Usability Presentation October 2009 by Jeff Faller

1. Usability PresentationOctober 2009byJeff Faller Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

2. This presentation is meant as a support element to the Sig2_usabilityStudy.pdf document published by Jeff Faller. While the Sig 2 document is focused more upon usability and how it applies to the control panel, this presentation will give an executive overview of usability in general, how it has affected the UI market (web-based applications in specific) and where it might be headed in the future. Usability is an ever-evolving science that is constantly experiencing growth. The current instability in the economic market has forced many companies to pay closer attention to usability, its impact, and applying these findings towards upgrading their UI’s in order to minimize churn and maintain customer loyalty. Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

3. Usability vs. User Experience There is a common misconception when speaking about usability. Many people mix up Usability, which is a science, with User Experience, which can best be described as the “customer experience”. While the two are different, Usability certainly affects the User Experience. “Usability answers the question, “Can the user accomplish their goal?” In the case of our camera shopper, from the perspective of the site’s design, she did accomplish the goal, being very satisfied with the result. User experience answers the question, “Did the user have as delightful an experience as possible?” The store portion of the experience canceled out the online portion.” -Jared Spool The Difference Between Usability and User Experience Privileged and Confidential Information of Verio 3

4. Usability: Current Trends Usability in general has been enjoying a steady growth rate as a science and is increasingly being recognized as a differentiator in terms of the User Experience. “Despite the recession, the sector will continue to grow throughout 2009, because of the strong commitment within organisations towards usability and user experience and realisation that this is essential for business success. ” Source: Econsultancy Usability and Accessibility Buyer’s Guide 2008 Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

5. Usability: Current Trends Usability has also enjoyed a steady increase in recognition as a valuable tool in UI construction. The above graph illustrates the decline in searches for the term “usability”, indicating its general acceptance in the market. The lower graph illustrates the steady rise in references across the web. Source: google.com/trends Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

6. Usability: Current Trends • Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 premieres with new safety, usability featuresSan Francisco Chronicle - Aug 27 2008    • Ubuntu's Intrepid Ibex: Usability is Hard to DoDatamation - Nov 5 2008    • rPath Targets Usability, Availability With rBuilder 5Earthtimes (press release) - Apr 21 2009    • BitDefender Total Security 2010 promises maximum protection, speed and improved usabilityPRLog.Org (press release) - Aug 18 2009    • Tekelec Enhances Performance Management Solution Integrated Applications Solution (IAS) 6.0 Provides Improved Usability, Performance and ReportingPR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung) - Sep 2 2009    • P&O Ferries Reduces Implementation Time and Improves Ability to Evaluate Marketing Effectiveness and Site UsabilityNewsBlaze - Sep 22 2009 Source: google.com/trends Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

7. Usability: Future Trends The future of Usability, like anything, is never fully predictable. But it can be surmised that as long as there is a user or customer, there will exist Usability. Why? Because, as niches grow tighter it will benefit companies greatly to differentiate themselves through consistent and well built user experiences. “Informed creativity for market differentiation. Uniqueness replaces standardization.” “Companies are aggressively trying to seize the minds, hearts, and spirits of people by innovating their products through basic listening and responding.” • Dirk Knemeyer User Experience and the Future of Usability Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

8. Usability: Current Influences Movers and Shakers: Who are the current forces in the field of Usability? There are many different organizations that specialize in usability and the study thereof, and there are even more companies that are currently integrating Usability practices into their every day methodologies. But who are the companies on the forefront of the Usability field? Listed below are a few of the innovators. Integrators, Innovators and Motivators: • Adaptive Path – An cutting-edge interactive agency built around strong usability principles • Norman Nielsen Group – Jakob Nielsen is one of the founding fathers and an outspoken proponent of the science of Usability. • Yahoo – While their interfaces are not groundbreaking, they have done an enormous amount of research and have influenced the field through their releases. (e.g. YUI) • W3C – Logically, this group has been slowly integrating strong usability practices and advocating for unification in the fields of usability (and accessibility) as it pertains to the web in general. • Apple – Their interfaces and hardware have constantly been a source of inspiration in the field of Usability. This is a prime example of a company that builds from Usability testing, not the other way around. Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

9. Usability: Current Influences Technology: While it could be said that there are numerous innovations made on a nearly daily basis, there are a few technological advances that have greatly influenced the web in general and Usability specifically. • Web 2.0 and AJAX – The ability to create web-based applications that can closely simulate a thick client has greatly influenced Usability. • Mobile Devices – The mobile device brings a whole new set of unique challenges to the field of Usability. • The Web’s Ubiquity on a Global Scale – The increasing spread of the web and its influence on a world wide scale has broadened the scope of Usability. It’s no longer JUST about localization… • The Web’s Influence on Usability Testing – There are many new (virtual) tools that have greatly simplified the field of Usability testing. This in turn has lowered the cost of doing adequate research, which lowers the threshold for companies that have been wavering on whether or not to invest in Usability. Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

10. Usability: Current Influences Who’s Doing it Right (and why): Following are a few examples of companies (and their products) that I consider to be exemplary in the field of Usability. Web Interfaces: Google – A lot of people will state that this interface has nothing to do with Usability, but I will absolutely take a stand that indeed, its simplicity is the paragon of good Usability practice. There is nothing to distract the user from their task when initially engaging the interface , it is simple and straight forward. The results page is certainly influenced by Google’s advanced and ever evolving search algorithm, but the layout and the way in which the results have been displayed have set a gold-standard in UI’s of this type. Beyond the search engine, Google has also revolutionized the web-application arena with their constant innovation. Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

11. Usability: Current Influences Google Gmail – Is a revolutionary mail interface that has also changed the way that the industry views a web-based mail client. The UI has become, like the Google search results, a shining example of how to build an easy-to-use web interface. Not only did the mail interface influence the UI world, but it was the start of a modular design methodology that also introduced a new paradigm on a wide-based scale. There are certainly examples of this type of interface that came before, but because of Google’s influence, nothing made quite the same splash. Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

12. Usability: Current Influences Blogger – This ubiquitous tool is probably one of the first web-based applications that many people had ever utilized. It broke ground in its simplistic approach to a task-based design. It took habituation, in the form of a popular text editing interface, and applied it (utilizing AJAX techniques) to the web. It became such a popular and well received interface that the name “blog” came to mean any online, real-time publishing system. Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

13. Usability: Current Influences The main interface is simple, yet offers a wide range of tools that can be useful to a wide segment of customers. Example: “Edit Html” and “Compose”. While the interface itself is uncluttered, it clearly surfaces an easily identifiable suite of tools that are related to the task at hand as it pertains to differing needs. Example: “Monetize”. Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

14. Usability: Current Influences iTunes - This last isn’t a web-based interface at all, but with some AJAX trickery, it could be. Again, this is an example of a simple, straight forward interface that can accomplish quite an array of tasks and elegantly handle enormous amounts of data. The interface is a prime example of a number of popular patterns in usability design. Namely, two-panel selector, center stage, titled sections, and action panel. Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

15. Usability: In Closing Usability is only one tool in a vast tool box used to create a successful UI and user experience. Many people often ask why Usability is important, I think that Jesse James Garret put it most eloquently when he stated in his book: “This book is about the user experience of one particular kind of product: Web sites. On the Web, user experience becomes even more important than it is for other kinds of products. In virtually every case, a Web site is a ‘self-serve’ product. There is no instruction manual to read beforehand, no training seminar to attend, no *customer service representative to help guide the user through the site There is only the user, facing the site alone with only her wits and experience to guide her.” (*We have them but...). • Jesse James Garret Elements of User Experience If we expect to be able to differentiate ourselves in this ever shrinking niche, then one of the most impactful ways is through sound Usability practices. Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

16. Usability: Appendix Verio’s Usability History: • Verio had a UHF team which consisted of 4 members, led by Leslie Webber (Lise, Rus, Ariel and Leslie), for approximately 2 years. They were responsible for the usability on all the control panel UI’s. • This team was let go approximately 5 years ago. I (Jeff Faller) had just joined the team in Austin at the time as a CF developer, and since I had prior Usability experience, was asked to fill in on some gaps created by the departure of the previous UHF team. • Currently, limited testing is done virtually. Online survey tools are frequently utilized and supplemented with phone conversations, blog postings / replies, and e-mails. • There has been no formal usability or lab testing performed since UHF was cut 5 years ago. The budget for such things had been cut as well. • Most major UI testing is done in this fashion: Build prototype based on Requirements Documentation, post on blog or online survey tool, collect responses, possibly contact some partners via e-mail or phone, rinse and repeat. • The major issues with the current methodology, and why it doesn’t work, are as follows: • Reactive rather than proactive. In other words, we generally implement usability practices during the development stage rather than collect user data first, and base our concepts off of user research. Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.

17. Usability: Appendix Verio’s Usability History: • The major issues with the current methodology continued: • All of our customer facing control panels are currently split amongst product groups, with no governing body / entity in control of the user experience. How is it to be expected that the customer’s experience be unified if it’s fractured within the company itself? • The CP UI / User Experience has never been a project on its own, rather it has been a side project that’s connected to a larger development effort. Therefore it’s never been given the proper focus, budget or time. • Possible Solutions: • Bring the CP’s under one roof for a future unification effort. • Focus attention on the CP’s as a project in and of itself. • Allow for usability research to be conducted prior to development. (Possibly contract out to a third party for the research portion) • Build a team that can focus on the CP (dedicated to IA, Usability Research and UX design / development) • Determine build versus buy scenario Proprietary and Confidential Information of Verio.