Example: Visit this site! http://www.joedolson.com/ I run into this, or into something like it all the time, and it’s pretty understandable why. Obviously, if you don’t know how to create a hyperlink, or if you’re working with a CMS (Content Management System) which will automatically convert a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) into a hyperlink, this is the most reliable way to provide access to somebody else’s site. Either they have the URL, and can use it “straight up” if they […]
Continue reading “On the usability of contextual URLs” »Category: Usability
“Prettiness” is relative.
At least, in the final reckoning. Something which comes up over and over in my work is the tendency of clients to request design changes which I don’t particularly care for. This isn’t to say that they’re ugly, per se — after all, the fact that I don’t like them isn’t actually equal to “ugly.” Early on, I would argue with clients concerning these design changes — try and get them to see my perspective, etc. But the fact is […]
Continue reading ““Prettiness” is relative.” »Accessibility and Usability issues with AJAX
This is not a technical article. You will not learn how to code AJAX by reading this; either in an accessible and usable fashion or otherwise. This is a conceptual article. It will run through basic user-interface issues with AJAX (and other rich media). These are the reasons that AJAX functionality can be a problem for users — if you consider these issues carefully during development, it should greatly enhance the usability of your end product. The basic limitations encountered […]
Continue reading “Accessibility and Usability issues with AJAX” »Replacing Images with Text
Shari Thurow, a regular on the search marketing speaking circuit, just published an article in the ClickZ network addressing three SEO Myths and Misconceptions. Although the article is generally pretty decent, I do take some issue with how she addresses one area — the question of replacing images with text. In fact, my complaint is with what I perceive to be the basic assumption she’s making in this SEO Myth: that web developers and marketers are recommending that web sites […]
Continue reading “Replacing Images with Text” »Usability Testing Software
Although I deal with issues of usability fairly regularly, usability is not fundamentally one of the chief areas I work in. It’s certainly an area I’m very interested in, and is closely related to accessibility, but I haven’t been involved in any full scale usability testing. So, it’s rather interesting to me that one of the first sponsors of this blog should prove to be the makers of a usability testing software package called Morae 2. jo This is not […]
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