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...
On simple, frequently used forms with one or two fields, such as a search box or login form, the strain on memory is less of an issue than with complex or rarely used forms. That is because with simple, familiar forms, users can guess what they are supposed to enter. Although, on even a simple
In this pattern, labels are placed within the form field as placeholders until the field becomes active and the user moves the input focus into the field. At that point, the placeholder label moves to the top of the field. As a result, the floating label (also known as an adaptive placeholder) is
Given the potential future importance of usability standards, it seems reasonable to study the usability of the standards themselves to assess whether developers can actually apply the content of the documents. Not much research is available on this topic yet, but existing evidence does indicate
JS-Kit Score: Turn Your Site into a Localized Digg
Widget provider JS-Kit has released their latest widget this morning, Score. Score adds a thumbs up/thumbs down-style ratings widget to any page content, and then aggregates the data across the entire web site into an info box that can highlight a site’s top content. It can also integrate
What Will Cryptocurrency Be Like in 10 Years?
Indeed, last year China announced it was testing the development of its own cryptocurrency, and support from the government is one reason it’s leading the blockchain revolution. Similarly, the Bank of Thailand and Ministry of Finance backed OmiseGo, a Thailand-based crypto. Japan, Sweden
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
When and How to Create Customer Journey Maps
First and foremost, choose the “actor” of the story. Who is this journey map about? For example, a university might choose either students or faculty members, both of which would result in very different journeys. “Actors” usually aligns with personas, if they exist. As a guideline, when
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Why WSJ Mobile App Gets ** Customer Reviews
A second reason to give print subscribers free access? They're the most valuable customers: print advertising is more effective than online advertising because broadsheet layouts have a stronger impact. Thus, a newspaper should encourage readers to maintain their print subscriptions by treating
The Impact of Tone of Voice on Users' Brand Perception (Nielsen Norman Group UX research)
We should pause here and acknowledge the very real challenges of evaluating writing through user research. Many users are prone to make comments related to aspects of visual design or information architecture, but aren’t inclined to think about the writing. To eliminate potential distractions, we
Popups: 10 Problematic Trends and Alternatives
During one of our usability-testing sessions, a participant who was looking for a job on HSBC’s website encountered two different transitional modals when attempting a task that was essentially segmented across 3 separate websites. He said, “Wow, it keeps taking me to other websites, I don’t
Store Finders: Why People Still Need Locator Links
Hallmark mobile site: Options to either ship each item to an address or to pick up in store for free, along with a link labeled Find a store, were displayed for each product shown in the shopping cart. This design made the feature discoverable. Listing the option for each item meant that users
Is Poor Usability Killing E-Commerce?
In 1997, I predicted that specialized sites will generate most of the Web's value. My assumptions then were somewhat too optimistic: I assumed that Web advertising would generate one cent per page view, and that the Web economy's total value would amount to $1.3 trillion by now. As it turns out
Parallel Design and Testing by Jakob Nielsen and Jan Maurits Faber
Some readers may object to parallel design, calling it design by committee. Indeed, as far back as the year 959, the Viking Olaf the Peacock said, "I want only the shrewdest to decide; in my opinion the council of fools is all the more dangerous the more of them there are." [Ref. 3] To make
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Case Study: Iterative Design and Prototype Testing of the NN/g Homepage
As new components were designed (for example, buttons, lines, type, hover styles, and tiles), they were added to a master component stylesheet. This process made creating specifications for developers efficient because there was no redundancy; we named each component on the page layouts, allowing
Design Thinking Builds Strong Teams
The inability to communicate efficiently is at the core of many teaming issues. Individuals often have different interpretations for the same concept or idea, due to their varied backgrounds and experiences. For example, team members who are experts in different disciplines may bring clashing
A Look Back at the 2018 WP Engine Summit
Next, in a series of lightning talks, Steven Moy, Chief Technology Officer at R/GA (US), showcased real-life use cases of world-class digital marketing and communicating a way that is culturally relevant. In one example, Moy referenced the branding of A/R Jordans. To remind the young
Gutenberg—Believe in the Beauty of Your Dreams
Beyond just being “compatible,” Genesis will play a big role in being Gutenberg-First. That means not only supporting the software and ideals of Gutenberg, but using them for new features. In doing so, it’s our intention to light the way for the countless agencies and developers who use
WP Engine Recognized For Excellence at The Stevie Awards
Created in 2002, The Stevie Awards honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals worldwide. Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevies are awarded during The Annual International Business Awards, an international
Nearshoring Basics for Software Development
Customer service issues, cultural misunderstandings, and language barriers are just a sample of what can turn people off. It has tarnished the reputation of offshoring. Nearshoring, however, is like Offshoring 2.0. It’s an approach to solving the implicit and explicit problems of offshoring. This
Data Science Careers: From Fragmentation to Necessity
Over the past decade — the concept of being a data scientist has become a “normal” occupation title. It is no longer an unusual way to phrase the job description in data analytics. Now this to the industry standard term for a swath of data careers. Data Science. Like any career
Five Best Open-Source Antivirus’ for Carefree Cyber-Threat Protection
You can detect a lot of different types of malicious software by using open source antivirus products. Experienced developers in both fields will tell you this is the most secure way to connect to the internet today. These programs simply make their code available for free so you can modify and
8 Major Legal Risks Faced By Startups
Failure to maintain adequate employment documentation can cause troubles for a startup. Companies must hire experts to draft agreements and contracts for formalizing the employment of permanent and temporary workers. These documents must contain the terms and conditions of employment and clearly
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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
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
7 Tips for Successful Customization | Users Interleave Sites and Genres
Users Interleave Sites and Genres
In our example case, the user also integrated offline information sources. For example, none of the sites helped her figure out how many lumens were needed to show presentations to her target audience size. Luckily, our user was an experienced projector-buyer and owned a reference book with this
Site Map Usability, 1st study
I have often predicted that Internet Explorer version 8 will be the first decent Web browser. One feature request for version 8 is better navigation support by offering a visualization feature that would pull the site map out of the website and make it a standardized browser element. Unfortunately
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
