user-experience

When two rivers meet Let’s do a little experiment. Visit two government websites on similar topics (for example, try buy.gsa.gov and gsa.gov/buy). Do they look the same? Probably not. There is a natural phenomenon that happens when you…

Getting started How to use this guide: We recommend conducting accessibility testing throughout the design and development processes. If you have project-specific questions, ask your agency’s accessibility team. Plain language Can you…

Getting started Accessible front-end development ensures people with different abilities can access, understand, and navigate web content, regardless of how they’re accessing it. Front-end developers collaborate with other members of a…

Getting started Product managers play a vital role in communicating accessibility requirements early in the project lifecycle, ensuring each team member knows their responsibility, and keeping the team accountable for building accessible…

Getting started Accessibility is usability for people who interact with products differently. Your role is to help the team approach accessibility as a facet of user experience rather than checklist of requirements. How to use this…

Getting started Everyone benefits from designs that are easier to see. People with different visual abilities see your designs in varying ways—the diverse nature of impairments creates a wide variation in how your designs are perceived.…

Do most of the primary users of your Web site prefer to read the information onscreen, or do they usually "print then read"? Second, if they prefer to read onscreen, how long should the line lengths be? Line-Length Research For over…

Instant messaging (IM) is a new technology that allows one-on-one communication in which the sender specifies the recipient and typically types a simple text message, while the recipient has a window pop up automatically that immediately…

The perception of credibility goes a long way in reassuring users that they've reached a Web site that provides useful information (content) and that there's substance behind that content. In fact, Lightner (2003) found that information…

Web page links are the primary means by which users navigate Web sites. If users do not notice, or do not think, that links are clickable, they may not use the links. Underlining Pros Simply put, there’s no guessing when links are…

Have you ever had to fill out an online form that was too difficult to complete or simply just didn’t work? Forms can be frustrating for everyone, so creating user-friendly forms can be a real challenge. If a form is too lengthy or…

People over the age of 65 represent the fastest growing demographic worldwide. By 2020, it is expected that over one billion senior citizens will be alive on the planet. (Zaphiris, Ghiawadwala, and Mughal, 2005). Known Limitations due…

The AvantGo Enterprise 4.2 Solution provides a platform to deliver Internet content onto handhelds. Providing cancer information on handheld wireless devices such as Palm and Pocket PCs presents new challenges to designers and usability…

Providing cancer information on handheld wireless devices such as Palm and Pocket PCs presents new challenges to designers and usability professionals. This case study evaluates the process from recruitment to testing to screen designs.…

It is not surprising, given the advances in technology, that there has been a significant increase in Web-based learning programs. Opinions on the degree of acceptance and effectiveness of e-learning vary, but well-designed and…

The image carousel, be it automatic or manually presented, is a popular choice in homepage web design.   We all have our preferences when we visit a site, what we like or hate, but what do the experts and their research say about the…

Eye tracking technology has been used many areas including visual systems, cognitive linguistics, and product design. Newer technology is easier to use and less invasive. Older equipment was head-mounted and more modern equipment looks…

As of May 2008, there were 40.04 million unique users accessing the mobile Internet at least once a month (Nielsen, 2008). This number increased by 73% over a period of two years (i.e., 2006-2008). As the prevalence of PDA and other…

While technology is advancing at the speed of light, user-testing equipment is making slower, but steady progress. Because traditional desktop screen-capture software cannot record touch interactions on mobile devices and tablets,…

Usually when a usability test or evaluation is conducted, usability professionals provide a list of potential usability issues for designers to change. These are the issues that are most likely to cause the greatest problems for…

A key ingredient to developing a usable Web site is to define your audiences and their goals. The purpose is to get a deep understanding of who you are designing for and their primary content or service needs. There are a number of…

We discuss here the results of usability tests on two booklets which were transferred from print to the Web. The booklets provide the public with basic information on various cancers, cancer treatment, and other cancer-related topics.…

Web sites and Web applications require users to select from navigational options to access subsequent content pages. An important question relates to where the first navigational choices should be located on the page. Is the navigation…

Breadcrumbs are designed to allow visitors to quickly navigate a site by providing a trail. For example: Trails may be dynamically generated based on an actual path, which would vary from visitor to visitor; another option may be a…

When the General Services Administration (GSA) changed the names of the U.S. government's official Web portals from FirstGov.gov to USA.gov and FirstGov en español.gov to GobiernoUSA.gov, we researched domain name options and usable…

A focus group is a moderated discussion that typically involves 5 to 10 participants.  Through…

During these interviews, researchers watch and listen as users work in the user’s own environment, as opposed to being in a lab. Contextual interviews tend to be more natural and sometimes more realistic as a result. They are also…

A project plan takes into account the approach the team will take and helps the team and stakeholders document decisions made regarding the objective, scope, schedule, resources, and deliverables. It is important to include usability…

Eye tracking involves measuring either where the eye is focused or the motion of the eye as an individual views a web page. When your site visitors are connected to eye tracking software, you will be able to tell: As a participant looks…

Usability.gov’s re-boot not only has a pioneering new design; it also reflects our new expanded purpose.  Our goal is to reintroduce the site as a leading resource for user experience (UX) best practices. We’ve worked to add more content…

Many of you have asked if we are planning to update the Research-Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines. The answer is: Yes! We see the Guidelines as an important part of the reboot of our Usability.gov Program and now we know that…

With 56% of American adults owning a smartphone and 34% owning a tablet  and with 1.2 billion devices projected to be sold in 2013 , smartphone and tablet access continues to skyrocket. Users are increasingly accessing online information…

It is vital to recruit participants who are similar to your site users for your usability testing.  Depending on the site or product, you may have multiple potential users groups.  Try to include representatives of all these groups or…

User experience (UX) focuses on having a deep understanding of users, what they need, what they value, their abilities, and also their limitations.  It also takes into account the business goals and objectives of the group managing the…

Accessibility focuses on how a disabled person accesses or benefits from a site, system or application. Accessibility is an important part of the designing your site and should be considered throughout the development process. Section…

Information architecture (IA) focuses on organizing, structuring, and labeling content in an effective and sustainable way.  The goal is to help users find information and complete tasks.  To do this, you need to understand how the…

Is including user experience in project development worth the time and resources?If so, how can you determine and communicate back the value of following a user-centered design (UCD) approach to your organization?When talking about the…

Government agencies provide vital information and services that affect people’s daily lives. They have the responsibilities of responding to the needs of its citizens, running as effectively and efficiently as possible, and being timely…

The Digital Communications Division at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) operates two usability labs. These labs are free of charge for other federal agencies to use. They are located in rooms 453G3.19 and 637F of…

If you manage a public website in the federal government’s executive branch, various policies require you to have certain content—or provide links to content—from specific places on your website. This page makes it clear: what links are…

If you’re creating video, stock footage can be your best friend. If you need shots of people walking around, a photo of Chicago, the sound of footsteps or a Latin soundtrack, someone else has already probably already created it and…

Content strategy focuses on the planning, creation, delivery, and governance of content.  Content not only includes the words on the page but also the images and multimedia that are used. Ensuring that you have useful and usable content,…

Mobile Gov Experiences are agency stories about creating anytime, anywhere, any device government services and info. This entry is a story shared by AIDS.gov. AIDS.gov implemented an innovative model for responsive design by…

Kids and adults use Web search tools differently. Kids fail more often, because they often don’t have enough knowledge or experience to search using the right keywords, or understand search results. If you’re designing websites for…

What do kids know about Web design? As we found out, quite a lot. Recently our DigitalGov User Experience Program teamed up with the Kids.gov team to get some big time feedback from some pint-sized testers in a hallway test. We…

Functionality testing verifies that the functions of a product or service is working as intended. Each function is tested by providing appropriate input, verifying the output and comparing the actual results with the expected results.…

Having a keyword search strategy is critical for government agencies to: Gain awareness, Secure a strong online presence and Help the public obtain the information they need. Since the public relies heavily on Government-related…

It used to be when we said mobile we meant activities and devices defined strictly by mobility and the features associated with it, such as GPS, SMS, barcode readers, cell phones, etc. But when I found myself in my easy chair…

Responsive Web design refers to a fluidly constructed Web page layout that scales from handheld device displays to large, high-resolution computer displays using flexible typography, flexible images, fluid grids, and CSS3 media queries.…

Great websites for kids have many of the same features as websites for adults, but some key differences are worth noting when writing digital content for kids or teens. Kids have short attention spans, so it’s important to keep your…