Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Concept 1: Think Like A User
Think about a website you own, one you've contributed to, or just one that you visit
frequently, and ask yourself this: What do most people do when they visit this site? The
answer might come quickly. However, it might be worth thinking deeper about just how
“average” that answer is.
For example, a friend of mine recently published a few blog posts on The Huffington
Post, a site known for the rapidity and outspoken way in which comments are quickly
posted on an article. When he sent me the link to his article, I pulled it up and read
through it. When I was done, I closed my browser and went about my day. Later in the
week, my friend asked me if I saw the article and after I said I had, he asked “What did
you think of all those comments?” The answer was simple. I didn't think anything about
those comments, certainly not even enough to read them. However, in his mind, since
they were feedback on his own work, the comments were much more interesting than
the article itself (after all, to an author, their own work seems pretty familiar and
uninteresting). Now imagine if my friend had designed the website on which his work
was published. You might not be surprised if you saw user comments highlighted,
perhaps even displayed prominently to the side of the article or somewhere else other
than at the bottom, in smaller print. For my friend, the “average” user would be more
interested in the comments than the article, when in fact, the opposite is likely true.
Thankfully, my friend isn't a programmer. But as programmers, we must keep track of
what our users are doing with our website or application. If we focus all of our attention
on a feature a user finds trivial, while ignoring needed updates or enhancements to core
features users find essential, we may lose those users en masse.
Concept 2: Don't Annoy the User
The best example of concept 2 that I can give comes from the evil word “monetization”,
or simply the idea that “Hey, I did a lot of work, I'd like some sort of repayment in the
form of legal tender!” Monetization typically comes from selling advertising; something
that users understand is a fact of life. If you want something for free, you expect that in
some way you might be subjected to an ad every now and then to keep it free. Most find
this preferable to paying for content and, indeed, many publishers report earning more
money through advertising than through sales of their paid products!
However, just because you're advertising to people doesn't mean you need to jam
advertisements in their face! You need to use tasteful ads, ads thatpique the user's
interest, and ads that don't annoy the user. Ads in every paragraph or on the top, sides,
and bottom of every page are rarely effective.
Similarly, unnecessary content or special effects may also annoy a user. For example,
recently I came across a page that used a special login button that had a nice raised
edge and looked good on my desktop browser. However, on my Android smartphone,
the browser was confused: Was this a button or an image? When I tapped on it, nothing
happened. Finally, through a really odd motion of tapping and slightly holding and
