You’ve got a few minutes between errands and need to run into the store. You efficiently run to the right aisles dodging shopping carts and get the two items you need and dash to the checkout only to be frustrated with how long it’s taking to pay. You leave the store empty handed. The same
Despite improvements in search technology, most users still take a browse-first approach to finding products and information on websites. That makes navigation important, not only on websites but also in mobile apps, operating systems, and the various devices we interact with. Navigation remains an essential method to find products, information, and functions. If users can’t
How important is the first choice users make when navigating a website? Turns out it’s even more important than we thought. Between 2007 and 2009, Bob Bailey and researchers examined how important the first click was in determining the ultimate success of a task. Across a dozen studies, they found an interesting result: if a
Navigation is at the heart of the user experience for websites, software and mobile apps. Despite improvements in search, most users still rely on browsing as a strategy to find information or accomplish tasks. Designing and evaluating navigation is an essential part of making a better user experience. We’ll cover evaluating navigation in detail at
Website navigation is at the heart of good findability. To measure findability, we perform a tree test or a click test on a live website. In both types of studies, we collect many metrics to help uncover problems with terms and taxonomy. While the fundamental metric of findability is whether users find an item or
Card sorting is a popular method for improving the organization of websites and software. There are several software packages that allow you to conduct card sorting quickly and remotely, including Optimal Workshop. So it shouldn’t be surprising that around half of UX practitioners reported using the method in 2011. We’ll cover Card Sorting in detail
Card sorting is a popular method for understanding the mental model of the user. Instead of organizing a website by some byzantine corporate structure, you base it on how the users think by having them sort items into categories. It’s a method used as often as lab-based usability testing with 52% of practitioners using it
If they can find it they will buy it. But how will they find it? One of the pillars of a usable website experience is findability. Many users come to a website in search of something specific, whether it is a product or information: an iPhone Case, carry-on luggage, Miles Per Gallon for a Hyundai
Few things affect task success more than the navigation of website. If users can’t find what they’re looking for, not much else matters. If it were easy to get the navigation right, there wouldn’t be books and a profession dedicated to it. First impressions matter in life and that’s also the case with website navigation.
If a user can’t find the information does it exist? The inability of users to find products, services and information is one of the biggest problems and opportunities for website designers. Knowing users’ goals and what top tasks they attempt on your website is an essential first step in any (re)design. Testing and improving these
