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