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These days everything has to be 'easy to use'. From cars to computers, microwaves to digital camera we are constantly wanting to be able to do things 'with a press of a button'. |
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Marketeers have driven the true meaning from the phrase 'easy to use'. The reality is that things aren't always easy to use - we are forced to use products, web sites, software that are actually really hard to use. This is frustrating in a world where speed is of the essence - we need to use things efficiently if we are to get by.
User Centred Design
Of course we can't always expect to achieve great things with a 'single mouse click' sometimes complex things require effort on our parts - an effort to understand and engage with an element of technology that helps us do things that would be difficult, time consuming or even impossible otherwise. But the one thing that should characterise our interactions with technology is an approach that centres on the user not on the technology. This user centred approach is what makes the difference between products that are usable or not.
Usability
We work with clients to help design information products that are user centred. From information design to interface design we can help you make web sites, intranets and web applications that are organised, intuitive and understandable. Maybe your users will need more than one click to order from your online store, but three simple clicks may be better than one complicated one.
Usability Prototyping
We can develop prototypes to test usability and gain feedback from potential users. Prototypes avoid costly pitfalls in your web strategy and ensure that users are placed at the centre of the design process.
Accessibility
Web site accessibility is the current hot topic. In the UK and in other countries governments are introducing new legislation relating to the accessibility of information - and web sites need to conform if they are to avoid poor PR at best - legal action at worst. However accessibility is hard to tie down precisely and what makes a site truly accessible is subjective. In most cases the guidelines laid down by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) are used to define levels of accessibility but these are, as their title indicates, simply guidelines and are open to a range of interpretations. There is a lot that can be done at relatively little cost to make your site more accessible and to make it genuinely more useful to people with disabilities but complying with all the WAI guidelines at the highest level (known as AAA) can be an expensive and ultimately futile exercise. We can help you navigate your way through the accessibility minefield and work with you to develop a series of structured improvements that will genuinely help disabled visitors - and not just meet a compliance checklist.
Usability versus Accessibility
There is a wide ranging debate on the merits of usability over accessibility. By making your web site more accessible do you make it less usable? Don't all those cool graphics and Flash animations make your site easier to use - if a little less accessible? Accessibility purists focus on verified HTML code, use graphic devices sparingly and emphasise simplicity above all else. Designers feel constrained by this minimalist approach and favour complex Flash interfaces in an attempt to improve usability. Ultimately there may be a trade-off between usability and accessibility but accessible sites can be usable and usable sites can be accessible. The very best designs balance the two requirements perfectly.
Making your Site Usable and Accessible
We frequently work with clients on improving web site usability and accessibility. The good news is that it often doesn't take a lot to improve things substantially. Complete site re-designs are a last resort - frequently subtle design changes, better signposting and improvements to structure and organisation can make a big difference. If you run a web site this means that customers are much more likely to stay. If you run a company intranet this means that your employees will be able to find the information they need much more easily.
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