the menu provide access to options that may be useful to users at that point in their journey.

EA

The EA site utilises their menu space very well. They provide two clear categories for users to navigate the games section by while also providing related links relevant to a user looking at this section. The featured game promotion uses a sectioned area and image to catch a users’ attention and drive traffic to information on a particular game.

Blog, information architecture, usability design, usability research, user centred design Internet, navigation

Only a week has passed since one of the most significant design faux pars of recent times launched.

In that time a wide range of press and interested parties have slated the website www.bethere.co.uk as an horrendous example of design gone bad.

In our usual pragmatic style we have decided to review it from a customer point of view rather than cast our critical design eye on it.

Q. So what do the general public think?

A. Not good, in fact with the odd exception the site has been universally criticised as being the worst redesign of the year.

Many a true word Twittered in haste.

Our favourite quote on Twitter is:

“If I didn’t know that the new website was for real I’d think it had been hacked to be honest!“

That’s pretty damming and more recent quotes are questioning Be’s ability to provide a good broadband service based on how poor their site is.

So how did the Be brand become such an anchor?

Only Be’s marketing team can answer that one and I guess the agency who created the site, which offers a number of very similar designs for other clients, only not quite so 80’s.

Pointless dynamic help

However all of these negative, and no doubt expensive, reactions and customer feedback could have been spotted, corrected and mitigated by simply asking their customers during the design phase.

Customer’s views count, get them before they get you!

As a user centred design champion, we are always looking for good and bad examples of sites that either choose to embrace or reject their customer’s views during the initial design phases.

Again I can not know if the site was tested prior to launch, but I have a hunch that it wasn’t otherwise it would not end up looking like this.

Brand and usability go hand in hand

Finally, an even bigger problem is that the site just does not work very well. There are prompts in forms that aren’t needed, readability is a strain thanks to over saturated colours and the accessibility is so bad I don’t know where to start.

The bottom line makes good reading for agencies like us, who are here to help businesses meet their customers needs, whilst working with big, brash design companies, creating brilliantly branded, usable and accessible websites, first time, every time.

If you want to Be better than your competition and avoid upsetting your customers then contact us to see how our research and user centred design services can work for you.

Be*en There Before, in the 80's

accessibility, information architecture, interface design, market research, usability design, user centred design, user interface Design, Internet, research, Twitter, usability

We are:London has been lucky enough to have recently been involved in some exciting form design and research. From our recently conducted research some interesting design considerations have come to light. One of the main areas is user handholding.

User handholding is a double edged sword. A fine balance must be struck between useful support and wrapping the user up in cotton wool. Our recent testing revealed some interesting user attitudes towards the support of both inline validation and automatic inline help. Providing the user with inline validation gave the user a sense of achievement. It helped them feel they were walking the correct path, reassuring them.

When creating a password for a Google account the user is provided with reassurance of its security level.

Automatic inline help however had an adverse affect. While on first appearances help of this nature supports the user, holds their hand and aids the smooth completion of the form the user’s impressions however were not of this nature. The user felt this patronised them, that providing automatic help for every field treated them as if they were incompetent and unable to complete the form.

Do users of the British Gas site need prompting to enter their first name in the ‘First name’ field?

These attitudes develop into interesting design challenges. A form must provide a supportive environment for the user. It must help them when they need help and reassure them that they are on the right path. A form must also not patronise the user. It must not try to support when support is not needed. Inline validation helps to reassure the user while trusting the user that they are intelligent and aware enough to complete the form fields without support. Automatic inline help can be used sparingly but overuse makes the user feel they are being patronised. Users do not need help on how to fill out their name. Offering user activated help allows users easy access to support when needed but allows them to choose when they require it.

Blog, information architecture, usability research, user interface Internet, research, usability

National Express Calendar

National Express launched their new portal nationalexpress.com on the 1st April along with a new lowest price fare finder.

Both were designed and tested by our usability and research teams here at we are:london and launched as part of our on-going work as National Express’ lead usability agency.

Kevin Milnes, Head of E commerce for National Express,  said:

“We set out to create a booking system with unrivalled simplicity and ease of use. The low fare finder delivers a wide range of £1 fares to the customer quickly and easily giving them the choice of when and where they want to travel within seconds.”

Read our case study or check out the National Express Group press release.

e-commerce, information architecture, interface design, market research, usability research, user centred design Design, e-commerce, Internet, Predictive, Travel, usability