Making happy users

I was 17 when I announced to my orthodontist I wanted to be an industrial engineer. I was so sure about this. The weeks before, I had spent time scouring Encyclopaedia Britannica (yes, those were the days before Wikipedia) finding out what industrial engineers do and was hooked.

So, today, when I came across this article in the Wall Street Journal about Starbucks’s ‘Lean’ Japanese Techniques, my long forgotten dream bubbled back up to consciousness. I traded the assembly line for computer applications, but the passion remained, albeit, driven by another media.

Using a stop watch, Ms. Landreth timed how long it took Ms. Jordan to assemble the toy and place it in its box. It took more than a minute. Ms. Landreth asked her to think about how she could complete the task faster. Moving items closer together shaved time, as did altering the order of assembly. Over two hours, Ms. Jordan amended the task. Her final time: about 16 seconds. “That really opened my eyes,” she says.

So, what can we do to improve user performance on the web? First of all, how do you measure user performance on the web? There are tools out there to measure user satisfaction such as SUMI, but there are also simpler ways. A tried and true method is simply by observing your users. Rope in anyone for an impromptu testing. But, before that, here are some fast ways to improving performance on the web – that is making your users happy.

Breadcrumbs

I read somewhere once a a good navigation system underwhelms. Breadcrumbs are a form of navigation, which at most times stays out of the way, but provides you with useful bits of information when you need to get oriented. It was probably not designed initially to be a time saving device, but its design pattern that allows users to track back their path, removing cycles of tireless repetition.

Hook and Bait

Ever signed up for an application excitedly and once you have logged in to get a feel, you are instantly overwhelmed? The interface is impressive, but nothing there really hooks your attention. This next technique is perhaps the best way to avoid complete abandonment after the first login. Provide your users with a hook and bait to start using the application. A very good example here is provided by Ta-da List. When the user logs in for the first time, there aren’t any long winded explanations or readme files to go through. A short sentence tells what the user can do to get rolling and that’s it.

Training Wheels

It would be nice if we can turn all users into self propelling rockets with the hook and bait method, but sometimes, an application is much too complicated to do so. In this case, a set of training wheels might have to be attached. In this example, Netbeans automatically opens up a “Start Page” tab that highlights a tutorial for the editor, links to other demos and more. For the beginner, this tab will provide useful information until they don’t need it anymore, at which point, they can simply check the checkbox that says “Don’t show this on startup” and the tab goes away.

Short forms

When a user decides to try out an application, he usually wants to get to it as fast as possible. For most web applications, keep the registration form short and simple. Yes, you want to gather the user’s data for polling practices and such, but if it’s not relevant to the user using the application, chop ‘em out. When it comes to online forms, less is more. Just ask for the least amount of information you can saddle the user with and let them run wild. In case management yells at you claiming we need more data, you can always provide a profile page in the member section to allow the user to add more data if he wishes.