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Web Design vs. GUI Design

Web Design vs. GUI Design. Professor James Landay Carnegie Mellon Updated by Melody Moore Jackson 11/15/06. Hall of Shame or Hall of Fame?. College of Arts & Crafts http://www.ccac-art.edu/. Hall of Shame. College of Arts & Crafts http://www.ccac-art.edu/ What is this page about?

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Web Design vs. GUI Design

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  1. Web Design vs. GUI Design Professor James Landay Carnegie Mellon Updated by Melody Moore Jackson 11/15/06

  2. Hall of Shame or Hall of Fame? • College of Arts & Crafts • http://www.ccac-art.edu/

  3. Hall of Shame • College of Arts & Crafts • http://www.ccac-art.edu/ • What is this page about? • no first read • no value proposition • How do I navigate? • tiny links at the very bottom • scrolled off many screens! • Second page… • how do I do anything? • fonts so small you can’t read at all on a high-res monitor

  4. Now improved…. • College of Arts & Crafts • http://www.ccac-art.edu/ • What is this page about? • no first read • no value proposition • How do I navigate? • Links are more clear

  5. Hall of Shame, but why?? content gets a small %

  6. Web Design vs. GUI Design • Review • Example of value of good web design • Diffs between web & desktop UIs • Top ten mistakes in web design

  7. Good Web Site Design can Lead to Healthy Sales • NY Times on IBM web site, 8/30/99 • “Most popular feature was … search … because people couldn't figure out how to navigate the site“ • “The second most popular feature was the help button, because the search technology was so ineffective.” • After the redesign, use of the “help” button decreased 84 percent, while sales increased 400 percent • Good Web Site Design can Lead to Healthy Sales http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/08/cyber/commerce/30commerce.html

  8. The Web Page Represents... 1) User's view of information on screen 2) Unit of navigation • what you get when you click a link / bookmark 3) Address to get info. over net (URL) 4) Storage of the information • on the server & the author's editing unit • except embedded objects like images • Page is an atomic unit unifying these concepts

  9. Desktop-based Wizard

  10. Web-based Wizard What is the difference?

  11. Where is the Application & the State? • Back (previous) in desktop wizards • typically undoes any changes made on that step • Back on web pages • is it the “back” button of the browser? • server isn’t necessarily aware of it - no change to state • is it the “back” link on the page? • server could do something to state with this • can you keep the user from using browser’s back? • with some work… but not a good idea • Clearly defined exits are important • obvious on the desktop example, but not the web...

  12. Desktop Dialog Box

  13. Web Dialog Box

  14. Web Dialog Box What are the differences?

  15. “What am I Buying?” • Desktop apps bring up dialogs boxes • usually smaller than main window • leave you context (below) about your main task • Web apps bring you to a new page • need to move back & forth to get context • browser “forward” may lose old values after a “back” • often a LARGE delay between page loads • need to remember context over time!

  16. Solutions to the Context Problem • Repeat context • add new information to the current page • appears to the user as if page is expanding • Optimize pages for loading speed • reduce graphics • improve server performance

  17. Other Differences • Device diversity • don’t know what they will be browsing on Web Server Internet

  18. Other Differences • The user controls navigation • users can take paths you never intended • come in via search engines directly to pages • bookmark favorite pages • email from friends • Can’t depend on people starting from homepage • Part of a whole experience • users move between sites • where are the borders? not as clear

  19. Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design Should be controversial - feel free to disagree Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design 1996, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html

  20. 10. Overly Long Download Times • 10 second rule • amount of wait time before users lose interest • traditional human factors studies back this up • 15 seconds may be acceptable on web • people are getting trained to endure • but only for a few key pages • True even for business sites • busy during day & surf at home for work info

  21. 9. Outdated Information • Hire a web gardener for your team • “root out the weeds and replant the flowers” • Most people rather create content than do maintenance • Cheap way of enhancing content • still relevant  link to new pages • otherwise remove them • Outdated content also leads to a lack of trust (important for e-commerce)

  22. 8. Non-standard Link Colors • Links to • pages that haven’t been seen are blue • previously seen pages are purple/red • Don't mess with these colors • one of the few standard navigational aides • consistency is important for learning • don’t underline other objects with blue/red! • OBVIOUS LINKS (K10) • What is unfortunate about this convention?

  23. 7. Lack of Navigation Support • Users don’t know much about your site • they always have difficulty finding information • give a strong sense of structure and place • Communicate site structure • provide a site map • so users know where they are & where they can go • provide a good search feature • the best navigation support will never be enough • People now expect these • site logo in upper left linked to home page • LOCATION BREAD CRUMBS showing where you currently are

  24. Navigation • Left-justified or top-justified navigation rail • Needs to be a contrasting color • Fitt’s law – place navigation close to scroll bar • Content should start on the left http://www.amazon.com

  25. Navigation • Location breadcrumb trail • Usually across top under navigation bar http://www.usdf.org

  26. What Might be Wrong Here?

  27. Mystery Meat Navigation http://www.customstaffinginc.com/

  28. 6. Long Scrolling Pages • Many users do not scroll beyond visible section when page comes up • All critical content & navigation should be ABOVE THE FOLD (I2) • Leaf nodes can be longer • people who have that interest will be reading it • still good to be brief • Becoming less of an issue • top items will STILL dominate • should be careful not to go past 3 screens max.

  29. What Might be Wrong Here?

  30. What Might be Wrong Here?

  31. 5. Orphan Pages • All pages should have a clear indication of what web site they belong to • users may not come in through your home page • Every page should have • a link up to your home page • some indication of where they fit within the structure of your information space

  32. What Might be Wrong Here?

  33. 4. Complex URLs • Shouldn’t have exposed machine address • Users try to decode URLs of pages • to infer the structure of web sites • lack of support for navigation & sense of location • URL should be human-readable • names should reflect nature of the info. space • sometimes need to type in URL->minimize typos • use lower-case, short names with no special chars • many people don't know how to type a ~ • Long URLs are hard to email properly • wrapping, etc. *** biggest issue today ***

  34. What Might be Wrong Here? http://www.neiu.edu/~fldept/flanglab/

  35. 3. Constantly Running Animations • Don’t have elements that move incessantly • moving images have an overpowering effect on the human peripheral vision  no animations, scrolling text, marquees • Users tune them out • so do not put anything important there! • Give your user some peace and quiet to actually read the text!

  36. What Might be Wrong Here? http://www.mjau-mjau.com/classic.html

  37. 2. Gratuitous use of Bleeding Edge Technology • Don’t try to attract people using it • you’ll get the nerd crowd, but mainstream users care about content and service • If their system crashes • they will never come back • E.g., use VRML if your info maps to 3d • architectural design or surgery planning • Caveat: appropriate if selling those products

  38. What Might be Wrong Here?

  39. 1. Using Frames • Confusing for users • breaks the user model of the web page • sequence of actions rather than single act • unit of navigation no longer equal to unit of view • Lose predictability of user actions • what information appears where when you click? • can’t bookmark the current page & return to it • fixed in Explorer 5 • URLs stop working • can’t share with others (lose social filtering) • emailing links still doesn’t work...

  40. Frames (cont.) • Search engines have problems w/ frames • what part of frames do you include in indexes? • Early surveys found most users preferred frame-less sites • recent surveys back this up ~70-90% • Caveat: experienced designers can sometimes use frames to good effect

  41. References • Nielsen’s top 10 list (required reading) • http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html • Web pages that are interesting • http://www.bloatedyak.com/ • Net tips for designers • http://www.dsiegel.com/tips/ • User Interface Engineering • http://www.uie.com

  42. In-Class Exercise • Look through the site: • www.websitesthatsuck.com • Choose a “worst website” and evaluate it against the ten top website design mistakes

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