UIEtips Article: Time for Content to Become More Scientific
UIEtips 9/18/07: Time for Content to Become More Scientific
Time and time again in usability testing, I watch users struggle with web sites. I’d like to say that the problems I see in testing are always unique and novel, but they aren’t. We’ve been seeing very similar problems with all of the sites we’ve tested.
What problems did the designs have? Well, first, users couldn’t find the most valuable content on the site. Every user knew exactly what they wanted and all of the information they were looking for was available – they just had no idea how to find it.
Second, once users make it to the page with their content, they still often struggle. One main reason for user failure is because the content was written so poorly that users weren’t even sure they were on the right page. They had to work very hard just to identify the critical portions of the descriptions, let alone understand what they were trying to say.
Many of the sites we test are disorganized and confusing. Fortunately, we know exactly who to turn to fix these content challenges. In this week’s issue of our email newsletter, UIEtips, Gerry McGovern, one of the world’s experts on delivering successful content, wrote an excellent article dealing with how to develop a systematic formula for publishing content successfully.
Also, to help our clients tackle their content issues, we’ve asked Gerry to present at the User Interface 12 Conference this November. We’re really excited about Gerry’s seminar. Gerry is the expert we turn to about content management issues. In just one day, Gerry will show you how to simplify your site’s organization.
What content management approaches do you use in your organization? How has it affected your design process? I would love to hear
about your adventures. Join the discussion below.