Site MapUser Experience for a Better World Site MapUser Experience for a Better World 
| Each month Dr. Eric Schaffer answers selected questions on usable interface design. | Archived questions by topic |
Here are the most recent questions you asked with Eric's answers. |
April 23, 2012 – submitted by Hardik Khanna |
|
Question: I am an Internet evangelist. I came across your website through a friend's recommendation and really like it. I have a query regarding web designing, which goes like this: on websites, why are filters provided on the right-hand side of the page? From my personal observation/usage I have seen that generally the cursor is always on the right side of the screen, which is probably because I am a right-handed person. Whenever I try to change filters, I have to again rub my finger against the mouse pad, which is not a very good experience. This becomes even more annoying on an e-commerce website. Can you please provide some insights on this? |
Eric's response: Well, you can find pretty much any design online somewhere. But, in general, filters belong either on the top or the left side. In that way, logical structure is maintained (for cultures reading left to right and down). You first enter the filter and then you see the results. |
| Top | |
April 20, 2012 – submitted by Diane Evans of Savannah, GA |
|
Question: Do you think decision trees, nav maps, and storyboards are enough to represent the hierarchy of information to your design, or do you require an additional tool for the same? Give reasons in support your answer. |
Eric's response: Hmmm. Am I answering your test question? Well, in any case, you do not need multiple methods to define an information architecture. A simple tree view will pretty much always be enough. Navigation maps do NOT show an information architecture purely. A navigational map is used to show a navigational solution, which has implicit in it an information architecture. But you must also deal with other issues, like the selection of modes of navigation. For example, your information architecture could be managed with a combination of a left navigation and a modal menu. Storyboards are not a method for describing an information architecture. Rather, a storyboard is a method which may provide a part of the context necessary to determine an optimal information architecture. However, in addition to the taskflow data in a storyboard, you would also need to look at the mental model of the users (as in the HFI ‘Primary Noun Analysis’ methodology). Did we pass? :) |
| Top | |
October 27, 2011 – submitted by Carol Aubin of Alpharetta, GA |
|
Question: Realizing that there are International icons when traveling, etc., is there a standard for our International users of various software applications? If there is and I've missed it, please let me know the source. Thank you! |
Eric's response: Nope. And it is not really the case that there are truly international signs either. If you work at it you MIGHT find some road that are pretty international (maybe a yellow triangle with a squiggly line for winding road?). But you would be amazed at the level of confusion that is possible, even for things that you would think are simple. For example we have had problems with the mailbox icon, because the typical American rural mailbox is not used in other places, including Europe. |
| Top | |
August 11, 2011 – submitted by Callie Coon of Clearwater, FL |
|
Question: I was curious if you have any data on current bill rates for Usability Analysis. In your classes, you went over bill rates for actual participants in testing scenarios, but I'm interested in information on the standard billing rate for my services as an independent contractor, not as a salaried employee. Is there a resource out there that provides that info regionally? Or does HFI monitor the industry for that data? |
Eric's response: The Usability Professionals Association does a lovely annual salary survey. I suggest monitoring that for income expectations. As a contractor there is quite a large range of hourly rates. It depends on skill level. It also depends on the resources you bring with you. For example HFI bill rates include a mass of intellectual property, training, certification, management, and quality assurance processes. I would say roughly as a independent contractor you might see rates from $550-1,500 a day in the USA. |
| Top | |
July 11, 2011 – submitted by Ellen Krueger of Appleton, WI |
|
Question: There have been quite a few sites redesigned with mega menus. How do you feel about the usability of these. i.e. www.usaa.com |
Eric's response: We have really solid data that the hierarchical menu is a good design. It is preferred over left and horizontal navigation. It is also better from a performance viewpoint. So we can be pretty sure that the presentation of the mega menu will work well (given that you actually HAVE that much stuff to show). We have also been using a SINGLE dropdown menu (see the "Site Map / Go to" in the black bar at the top of our site). That is also a good alternative to the dropdown menu. |
| Top | |
April 28, 2011 – submitted by Tom Ghoreyeb of Groton, CT |
|
Question: My company is moving to AGILE development, (along with a "me too" trend. How can we make usability fit more precisely with that model? |
Eric's response: Ok. You are in trouble. Basically you have to do the digital strategy, innovation, and structural design BEFORE starting the Agile process. Then it works ok... |
| Top | |
March 14, 2011 – submitted by T S S Ganesan of Chennai, India |
|
Question: It seems there is still not a streamlined designation across our industry. Each organization follows its own norms. This is really confusing and at times irritating. This is a concern when one switches jobs or moves up the ladder. Two Questions: |
Eric's response: There is massive inconsistency in titles for UX staff. I see a "Senior User Experience Specialist" at HFI, with a low-to-middle rating on performance, leave HFI to become the "Director of User Experience" for huge name-brand organizations. I recently saw the head of half of the UX work for a systems integrator, test only a C+ on our entrance test. I think this is part of why the CUA/CXA certifications are so hot. It provides at least a baseline. So "don't be fooled by titles" is the best advice. At Bell Labs, I remember meeting luminaries that made more money then the company CEO and changed technology forever, with the title "Member of the Technical Staff". You can sort of tell if someone is managing people - sort of. So, a "Group Lead" or "Director" is probably also managing. But other then that look at education, training, certification, and experience. And thanks, maybe some day I will try to define a industry standard set of titles. But today I will be happy if we keep the name of our field stable, for just a few years. Eric |
| Top | |
January 27, 2011 – submitted by Shawn Kenney of Richfield, OH |
|
Question: In your white paper "Impediments to a Mature UX Practice: and how to avoid them" you state on page 7 that "It's not as though you can evolve (a mature UX practice) organically. One of the mistakes people make is to think that... by doing good work you will somehow create an institutionalized UX team." This makes sense to me, clearly makes sense to you. However, when trying to convey that point to middle management or executive leadership I feel like the Dunning-Kruger effect kicks in, and the message becomes blocked by what the audience thinks they know about making an institutional change. Do you know of any documented theories or principals that can be referenced to show that change in culture isn't possible by just one person setting a good example, but that it needs to come from the top through structure and governance? |
Eric's response: Actually, one person CAN have an impact on the corporate culture (over time). We can lead by personality and effort. But you can not set up a mature operation with resources and governance without high level support. It is the transition from a UX operation based on craftsmanship, to an operation that is process-driven, which requires a serious champion. |
| Top | |
| © 1996-2012 Human Factors International, Inc. All rights reserved | Privacy Policy | Follow us: |
|
