The search feature on websites is a component that often gets overlooked in terms of its value. Websites such as Amazon, YouTube, Steam, eBay, and essentially all ecommerce websites rely heavily on a user’s ability to search for what they are looking for as opposed to sifting through multiple layers of a navigation menu and the subsequent unrefined results that are returned. As users, we are often drawn to the search input by instinct and don’t even think about how... Read More
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iMedia Blog
A recent survey of admission directors revealed a growing concern about the image of higher education, the declining value perception of pursuing advanced education, and the shrinking pool of prospective college students. Close to nine in ten say higher education needs to do a better job explaining the value of earning a college degree, while two-thirds believe media reports of college graduates struggling to find adequate employment in their chosen field. They believe these factors along with the reality of... Read More
Audit is a terrible word. It bring images of dark suits descending down long corridors with warrants. But the dreaded audit is an essential step any User Experience Architect must take. Whether it’s redesigning a website or starting from scratch, you need start by assessing what’s available, need’s improvement or just plain missing. It sounds crazy but I enjoy the auditing part of my job. It’s a bit like looking all the pieces to a puzzle before you start solving... Read More
Imagine walking into a open air market and there are three carts selling leather boots. Two of them have signs that said “Fine Leather Boots $99.99” and “Premium Leather Boots $79.99”. The third cart says “Superior Leather Boots - See Me Around Back for a Price”. Which cart are you going to approach first? The same scenario is happening in e-commerce as manufacturers try to enforce "Minimum Advertised Price" or MAP across online retailers. Instead of listing a price, they... Read More
Gone are the days of part-time web teams and 5 year redesign cycles. A company’s website is as vital to its success as its financial operations. It must improve as fast as people’s growing expectations. Unfortunately, many businesses are still only concentrating on the surface. - the ’Look and Feel”. But the measure of a successful website goes much deeper. Today, a professionally designed website is table stakes. The "Big 3", Google, Amazon and Apple, have defined the new reality.... Read More
Do you have slew of customer intelligence software integrated into your site? If so, wouldn’t it be nice if you were able to combine them all into one work area, instead of having a bunch of extra tabs open on your browser. We’ve got the answer for you. Hotjar is an all-in-one analytics and feedback tool that helps you understand your web and mobile site visitors. Discover where your visitors are clicking, how much time they spend on each page... Read More
We often think that choice is a good thing for customers. Yet behavioral studies show that more choice leads to less action. A single, simplified call-to-action not only spurs more action but grabs more attention. Giving customers too many choices can start a psychological process known as "Overchoice". People become overwhelmed by calculating all the possible outcomes of their decision. Rather than making a decision, they will often end up leaving. To avoid Overchoice, we need to take a careful... Read More
The evidence shows that scrolling is just as natural as clicking. Should important information be at the top? Yes. Should all the information be at the top? No. A few years ago designers and marketing analysts would say “everything must be above the fold.” However due to smartphones, never-ending social media newsfeeds, and web strategies such as parallax and infinite scrolling- this is no longer the case. Users have become accustomed to scrolling. As one of the more controversial UX... Read More
The practice has often been to cram as much information as possible within a single screen in the fear that a user might miss something important. In reality, this results in a user ignoring much of what you have to say. Consistent with the theme of our blog series, FastCoDesign explains “the power of white space comes from the limits of human attention and memory.” White space plays a huge role in the visual design and clarity of a brand’s website. Some of... Read More
We are half way through our How to Capture and Keep a Human Goldfish’s Attention series. And, it’s time we talk about importance of visuals. As we discussed in our previous post, people don’t read anymore (at first). On average, users only read 28% of words per visit. So what can we do to hold their attention? Imagery. Photos, illustrations and icons not only draw attention but also increase user comprehension. The best examples of this comes in the form... Read More