Articles from Our Studies
Usability of Codes, Passwords, Numbers, and Letters
Poor usability of codes encountered in website shopping, purchasing, and product delivery is a common complaint voiced by consumers. As evidenced in our testing labs, users experience confusion due to unclear coupon codes, confirmation codes, tracking codes, and passwords. Several questions often asked are…
Published on Oct 19th, 2007Shipping Options positively impact Retail Websites
The e-tailing group recently released their third annual ‘Buy Online / Pick-Up In-Store Survey’ report. Several interesting findings were highlighted, which may lead to changes in the way retailers get products into consumers’ shopping carts, and ultimately into their homes. The study evaluated 23 multi-channel merchants and found one of the biggest emerging online retail trends is to offer free shipping and in-store pick-up flexibility.
Published on Sep 14th, 2007Best Practices for Online Checkout Process
We hear it quite often from our clients’ customers: “This is frustrating because now that I’ve found what I want, I can’t get it,” or “They sure don’t make it easy for me to buy this product.” Customers are continuously frustrated when purchasing online, especially when they invest a lot of time and energy researching to find the perfect item, only to struggle when going through the checkout process.
Published on Jul 20th, 2007What Areas of Your Site are Visitors using to Accomplish their Goals?
Understanding the content areas site visitors use to accomplish their goals on your site will provide valuable insight to content, navigation, and design priorities. In two recent studies, we analyzed the navigation of site visitors based on their intent and discovered a great deal of ‘cross-over’ navigation between areas of the site designed for commercial (business) visitors and those designed for residential or consumer visitors.
Published on Jul 20th, 2007“Try Before You Buy” - Best Practices for Increasing Conversions
In a recent online study conducted for a popular online yellow page provider, it was quickly revealed that visitors were uncomfortable with providing credit card information when they were just signing up for a free listing. In this study, 38% of participants reported an unsuccessful site visit and 20% of these claimed their lack of success was due to credit card requirements.
Published on May 9th, 2007Are Your “Character Limits” in Character for Your Brand?
How often have you been invited to include a message with a gift you purchased online, only to be reprimanded after you’ve entered the message because the character limit has been exceeded and needs to be shortened? When instruction is included, it is often minimal and/or vague and ultimately results in confusion and frustration. Users utilize text boxes in a variety of different situations such as when ordering flowers, sending an e-card, entering information for a newspaper ad, or when forwarding a webpage onto a friend (’Tell a Friend’).
Published on May 9th, 2007How often do you listen to your power users?
Obviously, one of the goals of every site is to build a recurring user base - people who use the site day-in and day-out. This can be true for online auction sites, online department stores, online travel sites, etc. Though a lot of emphasis is placed on making the site attractive and usable for a first time user, and rightly so, there is also a need to maintain satisfaction with the “power” users. Having usability sessions, or even focus group sessions, with true power users of a product can be an eye-opening experience.
Published on Mar 13th, 2007Improving the Old, Welcoming the New
Traditionally, with a New Year comes a resolution. Throughout the years, Usability Science’s resolution has always involved the commitment to offering and delivering our clients an outstanding portfolio of services. This year, we would like to see our full line of offerings communicated through a better online presentation.
Published on Feb 13th, 2007At Your Service, One Way or Another
In a past article (January 2005), we talked about a common site visitor perception: Companies that market products through “brick and mortar” in-store channels should offer the same products-or even a better selection of products-on their website. In this edition, we’ll take a look at how this “superstore mentality” transcends product offerings to encompass service offerings.
Published on Feb 13th, 2007Tips & Tricks for an Accessible Website
According to a 2004 study by the Danish Center for Accessibility, more than 20% of all Internet users suffer from one or more disabilities. These disabilities can range from: Hearing Disabilities, Motor Disabilities, Dyslexia, ADD, Epilepsy, and Visual Disabilities. Disabled users often encounter numerous usability issues, including:
Published on Feb 13th, 2007
