Customization allows users to make selections and set preferences in a system, with the intent of giving users more control over the user experience. Customization allows users to select the content, layout, functionality or design that appeals to them. However, customization tools require work and input from users, so need to be designed in a way that entices and attracts usage, and provides adequate payoff for the work invested by the user.
Here are 7 tips for creating a successful customization experience:
1. Show users that customization is available.
It is not enough to offer customization to users. If users don’t know about the feature or can’t find it, they...
A final example of directness cannot be achieved by traditional forms of direct manipulation. Assume that a user of a window system has a large and a small window and that the large window is on top, completely hiding the small window. The user now wants to bring the small window to the front and
Wizards don't work for everything. In user testing, Eventbrite developers discovered problems with a wizard for creating new events in the system. Because users' mental models of setting up a new event didn't include all the necessary steps, they often dropped off and didn't complete the wizard
Eventually, to my surprise and relief, the DMV recording offered me the option of providing my phone number so that DMV could call me back when an operator became available, with the assurance that I would keep my place in line. So now that I knew approximately how long I would have to wait, I was
When Will You Be Able to Use Cryptocurrency to Buy a Pack of Gum?
While it’s true that crypto — bitcoin in particular — had a terrible 2018, with falling prices dominating the news, the outlook for 2019 is less grim. While crypto won’t wipe out the current fiat system in the next few years, a number of retailers — mostly online — are beginning
A 60-Second Trailer of the 60-Day Report on Cybersecurity
Finally, Hathaway sees this as a unique opportunity for the United States to work with countries around the world, and with organizations on an extremely local level. “We cannot succeed if our government works in isolation,” she added. It requires “leading from the top” from
What B2B Companies Need to Implement Blockchain Solutions
Healthcare organizations are already seeing benefits of enabling a large set of stakeholders to have permissioned access to data on the blockchain. The status quo in medical records is an unwieldy and redundant system where patient data is shared manually among providers, physicians, nurses
Why Personas Fail
Personas do work — or, more accurately, they often work. But humans have a great ability to generalize from a single observation, so it’s understandable that somebody could sour on personas (or any UX technique) if her one experience was a bad one. You can appeal to the logical side of most
7 tips for successful customization
10 Usability Heuristics Applied to Video Games
CS:GO has predefined hotkeys that expert users can use to speed up interactions like switching weapons, but users can also bind their own keyboard commands for a customized experience. Note: there’s no onscreen feedback when a player uses a hotkey (for accelerators, it’s OK to omit visual
Brand Is Experience in the Digital Age
In their definition of user experience, Don Norman and Jakob Nielsen claim that “the first requirement for an exemplary user experience is to meet the exact needs of the customer, without fuss or bother.” Brands that choose to address an unmet user need at the core of their business are
The New Ecommerce User Experience: Changes in Users’ Expectations
As ecommerce retailers begin to offer flexible shopping experiences across a variety of channels, users’ expectations for convenience in online shopping are increasing. They want to shop on their terms, whenever and wherever they are, regardless of the device or channel. Companies often consider
Modes in User Interfaces: When They Help and When They Hurt Users
Mode slips happen because the system doesn’t clearly indicate its status to the user, violating the very first of the 10 usability heuristics. Mode errors have been a longstanding problem in our discipline, and, especially in complex systems, can have deadly consequences. Famously, in 1991, a
Status Trackers and Progress Updates: 16 Design Guidelines
Conduct user research to find out how much time users expect to pass between updates. When you have long periods with no possible updates (for example, an application is in a queue), consider using periodic messaging with helpful and relevant information about next steps. These may reassure users
Gutenberg—Believe in the Beauty of Your Dreams
The earlier way of designing websites involved using full page templates. These templates were helpful but very rigid and you ran the risk that your template matched someone else’s. With Gutenberg’s block approach, you get the convenience of pre-designed layouts, you don’t have to write
7 tips for successful customization
WP Engine Participates in the Day of Understanding
Diversity has long been an important topic for WP Engine. CEO Heather Brunner often says “diversity attracts diversity.” This means that as a company naturally attracts and retains diverse talent, that diversity is sustained from the inside by employee referrals. Ultimately, the
How to Recover Abandoned Shopping Carts for WooCommerce Stores
Imagine this: You’ve spent months getting your new eCommerce shop up and running. You set up WooCommerce, installed a bunch of plugins, found a perfect theme, dotted all your i’s and crossed all your t’s on tax compliance, logistics, and customer service. You roll out your beautiful new shop
Modal & Nonmodal Dialogs: When (& When Not) to Use Them
Irreversible errors often result in the loss of information, which can be especially damaging for complex and time-intensive tasks. For example, failing to add an item to a cart might be an unfortunate error for an ecommerce business, but not irreversible to its users should they not notice a
5 Steps to Service Blueprinting
If all workshop participants are in the same physical location, set up by hanging three oversized sticky notes on the wall side by side. Each member should have a pad of post-its. The result of the workshop will be a low-fidelity version of an initial blueprint. If workshop participants are spread
The Sketch Test: Test and Improve Your UX Deliverables and Other Documents
The sketch test can help surface two types of problems with deliverables: (1) content that is not easily perceptible in the document (e.g. using blue text to annotate a screenshot made it difficult to notice against a similar background), and (2) content that is not comprehensible (e.g. the purpose
Past Bitcoin to Making Money from the Blockchain
Even if you don’t want to have anything to do with this technology, reality check: you probably already do. Blockchain is booming, and there’s no slowing it down right now. As more uses for this technology are identified, we’re all going to find ourselves talking blockchain at the dinner
Why AI and Viztech hold the key to a safer internet
Just a few weeks later in September, the heads of state of the UK, France and Italy met with internet companies at the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss the issue. In a speech ahead of the meeting, UK Prime Minister Theresa May threatened the internet giants with huge fines if they could
A 60-Second Trailer of the 60-Day Report on Cybersecurity
Finally, Hathaway sees this as a unique opportunity for the United States to work with countries around the world, and with organizations on an extremely local level. “We cannot succeed if our government works in isolation,” she added. It requires “leading from the top” from
How to Upgrade Your Cyber Defenses to Protect Growth
Small businesses often have a single-minded focus on maximizing value or driving revenue. Because you already understand what your company’s greatest asset is, take some time to plan security around it. Too often, small companies try to tackle “cybersecurity” in a very general way without
7 tips for successful customization
A 60-Second Trailer of the 60-Day Report on Cybersecurity
She explained that the original design of the Internet was driven more by considerations of interoperability rather than security, and as a result we are now faced with almost insurmountable issues. Some examples include online criminals who steal our information, mass bandits who have the ability
A 60-Second Trailer of the 60-Day Report on Cybersecurity
Melissa Hathaway came across our radar recently when President Obama tasked the former Bush administration aide with leading a 60-day review of Bush’s Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative; a largely classified, purported $30 billion, multi phase plan to address cybersecurity issues
7 Tips for Successful Customization | Best Practices for Homepage Links on websites
Best Practices for Homepage Links on websites
To minimize homepage-navigation confusion, offer both clickable logos and actual Home links. These Home links can be presented in places such as the site’s global navigation or in breadcrumbs. Positioning them towards the top left of the page (above the content) makes them the most discoverable
No More Pogo Sticking: Protect Users from Wasted Clicks
Recently, I found myself pogo sticking through the Redbox website. Why, you ask, was I doing this? I had wanted to walk to my nearest Redbox location, to get a little exercise and avoid an extra trip in the car, and grab a movie to watch that evening. On the website, I searched for my specific
Why Country Sites Are So Bad
This third problem isn't found only with lumbering multinationals. NIH (not invented here) is a universal human feeling, even though it often degrades usability and causes inconsistent design. In our work on non-profit organizations' websites, we often see that local (city or state) groups have
