In this blog entry, I would like to invite discussion on an essential ingredient in the design of information systems: the user – you and I and everyone who uses computer software and Web sites. I am predicating this discussion on this single fact: the experience of the user determines how and if these systems are used for their stated purpose – or at all.
Although the study of the user experience is addressed by many overlapping specialties (human-computer interaction (HCI), usability, information architecture, etc.), more often than not, the users and their needs and preferences often get short-changed in software development.
That’s where I would like to take up this topic and invite your brief but cogent comments in response to the following question. What do you feel is an important issue in the design of software and/or Web sites from your perspective as a user (or the user populations that you serve)?
What do you feel is an important issue in the design of software and/or Web sites from your perspective as a user (or the user populations that you serve)?
I should say that ‘security’ is my deepest concern and it is BUT, for my use and any Web site I might design, its usability that keeps me coming back to a site. When software offers things that I have been accustomed to, I will look for it on a web page (like I am seeing right here on this web page – ‘check spelling’) – make it easy and keep my information safe – a rather Pollyanic thinking but that is what I desire from internet use…
Hi Lynn,
Thanks for sharing your most important issues as a user. Although usability is likely to be expressed as a major concern, I find it interesting and valuable that you have included security in this context of the user experience.
For too often, that vital need is overlooked (along with privacy) in Web sites and software that rely on internetworking to operate, yet it is an ever present need.
My concerns are on sites such as this one where users share their thoughts. Even though the background of the creator of the website is well established in the world of business and alike, the computer and the internet specifically holds no privacy for users where their words or pictures can be accessed for any persons or officials use. My concern is that at any time my words can be retrieved at any point in time in my life to be examined or used to judge me as a person. For instance, a politician may blog innocently and his or her words can be on the nightly news and not used in the same context as it was intended. The  moral of this story is one must always be aware of what is placed on any website or email from the day one starts to use the computer and internet expecially if one seeks a public life. Privacy and security would be my most important concepts for users.
Hi Sher,
Thanks for sharing your important issue as a user. In the case of internetworked and public spaces like Web sites, blogs, etc., I agree that privacy and security for users should be primary. That is why in this blog, I not only moderate posts, but ask posters to keep out confidential information and use pseudonyms for their posting names.
Doc,
For me the software has to be user friendly and basically easy to use. I like programs that have large buttons and Icons but is simple to navigate. Also one that is not to bogged down with programming and one that is easy to install and use. I also like a program that has good support. This is very important especially if you need assistance and need to speak with someone.
This to me is what is important.
Mike
Hi Mike,
I am glad to see that someone has addressed user needs for software applications and focusing on the user experience. You identify many issues, but I understand how they can add up to one important issue: total care 😉
Security would be the number one concern I would have regarding a software application. The second thing would be how reliable the company is and how easy the website is to follow. I like surfing the internet but it can become very frustrating when there are a million clicks just to get to one item.
The most important needs to me for software applications to make my experience a pleasant one is ease of working within the application. Everything should be spelled out for me, and do not leave much to assume (because I will do a lot of that if needed.). If I need to click on buttons within an application to get to where I need to go, these should be properly labeled. Lastly, I like things to be short and uncomplicated. User friendly GUIs, short and easy to remember commands are perfect, and any other common sense additions are useful.
Thanks Dawn and Denise for adding your comments to our growing wish list of user needs for software and Web sites. In addition to security and privacy, minimal click count and descriptive labeling of the interface help cut down confusion and (precious) time for the user.
Another issue related to user experience is the prevalence of digital marketing and adverstising on Web sites for which users are not provided informed consent – or are provided after-the-fact “opt-out” options in the fine print of privacy statements.
This lack of user control over their Web experience has led to the use of pop-up blockers, anti-spyware, and their kin. These measures can be helpful, but can also hinder a positive user experience where pop-ups and cookies are needed or wanted by the user.
So it is with pleasure that I note a shift in the mindset of some online marketers and advertisers.
In his Digital Mindshare blog entry “Digital Channels: Power to the People,” Gene De Libero notes that many in the digital media and marketing space are “starting to communicate WITH consumers through digital channels, like social networks and mobile, instead of TO them.”
http://digitalmindshare.typepad.com/digital_mindshare/2008/07/power-to-the-pe.html
Your comments there are welcome in reply.
What I like best about my experience on a website is the ability to easily scroll through the different areas and find what I am searching for. I don’t care much about the pictures or colors that are used since it’s the product that I care about the most. I do like the option of additonal spots on a website that allow me to leave the main site and view other companies with the same interests.
Thanks Beth, for sharing your preferences as a user in the online shopping space: exerting the degree of control and latitude over your online experience as you would (ideally) in brick and mortar.
Before addressing the question, how much software is used not through volition, but necessity (cost, required by employer, lack of alternatives)? Contrasting Apple Leopard with Windows, does anyone buy the Microsoft product for a superior interface? Isn’t Windows simply tolerated for the rich set of applications it exposes? What’s left if we presuppose completely voluntary usage based solely on the user experience created, and cook out other variables?
My “glove test”: how integrated is the human “touch”, through what senses, and how deep is the design intuition? Is the interface ahead of me, with me, or behind me? Speed (sub-second response), self documenting usability, a user selectable proficiency curve, navigation transparency, efficiency of task, and absence of negative surprises are all significant.
Hi Pete, Great points! We don’t always have the luxury of choosing our operating systems or interfaces over the available software applications. I like your “glove test” concept as well as your criteria. I only wish all interfaces met up to those standards, but it’s a worthy goal.