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Virtual University Human-Computer Interaction. Lecture 32 Evaluation – Part IV. Imran Hussain University of Management and Technology (UMT). In Today’s Lecture …. Heuristic evaluation Web navigation design. “People won’t use your Web site if they can’t find their way around it” - Steve Krug.
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Virtual UniversityHuman-Computer Interaction Lecture 32Evaluation – Part IV Imran Hussain University of Management and Technology (UMT)
In Today’s Lecture … • Heuristic evaluation • Web navigation design
“People won’t use your Web site if they can’t find their way around it”- Steve Krug
Scene from a Shopping Mall • Saturday afternoon • Head for shopping mall • Want to buy a chainsaw
You may decide to ask someone instead • This depends on • Familiarity with store • Your trust in the store’s ability to organize sensibly • How much hurry you’re in • How sociable you are
Web Navigation 101 • You go through a similar process when you enter a Web site: • You are trying to find something • You decide whether to ask first of browse first
Web Navigation 101 • Search-dominant users • Look for search box as soon as they enter a site • Link-dominant users • Browse first • Search only if browsing fails
Problems with the Web Experience • Web experience similar to physical experiences in the real world • Moving around in a space • “Cruising”, “Browsing”, “Surfing” • Web experience misses many of the cues we’ve relied on all our lives to negotiate spaces
Problems with the Web Experience • No sense of scale • 1 page? 100 pages? 50,000 pages? • Have I missed something? • c/w magazine, museum, department store • How do I know when to stop looking • Coloring visited links
Problems with the Web Experience • No sense of direction • No left, right, up, down • No sense of location • In physical spaces, we accumulate knowledge • Develop a sense of where things are • Develop shortcuts
On the Web … • No physical sense • Reliance on remembering conceptual hierarchy • Bookmarks • stored personal shortcuts • Back button • Accounts for 30-40% of Web clicks • Home Pages • Akin to North Star
Plus side Sense of weightlessness Easy to lose track of time Negative side Figuring out where you are Figuring out how to go from one place to another Lack of Web’s Physicality
Definition of Navigation • It’s about doing two things • Getting from one place to another • Figuring out where you are
Significance of Web Navigation • We don’t talk about “Department Store Navigation” or “Library Navigation” • Navigation embodies the site’s hierarchy creating a sense of space
Purpose of Web Navigation • Helps us find what we’re looking for • Tells us where we are
Purpose of Web Navigation • Tells us what’s here • Reveals content • Tells us how to use the site • Implicitly gives instructions • Where to begin • What options are available • Gives user confidence in builders • Good navigation creates good impression
Conventions for Navigating the Physical World • Cities and Buildings • Street signs • Books and Magazines • Page numbers, chapter titles
Conventions for Navigation Elements • Put them in a standard place • Standardize appearance
Web Navigation Conventions • Evolved from print media • Consist of ...
Global Navigation • A.k.a. Persistent Navigation • Should be consistent • Should consist of: • Site ID • Sections • Utilities • Home • Search
Global Navigation • Exceptions in consistency • Home Page • Forms • e.g., e-commerce site • Printable pages • Exceptions can have minimal versions
Site ID (or Logo) • Building name for a Web site • Only need to see it once on a building • Need to see it on every page on the Web • Why? Primary mode of transportation is teleportation
Site ID (or Logo) • Placement • Top of page • Represents whole site • Highest thing in logical hierarchy of the site
Site ID (or Logo) • Two ways of getting primacy of site ID across • Most prominent thing • Make it frame everything else
Site ID (or Logo) • Two ways of getting primacy of site ID across • Most prominent thing • Make it frame everything else
Site ID (or Logo) • Should have certain attributes • Distinctive typeface • Graphic recognizable at any size
Sections • A.k.a. ‘Primary Navigation’ • Links to main sections of the site (top level)
Sub-sections • A.k.a. ‘Secondary Navigation’ • Links to sub-sections of a site (2nd level)
Utilities • Important elements • Not part of site content • Provide help or info about publisher
Utilities • Should be less prominent than sections
Utilities • Utilities will vary for different types of sites
Utilities • ‘Home’ button provides reassurance • Site ID has dual role • Provides link to home page
Page Names • I love driving in LA
Page Names • Page Names are the street signs of the Web • Need them as soon as something starts going wrong • 4 things about page names
Page Names • Every page needs a name
Page Names • Name needs to be in right place