Digital Media Buzz > If You Build It, Will They Come? Web Usability v.2009

If You Build It, Will They Come? Web Usability v.2009

Next Page « 1 2 »

The information glut that Wright delineated in his book adds to the design challenge, Lloyd believes. “One of the greatest issues today in usability is the overwhelming amount of information that is readily accessible,” she says. “We have an enormous wealth of data, but we’re only beginning to have systems that can help users intelligently filter all the data to find what they need. These systems for filtering will come about partly due to what’s happening behind the scenes with the semantic Web and linked data. But the other half of these filtering systems will come about as the result of innovative interaction design that provides clear signals for users to find their way amidst vast amounts of information. Through simpler interfaces that are more intelligent, responsive and personalized, we can help effect the transformation that Nathan Shedroff illustrates ― from data to information to knowledge and finally, to wisdom.”

Usability and the user experience are at the center of the perfect storm roiling the waters for mobile devices. The combination of small screens, small-form factor and outsize expectations is daunting. Kyle Outlaw is an interaction designer and information architect whose expertise lies in the design of rich Internet applications for the World Wide Web and the emerging mobile Internet. He currently works in the User Experience group at Razorfish in New York, where he specializes in design for mobile applications. “The sad truth of the matter is mobile devices have had horrible usability problems,” he says. “There are still many issues. People like me really didn’t have a lot to contribute to mobile communications until a couple of years ago. That was when the iPhone was introduced and it basically created a new benchmark for usability for mobile. It single handedly dispelled the myth that a phone had to be difficult to use. It’s the closest thing to the convergence of a PC and a phone. They’ve raised the bar and created a whole new industry, which is mobile usability design.”

Community plays a major role in mobile usability. “The story with mobile is social media,” Outlaw says. “It just happens that the mobile device is the most social of all the devices just because it’s very personal and you’re carrying it in your pocket. Very few mobile applications are being built without some social component, and often the key to success with mobile applications is some sort of interaction with a prominent social network such as Facebook or Twitter. Mobile is an opportunity to reinvent the interaction between devices and people. When it comes to mobile, a focus on simplicity is necessary. That’s why Apple has made such a large impact. I think you’re going to see novel approaches being used for mobile that eventually will influence Web development. As interfaces are simplified for mobile, consumers are going to start to expect the same type of experience back in their Web experience.”

But he urges caution in attempting to codify usability standards in the mobile realm. “This is not the time to impose standards,” he says. “It’s too early. This is the innovation period. Only after we start seeing what is going to work on this platform will we be able to introduce concrete standards.”

When designers ― and users ― get a clearer picture of this growing landscape of multiple digital devices, those standards and the introduction of new enabling technologies will create a richer user experience. “I think usability has often gotten worse in the short term, as many companies rush to get on new devices and create ad hoc solutions that don’t consider the entire user experience,” Lloyd says. “But standards will emerge that will address some of the usability issues, and there are also technologies being developed that I think can lead to some incredible user experiences in the next several years. New interaction methods are emerging that remove proxies like the mouse and keyboard and allow users to interface more directly with digital media. Instead of making users learn new behaviors to interact with digital media, we can begin to use sensors and other technologies to map digital responses to existing behaviors.”

Creating that user experience, Wright believes, should not be left exclusively to the experts. ‘In terms of the user experience approach to design, the field has come an incredibly long way in a short period of time,” he says. “10 years ago, terms like ‘usability’ and ‘user experience’ often required explanation. Now they have entered common parlance. I think perhaps big name usability consultants get a little too much credit on this front. The real influencers are the everyday practitioners who have advocated these principles one project at a time, convincing their employers to invest in good design practice. Gurus have their place, I suppose, but creating good user experience is becoming everyone’s business.”

Next Page « 1 2 »