Web Usability: Making a site worth using

Posted by E-Networker 3 Apr 2010 comments (19)

In order to compete for a place on the internet, websites must be designed in a way so that it is easy for visitors to find what they are looking for; information on the website must be easy to read, web navigation must be easy to understand, etc. All these requirements are listed under the web usability topic.

Web usability can be defined as a quality attribute that shows how easy it is to use a website. Following web usability tips while designing a website will help you make your website easy for visitors to find the information they need.

There are many companies around the world that spend huge amounts of money on web usability tests and research, which can be very expensive, but for small companies or individual websites usability can be achieved without the expensive tests and researches, it can be done simply by reading usability articles which gives a lot information and useful tips about web usability.

Usability is defined by five quality components:
  • Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design?
  • Efficiency: Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?
  • Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency?
  • Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors?
  • Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design?

We can find a lot of web usability tips on the internet, but we the tips listed below can be classified as the main ones:

  1. Clear and simple navigation system:

According to Jakob Nielsen, web usability guru, navigation system should answer three questions:
1. Where am I?
2. Where have I been?
3. Where can I go?
The use of site maps is always good idea, because it improves web page navigation and also search engine optimization. Site maps are a structural representation of a website’s pages and architecture.
  1. Clear and simple content:
Visitors can be attracted by using a good and eye-catching website design, but the quality of the content if what keeps your visitors on the website. When filling website with information, search engines must be kept in mind. In order to make it easier to find a website on search engines all important information must be listed towards the top of the page.
Website content must be easy to read. According to usability tests, the majority of users do not read web pages, they scan them, by looking for titles, bold, emphasized text or lists.
Usability studies conducted by Jakob Nielsen show that users read content that resembles an F shape, meaning that the reading starts from the upper left of the web page, next it moves down a little starting from the left again.

Nielsen also states the implications of this reading pattern:
Users won’t read a web page content word by word, they will extract important paragraphs, bold text, etc.
The first two paragraphs are essential on a web page. These must contain the most important information that your visitors are looking for.
Sub headings and lists stands out from the regular paragraphs. Use these elements to notify users on important information.


  1. Clear and simple layout
Too much graphics, effects and other design elements is bad for a website. For example use of Javascrip or Ajax can be a good way to create a website that looks professional, but if we overuse it, the website can look ‘childish.’
Website design is also very important criteria when considering web usability. In order to have a successful website it is not necessary to win various web design awards. Website design should be created by having the target audience in mind, and portray a positive and professional design.
Although web design is a hard part for most website owners, there are a lot of free professional templates to use. Some templates that can be used for blogspot blogs can be found at http://www.bloggertemplateplace.com/, http://blogspottemplates.blogspot.com/, http://blogger-templates.blogspot.com/, http://www.bloggertemplatesdaily.com/ and many others.
With all new technologies there is a cost. In this case the cost is browser inconsistency. Not every user has an up-to-date web browser and as a result some visitors will not be able to see web effects or information which is presented by using Javascript or Ajax. Also some fancy website designs will not work with old browsers. For this reason each website should be tested before it is launched.
Through clear and simple layout we also have in mind valid website code. Website should be tested by validator – it will help to find errors that can cause problems to website visitors. A good website validator can be found here: http://validator.w3.org/

More usability tips can be found here:
http://www.keyrelevance.com/articles/usability-tips.htm
http://www.doshdosh.com/50-web-usability-tips/






*SEE WHAT PRACTITIONERS HAVE TO SAY* LinkedIn Answers 




References:

Jakob Nielsen “Usability 101: Introduction to Usability” (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html)

http://www.keyrelevance.com/articles/usability-tips.htm
http://www.doshdosh.com/50-web-usability-tips/

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Trust or trustworthiness… What does really count in the online world?

Posted by E-Networker 18 Mar 2010 comments (2)




A society in which trust and trustworthiness do not exist is doomed to fail. The same accounts not only for any personal relationships but also for business alliances and partners. In the time of globalisation, firms and companies are “forced” to make alliances in order to compete on the international market. Any horizontal or hierarchical business approach cannot survive on its own which is why business loners are rare in the field.

The very principle of relationship marketing is based on the establishment, nurture, development and maintenance of prospective and existing relationships by managers with all stakeholders (Morgan and Hunt: 1994). This also means that one company’s success is linked to its partners’ productivity. The most successful business relationships are those in which companies pursue common goals. Goals need to be clearly defined and revisited regularly. The mutual goal is to always promote commitment and trust by setting up mutually beneficial projects, giving clear instructions for the kind of relationship and, moreover, practising an open-communication approach. In order to build up a successful business relationship and be able to maintain it – may it be between businesses themselves or between businesses and customers or vice versa – trust and trustworthiness have to be maintained from both sides. However, what are the concepts of trust and trustworthiness? And what distinguishes the both of them? And is trust measurable? And why is important for all but especially online business scenarios?

Simply put, trust is when someone believes that the person/company/website will act on the person’s behalf in the best possible way. Hence, if we make an online payment and give the according company our credit card details, we will expect that the trusted company will not misuse these details to their own profit, i.e. overcharge us or clear our bank account. Therefore, the truster trusts the trustee if the trustee acts on the truster’s expectations. For us to be able to give out these crucial details, the company has to come across as trustworthy.

A research by Ermisch, et al. conducted in 2009, relates to the trustworthiness of strangers. 43% of respondents, who are willing to trust a complete stranger, have been rewarded only half the time. Transferring this concept to online shopping, it means that merely half of the UK’s population is willing to trust online companies – which in a wider sense are complete strangers to their consumers and customers. The same research states that trust increases with age. This finding may turn out to be controversial in the online shopping environment considering the grey market and their willingness to trust the virtual world. 

On the other hand, more and more public institutions started to use the Internet facilities for a better and easier communication with people. Nowadays, all the governments make use of the Internet’s potential in order to improve their daily processes, but also to harmonize with the citizens’ demands.

Which factors influence the level of trust people have in e-Government services?

In a survey carried out by Sofia Elena Colesca among Romanian citizens, not only age and privacy concerns, but also organization trustworthiness and perception of technology have an impact on people’s trust. While a higher level of trustworthiness and perception have a positive impact, the mistrust in online applications might become an impediment for e-Government services.

In 2008, Wauters and Lorincz showed in a research that only 124 millions of Europeans utilise e-Government services, while the majority doesn’t present a favourable attitude towards the usage of online services in relation with public institutions. Moreover, the trust in e-Government services is strongly influenced by the trust people put in the Government and in the Internet. For example, if citizens do not trust their Government, but demonstrate high levels of trust in Internet applications, they might use the power of the Internet against the Government’s image and, in turn, the e-government services will become questionable. However, once the trust is gained, this could lead to an active participation of citizens in the delivery of public services. Organizational trustworthiness and prosperity of trust have a major contribution for the development of trust in e-Government services.

Trustworthiness is seen as an expectation of a person to another one to complete a certain action. In most situations the expectations are based on social norms. This is defined when not taking advantage of a vulnerability which is created by another. (Ben-Ner and Haldarsson: 2010).  If you are an online business owner, one of the most significant problems that may occur, is trustworthiness: you have to convince your customers that there is more to your website than just the beautiful design which, at best, meets the expectations of customer-friendly usability. An important task is to assure the users that the image promoted is reliable. Once this reliability has manifested itself in the consumers’ minds, they are more likely to return to that according website and make further purchases. Ideally, customers will climb up the loyalty ladder. For this to happen, the website owner has to ensure that his services are not only trustworthy, but also reliable and sufficient. A proper and not time-consuming payment method may enhance the website validation process that each individual customer goes through as to evaluate and consider future purchases. Customer service, therefore, is not only vital in the offline but also the virtual shopping and services world. The higher the levels of customer related services, the more likely the company is likely to be rated as “trustworthy”. Most researchers, furthermore, find that confidence and experience are two major components of trustworthiness, the latest being a result from evaluation of several dimensions.

In conclusion, the society we live in is one where trust and trustworthiness are becoming more and more important. By all appearances, these concepts are becoming increasingly applicable in the IT world and both go hand in hand with each other.




References:

·         Ermisch, J., et al. (2009). Measuring people’s trust, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 172, pp.749-769
·         Ben-Ner, A., & Halldorsson, F. (2009), Trusting and trustworthiness: What are they, how to measure them, and what affects them, Journal of Economic Psychology, 31, pp. 64-79
·         Colesca, S.E. (2009). Increasing E-Trust: A Solution to Minimize Risk in E-Government Adoption, Journal of Applied Quantitative Methods, 4, pp. 31-44
·         Hanai, T., & Oguchi, T. (2009). How do consumers perceive the reliability of online shops?, Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 3(2)
·         Mayer, R.C., et al. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust, Academy of Management Review, 20, pp. 709-734
·         Morgan, M., & Hunt, S.D. (1994). Relationship Marketing in the Era of Network Competition, Journal of Marketing Management, 3, pp. 18-28
·         Stewart, K.J., & Malaga, R.A. (2009). Contrast and Assimilation Effects on Consumers’ Trust in Internet Companies, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 13, pp. 71-93

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Are we becoming Web Animals?

Posted by E-Networker 5 Mar 2010 comments (6)

The internet offers users a new way of digesting information. Instead of following logical steps such as alphabetical filing systems, the internet provides users the ability to swiftly switch from one information source to another. It is the hyperlink which has allowed this shift in the way users consume information.


The creator of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, recognised that the human mind does not function in the same way as the physical filing systems we have created to store information. As Vannevar Bush commented: minds are not linear, instead, the human mind is able to recall information through association. These can be sensory associations for example touch, taste or smell, or emotional associations. The internet can be seen as a method of digitally connecting information in the same way that it occurs in the synapses of the brain.



Internet users are now able to surf a huge amount of information. However, because of the mass of information available it is mostly picked at and skimmed. The amount of information read in depth is diminishing in size and we are becoming a nation of skimmers, only picking the minimal information needed. The internet encourages our human nature to be distracted and move from one obsession to another one. Our inability to concentrate is shown in the way news stories are presented. For a moment we are interested in Michael Jackson, then Katie Price, then the 'War on Terror'. The effect of this characteristic being encouraged is unknown, however, it is possible that our ability to retain information will also become lacking as our reliability on the internet as an external memory bank increases. 


This idea of the network effect was first introduced by Theodor Vale. It was this theory of inter connection, that informed the creation of the internet. It was the same theory that allowed for the explosion of social networking sites such as Myspace, Facebook and Bebo. As founder, Mark Zuckerberg explains, he wants to 'change the way the world works'. This is already visible today. If Facebook were a country it would ranked 3rd largest in terms of population size. This is one demonstration of the power this site holds. Connections on this scale give an indication of how interconnected we may become in the future. We are possibly on our way to being worldwide socialisers. Whatever we post on our own walls – thoughts, links, quotes, secrets – all our facebook “friends” are able to not only see what mood we are in, but also officially stalk our social lives by viewing the numerous pictures we upload. Question that remains is: are we losing touch with the real world? 




The BBC are now conducting an online experiment to try and understand the different ways that people choose to use the internet, as well as their skill as an internet user. To keep it all funny and light hearted they have assigned animals to the categories. Get involved and see which web animal you are!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/virtualrevolution/

REFERENCE
BBC (2010) “the virtual revolution 4: Homo interneticus” [online] available fromhttp://bbc.co.uk/virtualrevolution [27th February 2010]

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A Day with E-Networking

Posted by E-Networker 26 Feb 2010 comments (6)

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Little Fish in a Big Pond: How does E-Marketing Benefit the Little Guy

Posted by E-Networker comments (4)

E-Marketing is often used synonymously with terms such as Internet Marketing, or Online Marketing, however, in its most simple form the term refers to any form of electronic marketing. As the world continues to modernise and become more electronically dependent there is little in the marketing world which is not influenced or manipulated by an electronic instrument. Therefore a more specific term is needed to explain new media.
With fast paced developments in marketing, the term is now recognised as any form of internet based marketing, explaining the interchangeability possible with the terms mentioned above. The transience of the phrase E-Marketing reflects how rapidly the phenomenon of internet related marketing is travelling. The internet is at the forefront of dramatic changes in the way we live our lives and it should therefore be at the forefront of the collective mind of all companies.
Helping the Little Fish in the Big Pond
The internet allows anyone with an internet connection the ability to publish information to a large number of respondents. Smaller companies would previously have been subjected to a limited audience because of the substantial costs attached to mass media channels such as television advertising. The comparatively small costs of developing a website mean that small organisations no longer have a geographical limit set on their audience.
As mentioned above, the internet has meant that consumers have, and are continuing to change their buying behaviour. The internet allows consumers to purchase in many different ways and therefore allows many more companies, especially smaller ones, the opportunity to respond to consumer needs. Not only does the internet allow for adapting consumer behaviour but also for an increasing amount of products and services to be offered.
Interactivity between consumer and producer has become more fluid. Organisations can now quickly receive feedback, which can be utilised by an organisation to improve more quickly. This two way communication channel can make a company more adaptable to market changes and therefore more successful. For smaller organisations the development of a rapport is arguably more important because there is a more significant reliance on returning customers. This is due to due to a lack of expenditure available for marketing events.
The internet makes it possible for immediate responses to media that impacts a receiver. It is possible to purchase an item with a single click. If necessary, it is also possible to minimise any risk associated with the purchase of a product because almost all information, especially that concerned with cognitive decision making is made readily available by the internet. For small organisations this is important because it means that many people have access to detailed information about the company which would have been inaccessible.
The ability to astutely target the correct audience is considerably increased by the use of the internet. As a result, smaller organisations are able to significantly reduce costs by channelling their efforts toward a minimal customer base.
The internet can be seen as a tool that bridges the gap between the larger and smaller companies. Making the seemingly small fry, look a lot bigger.

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Laptop or Mobile: what will persist in the future?

Posted by E-Networker 18 Feb 2010 comments (1)

Taking into consideration the 21st century is characterized by continuous socio-economic development, accurate marketing vision and advanced communication abilities represent a sine qua non condition of lifestyle and business success.


The Computer, mobile phone, and World Wide Web represent the strengths of the new age. They are indeed revolutionary inventions of the human mind, because they reduce time and distances and create another dimension of our lives - the virtual one. Today the mobile phone, computer, and internet are indispensable: we can communicate with people located thousands of miles away. Moreover, business companies and institutions are facilitated by the introduction of all information in databases through the World Wide Web - a vast world of information and communication; any book or Landmark database can be accessed within seconds. The virtual world is the place where people can design the mental, visual and physical illusion- anywhere they can imagine.


In the future it will be difficult to make any distinction between the performance of a computer or laptop and of a cell phone. For greater mobility, we certainly prefer a "hybrid" to replace the computer, which at the same time can function as a phone, camcorder, camera, GPS or audio player.


If in the past mobile phones were used only for calls and text messages, nowadays, they are seen as replacements for laptops. The new generation of mobile phones allows individuals to have access to a multitude of services such as the Internet, chat, software programmes, processing documents and multimedia applications. Taking into consideration new facilities of a mobile phone, a laptop might become almost useless.


But can a mobile phone replace a laptop by having the same advantages a laptop has for people? More often, people are looking to have access to their email, favourite music and movies everywhere they are traveling. This is why it is considered that the size of a laptop might be a disadvantage for portability assuming that it is heavier than a mobile phone. As a response of this, new laptop have become more compact and lighter in weight, and have been added better qualities with regard to processor and memory. Mobile phones, on the other hand, have only a limited storage capacity.


Furthermore, watching a movie or writing a document of thousands of words, can be hard to follow on a small phone screen and also frustrating. Moreover, it is not considered to be as ergonomic as a laptop.


For people who work as architects, engineers or filmmakers it is impossible to do their work on a mobile device. They need to have access to a professional resolution, to see the project both in detail and as a whole and for most of them a touchpad or a mouse is a vital tool.


The computer should be used so as to seek the acquisition of some knowledge and training of skills enabling students to adapt to the requirements of a company in permanent evolution, the computer being considered an agent of change in education.

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Welcome

Posted by E-Networker 12 Feb 2010 comments (1)

We are a team of 5 marketing students at Coventry University. We represent a mixture of nationalities: British, German, Norwegian, Lithuanian, and Romanian. Our offering to you is a diverse and innovative approach to the wild world of marketing.

 The primary feature of this web space is to establish a network for marketeers. It will give students and professionals a channel to build relationships between organisations and universities.

This blog provides a space for comments, discussions and arguments on recent marketing issues. Current news and academia will provide the subject matter for this blog, however it will be approached from an innovative and creative perspective.

The 5 creators of this web space differ in terms of cultural background, but more importantly in terms of their marketing interests. As a result, the content of this blog will be developed from different perspectives and with a mixture of influences and interests.

Please feel free to comment and get involved in the discussions. All ideas that are shared will be treated with respect. Interactivity will be the key to this blog's success, therefore your contribution is of crucial importance.

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