| Whenever singer John Mayer sings his romantic | | | | Evaluators, Transactors and Customers."Math |
| song, "Your Body is a Wonderland", I can't | | | | and science found inspiration on Cubism and |
| help but think of web sites and usability. As | | | | the notion of "continuous dimension of |
| a usability consultant, I see the devotion to | | | | consciousness" or what we call three or even |
| his lover, and the time he spent uncovering | | | | four dimensions. Jason Edward Kaufman writes |
| every detail of her being, as the way most | | | | in his essay, Pioneering Cubism, "More |
| web site designers think we approach their | | | | specifically, Einstein's general theory of |
| web sites. When the lyrics arrive at "Take | | | | relativity found its first artistic |
| all your big plans; And break 'em; This is | | | | expression Cubist art. The plotting of an |
| bound to be a while", I start giggling. It | | | | object in a field consisting of and defined |
| makes me think of I'll explain why.Do You | | | | by the artist's moving point of view |
| Have Three Hours To Browse?Amazon's jigsaw | | | | suggests, as Einstein posited, a 'time-space |
| puzzle-like homepage greets me personally by | | | | continuum' whose makeup is contingent on |
| name, which is smooth talking salesmanship. | | | | point of point of view."The idea of being |
| We've obviously "met" before. It has | | | | able to bring different experiences to art, |
| "recommendations" for me. There's a nifty | | | | and enter a painting from different areas |
| advertisement that unfolds like those movie | | | | based upon your experience is something that |
| screens in school auditoriums where you know | | | | can apply to web sites as well as cubist art. |
| you're about to see something either cool, or | | | | How do you plan a web site's "continuous |
| gross, in front of all your friends. This ad | | | | dimension of consciousness?" In other words, |
| doesn't tell me what I should do to get it to | | | | how do you keep people on your web site, no |
| go away. When I click it, I'm instantly taken | | | | matter what their original intent is? |
| inside the web site to a targeted area. | | | | Regardless of whether their intent is just to |
| There's my Gold Box, and my Wish List, and | | | | browse, or to evaluate the site? Or to |
| 15,459 links to things I might want to buy. | | | | conduct a transaction, or to return as a |
| All this is displayed in the first few | | | | customer?That can be done during the web site |
| seconds of my arrival.Whenever a web site | | | | planning stage, by taking the helpful steps |
| presents me with an onslaught of too much, | | | | of assigning business, user and web site |
| too soon, I often feel overwhelmed, or angry, | | | | goals. Write them out in detail. You can |
| and leave the site. If Amazon was a human | | | | title those "My Web Site Requirements" if |
| being with an actual body, I probably | | | | you'd like. Having them on paper can be very |
| wouldn't like him or her for very long. I | | | | helpful.As you move towards finishing your |
| would find the physical Amazon pushy, | | | | web site, you can test it to make sure it met |
| invasive, greedy, egotistical, and likely a | | | | those original requirements, and didn't |
| hypochondriac. Yet, I did most of my | | | | stray. Selling custom furniture on your web |
| Christmas shopping there last year. Why? What | | | | site is a business requirement that might not |
| is it about Amazon that makes it such a | | | | be met if you also have Google ads on your |
| compelling experience?To understand the | | | | homepage. While the ads may make money, they |
| theory behind the type of design Amazon uses, | | | | will send away potential customers for the |
| which is copied by thousands of ecommerce web | | | | furniture you offer.Also consider whose point |
| sites, I turned to a different way of seeing | | | | of view you are designing for. Is it yours or |
| and a different kind of art. The type of | | | | your web site visitors? While an artist |
| Cubist art that Pablo Picasso painted seemed | | | | paints from within, rather than focusing upon |
| to fit.The Experience of SeeingPeople react | | | | who is going to see the finished product or |
| to web sites the same way they respond to | | | | what they'll do with it, a web site owner has |
| art. They come with an expectation. They see | | | | to be concerned with the reactions of the |
| what they want to see. It's up to the web | | | | viewers who see the site. The designer has to |
| site design to show them what they did not | | | | consider who the visitors are and what they |
| come to find, or what they may not know they | | | | want to do on your web site.How do you assign |
| were looking for.I recently attended an | | | | business, user, and web site goals? Think in |
| opening night art gallery reception. I know | | | | terms of creating tasks, both in-house and |
| the artist and his family. Standing in front | | | | for users. A business requirement may be to |
| of one of his vibrantly colorful pieces, a | | | | get sales leads. The task is to design a |
| scene of someone entering a store from a busy | | | | form, or provide "call to action" click paths |
| New York City street, he pointed things out | | | | to products that inspire purchases, such as |
| to me. "The brown brush strokes over here are | | | | sale items.A user's task may be to find a |
| the back of woman's head as the person enters | | | | customer representative at the company to |
| the store. Note the hand on the door handle." | | | | speak with about a product. You may have |
| The colorful canvas portrays glimpses of city | | | | anticipated this email or phone call, and |
| life, such as signs, lights, clothing, | | | | made a contact form, and put your phone |
| people, and buildings. I began to imagine | | | | number on the site. But how easy did you make |
| cars honking and that I'm breathing city | | | | it for the customer to identify and describe |
| smog. Amazingly, none of the illustrations | | | | a page and product on a page so that |
| are clearly defined. The artist drops clues | | | | customers who call-in or email can |
| and the rest is left to your imagination and | | | | communicate properly? Don't make them say, |
| emotions. You see what you want to see. I | | | | "It's 5 clicks into that category after you |
| know I'm seeing the painting differently than | | | | go to the second section from the third |
| the other people viewing it because I can | | | | button on the left." That will not only |
| hear their remarks.Then, my artist friend | | | | confuse your customer, but also the customer |
| says, "Ever since my Dad's experience, I see | | | | service representative.The web site's goal is |
| everything differently."A few years ago, at | | | | to persuade and make any task easy to find |
| the age of 19, my friend came home to find | | | | and perform. No matter how busy the design |
| his father nearly bleeding to death from | | | | appears, if tasks are obvious, and easy to |
| botched major surgery in which he was | | | | understand and use, the visitor will remain. |
| discharged too early from the hospital. His | | | | By focusing on their actions and reactions by |
| chest literally opened back up and my friend | | | | creating task assignments, you manage to make |
| held it together with his bare hands while | | | | both a salad or buffet approach easy to |
| family members got medical help. He saved his | | | | use.What a Lovely Hat You're WearingHow do |
| father's life. Since then, his artwork took | | | | you get someone to see your site the way |
| on a new form. From this artist's point of | | | | artists like people to experience their art? |
| view, everything is present, in the moment, | | | | You bring the user into the scene. You give |
| all the time. We normally see it in bits and | | | | the web site substance.At first glance, when |
| pieces, and then miss most of what's around | | | | we meet someone, we scan his or her |
| us.This struck a chord with me. Should a | | | | appearance. We make some judgments as to the |
| homepage, for example, present everything the | | | | who and what the person is, and maybe where |
| web site offers all at once? Is there a way | | | | |
| to do this by offering clever clues or gentle | | | | they're from. We have less to go on for the |
| nudges that leave enough to the imagination | | | | how and why. Dating helps. So does a drink at |
| to make the visitor want to stay on the page | | | | the local pub. For each page of your web |
| until it all comes "into focus"?This was one | | | | site, an introductory paragraph that quickly |
| of the experiences that brought me to link | | | | and simply answers these questions will |
| Pablo Picasso and web design. Pablo Picasso | | | | suffice.Google does it with "I'm Feeling |
| felt that only by means of our awareness do | | | | Lucky". They've instantly invited you inside, |
| things come into being. We're normally | | | | with that little teasing gesture. The happy |
| unaware of something until it matters to | | | | colors logo doesn't hurt either. Those big |
| us.Awareness, Experience and Persuasive | | | | "O's" look like eyes, don't they?Amazon does |
| ArchitectureImpressionist art is not about | | | | everything but prepare me a cup of espresso. |
| painting objects as they are seen, but more | | | | Their homepage addresses me by name at least |
| about the experience of seeing them.Andrew | | | | 5 times. Other words are "your" as in "your |
| Chak writes in his book, Submit Now: | | | | new releases" and "new for you". Most web |
| Designing Persuasive Web Sites, "What our | | | | sites use "what's new" and "we". Amazon likes |
| users see are the web pages in front of them | | | | me, so I buy stuff from them. It's that |
| at the very moment they are trying to do | | | | simple.Blog writers also captivate us by |
| something. Each page either helps them move | | | | pulling us into their world and giving us |
| forward in the process or puts them a step | | | | everything. They share all, from piercing |
| back. If you have gaps in your functionality | | | | their navel to what they think of their |
| or you don't provide guidance to your users, | | | | neighbor's motorcycle shocking them out of |
| you can't expect them to just figure it | | | | bed at 6:30 am every morning. They describe |
| out."One solution for guiding web site | | | | these things so exquisitely that you squirm |
| visitors to important pages or items is | | | | at the thought of the poor belly button and |
| through the use of persuasion and making a | | | | you can hear the Harley rumble in your head. |
| site desirable. For example, when a product | | | | We love our personal dramas. We think, no, we |
| is designed, some thought is also given to | | | | KNOW, everyone else does too.Like Picasso's |
| the human response to it or the experience of | | | | art, and that of others, you want to know |
| using it. The same can be true for web | | | | something about it, even if at first you |
| sites.Amazon utilizes persuasive techniques. | | | | don't understand it.What The Artists Taught |
| Remember that "movie screen" ad? When clicked | | | | MeFor months I've been trying to find "that |
| on, it deliberately took me deeper into the | | | | something" that's been bothering me about web |
| web site. Other web sites use marketing | | | | site usability, specifically the age-old |
| content expertly written to keep you | | | | question, "Why do some web sites sell and |
| interested enough to keep browsing. Even | | | | others don't? "I came close when I began |
| better are embedded links within that text.By | | | | using user personas during usability testing. |
| comparison, Google's homepage interface is | | | | By watching my process, my clients realize |
| minimalistic and simple. Yet someone realized | | | | how important their web site visitor is When |
| it wasn't bringing everything Google does out | | | | someone can't order what he or she needs from |
| into the open, so they designed Soople.com, | | | | a laptop and cell phone during a |
| which efficiently lists everything on one | | | | twenty-minute bumpy train ride to work, this |
| page. No extra clicks. No navigation to | | | | is a potential lost sale.Picasso helped me |
| learn. The obvious tasks are presented at | | | | see how we can direct someone's attention |
| once, for instant access. Someone at Google | | | | even when there are many layers of thought |
| forgot to read Andrew Chak's Principle #4 - | | | | streaming in.When my artist friend said, "I |
| "You know everything about your site, but | | | | see the things most people miss" during the |
| your users know nothing."Both the Soople and | | | | most mundane of tasks, such as opening a |
| Amazon design approach quickly bring the user | | | | door, or as in his painting of a view from a |
| into the web environment, to experience it, | | | | toy story window, I began to understand. His |
| not just stare at it and figure out how it | | | | paintings put back the missing pieces from |
| works first. This is how we also like to | | | | our view that we skim over every day. His |
| experience art.Task, Task TaskWhich design is | | | | art, like Picasso's, does it with layers, |
| best for your web site? Do you offer up the | | | | with hints of things that make you curious, |
| mixed salad and plop some tomatoes on top or | | | | and with details that bring you into the |
| do you lay out a buffet-style table of | | | | moment.Persuasiveness and desirability in web |
| dishes, organized by food group, and let | | | | site design are in the details. They're in |
| people choose?Picasso once said, "I paint | | | | the point of view and in the delivery, and |
| objects as I think them, not as I see them." | | | | more than anything else, in the experience of |
| The development of Cubism allowed an | | | | interaction. They are that inner cosmic |
| overlapping and interpenetrating of planes on | | | | connection between the web site and site |
| a canvas. This is how Picasso offered | | | | visitor.This is what distinguishes web sites |
| glimpses of his subject, and how my artist | | | | from one another and makes some of them |
| friend could paint and capture layers upon | | | | functional and productive pieces of |
| layers of human life on an 8 x 8 piece of | | | | art.Usability Consultant, Kimberly Krause |
| material. It's not always easy to know where | | | | Berg, is the owner of UsabilityEffect.com, |
| to "enter" a Picasso painting. The point of | | | | Her background in organic search engine |
| view is simply "everything, all at once".It's | | | | optimization, combined with web site |
| not always easy to know where to enter a web | | | | usability consulting, offers unique insight |
| site either. Every visitor has a different | | | | into web site development. |
| mission. Chak refers to them as "Browsers, | | | | |