Articles

Articles

The Interface in the Environment - 'One size fits nobody'

An office is an office right? So lets just focus on the task and the user? In certain cases this would be perfectly appropriate as the assumptions that we make about the office bears true, but generalising about work environments can lead to the same problems as generalising about users.

Usability Issues in Product Design

As software interfaces migrate from the computer to become embedded in a multitude of everyday products, the scope to consider the hardware interface and the software interface under one unified approach becomes a possibility and a necessity.

Text-only is not accessible

A common approach to accessibility is to provide a text only version of web pages, but this does not address all of the accessibility issues.

Why Your eMail Newsletter Annoys Your Readers

Pointers from personal experience on how to avoid annoying readers of your newsletter.

Micropayments - Do Users Want Them?

Given that the web will support a number of ways of paying, which is right for which site? As always, much of the decision comes down to an analysis of user requirements.

Usability - Out-sourced or In-house?

Should usability work be provided by external consultancies or provided in-house?

Six Ways eGovernment Can Alienate Citizens

If eGovernment services begin to fail Irish "eCitizens", it's a safe enough bet that along with other Government failures it may become a talking point. So how could eGovernment alienate users?

Usability and Cost-Cutting

Implementing a usability strategy involves certain up-front costs, but the return on investment is significant – estimates vary, but I have seen some as high as 700%. Either way, there are a number of good reasons why introducing usability engineering techniques can save costs in the medium to long term.

So What IS User Requirements Gathering?

Requirements gathering is all about aiming at the right target. It doesn't matter how accurate you are, if you aim at the wrong target, you miss.

Trends in Online Advertising

Most online publishing businesses rely on selling advertising, they are in the difficult position of finding a balance between generating revenue through advertising that works, and keeping readers satisfied with the user experience and thus returning to the site in the future.