Usability, is also known as how easy a website is to use. Before reviewing this topic, I never realized this type of research and knowledge existed. Although it makes complete sense due to the fact that I honestly never think about usability of a site until I find a website which I find hard to use. After having issues with using a website my chances of returning to it are slim to none. I feel as though this may be the case for many Internet users beside myself. In a world in which our new media usage is getting greater but our attention spans are getting smaller usability is becoming even more important. Having effective navigation along with an easy and maneuverable layout give a website the heads up in the worldwide web war.
Some things such as culture and language also effect the usability of a website. In the article Multilingual Website Usability: Cultural Context by Mathew Hillier, the use of language in websites which are reproduced in different languages and cultures enters the game as new payers and issues for usability. I found this article interesting because sometimes which it comes down to it, I take culture for granted. Never having personally traveled outside the United States into a different culture , western culture just seems to fit and is useable. But in creating an eastern culture version of a western website could have not only cultural issues but also translational issues. These were all things that never crossed my minding dealing with the world of web development.
Usability needs to be more than just a fleeting thought in a developers mind; it needs to be a major concern. After reading these articles in my future web development I will that my websites are easy to follow and make an enjoyable experience for my user. Because in the end, the website which can deliver information quickly and effectively will survive the worldwide web war of gaining habitual site users and come out victorious.
Hillier, M (2003) The Role of Cultural Context in Multilingual Website Usability, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 2(1), 2-14
Image Used with a Creative Commmons Liscense: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calnen/2299985857/sizes/m/in/photostream/
No comments:
Post a Comment