Good Design Matters

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Good Design Matters
How usable is your web site or web
application? Pam Birch Brian Minster
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Objectives

• Review usability criteria
• Introduce information architecture strategies
• Access services via the ITG Task Order

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What is Usability?

• Effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with
  which a specified set of users can achieve a
  specified set of tasks in a particular
  environment - International Standards
  Organization (ISO)
• Measure of the quality of a user's experience
  when interacting with a product or system.
  www.usability.gov

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Why it Matters

• Recent usability studies of e-commerce sites
  found average user success rate at 56
• Suns intranet redesign saved employees 5 minutes
  per week - total savings was 10 million/year
• Number of internet users will go from ½ billion
  in 2002 to a full billion in a few years

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Why it Matters

• Studies of user behavior on the Web find a low
  tolerance for difficult designs or slow sites.
  People don't want to wait. And they don't want to
  learn how to use a home page. People have to be
  able to grasp the functioning of the site
  immediately after scanning the home page for a
  few seconds at most. Jakob Nielsen
• The user experience directly affects sales,
  service cost, productive use, customer loyalty
  and almost every other aspect of doing
  business.  - IBM Ease of Use web site

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Web Design Checklist

• What does the interface look like?
• Is there ease of use?
• How well are the tasks supported?

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What does the interface look like? Size up the
aesthetics...

• Do the visuals manage users attention and not
  distract?
• Do the graphics impart critical information?
• Is the type readable?
• Does the design actually help users absorb
  information?

8
Is there ease of use? Judging an Interfaces
Intuitiveness

• Is there consistent presentation of basic
  functions
• Is the cognitive load kept to a minimum
• Does it provide feedback that sends back work
  status
• Does it have forgiveness actions can be reversed
• Is the logo used as a link home

9
How well are tasks supported? Getting to the job
at hand

• Do the users understand the sites purpose and
  how to use
• Is the purpose stated
• Is what the users need prominently displayed

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Whats Information Architecture?

• The art and science of structuring, organizing,
  and labeling information to help people find and
  manage information

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Connecting Users to Content

• The structure of information, and components for
  searching and browsing information connects
  users to content!

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Information Architecture (IA) Objectives

• Clarifies mission and vision for site, balancing
• Business needs
• User needs
• Determines content and functionality
• Specifies how users will find info
• Plans for growth - how will site accommodate
  change over time?

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IA Interconnection
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IA Building Blocks

• Organization systems
• Labeling systems
• Navigation systems
• Search systems
• Invisible components
• Content and tasks

15
Access to Services

• GeoNorth partner with Wostmann Group
• SOA ITG Task Order Contract CA 99-197-A
• http//www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/ADMIN/info/ta
  skorder.html
• Available to all State Agencies and affiliates
• Fixed Fee or Time Materials Contracts
• No RFP Requirement
• Deliverables Based
• Very Simple

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ITG Categories Awarded to Wostmann Group

• Category 2 Mid-range System Support
• Category 3 Specialized Server/Middleware Admin
• Category 5 Disaster Recovery
• Category 6 IT Management Consulting
• Category 9 Application Development
• Category 10 Records Management
• Category 12 Systems Analysis Design
• Category 13 Geographic Information Systems
• Category 14 Telecommunications
• Category 15 Miscellaneous Support Services
• Category 16 Project Management
• Category 17 Quality Assurance
• Usability and information architecture services
  are included under Category 12 Systems Analysis
  Design

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Task Order Process

• Confirm Funds Availability
• Create Draft Task Order (Forms on-line)
• Submit to ITG Ross Writer (ross_writer_at_admin.state
  .ak.us) Can request specific contractor
  (Wostmann Group/GeoNorth)
• ITG Reviews Sends to assigned contractor for
  Quote
• Quote back to Agency within 5 days
• Agency accepts Quote
• Task Order approved by ITG Procurement (Guy
  Crockroft 100K)
• Final task order to Contractor for signature
• Work Begins

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State of Alaska Experience
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State of Alaska Experience
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State of Alaska Experience
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Conclusion

• Web sites exist for two reasons
• Help organizations save money
• Help organizations make money
• Contact Pam Birch or Brian Minster
• pbirch_at_geonorth.com or bminster_at_geonorth.com

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References

• www.useit.com
• www.webpagesthatsuck.com
• www.usability.gov
• www.3.ibm.com/ibm/easy
• www.nngroup.com
• http//www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/ADMIN/info/ta
  skorder.html