This is the second part of my two-part blog post on psychological manipulation through the user interface design of e-commerce sites. In this part I shall discuss other user interface design elements that encourage purchasing.

What other user interface design elements encourage purchasing?

Another way that e-commerce sites encourage purchasing through user interface design elements is through time. Adding the urgency of a clock running down to the user interface design encourages decision making in a “I better take this opportunity before it goes away forever” way. Ebay and Groupon are two great examples of e-commerce websites that incorporate this into their user interface design/ user experience. Groupon even introduces the characteristics of peer pressure into the whole mix. Their user interface design showcases the number of other users who have signed on. However it is also the time limit placed on the product that accelerates a users decision making. The user interface design also shows how much a user would save by signing on to the deal. The psychological call-to-actions don’t just stop there as there is also a convenient ‘Buy it for a friend’ conveniently placed to drive users towards purchasing even if a particular deal might not be for them. All these user interface design elements combine into a hard to resist cocktail that encourages purchasing in one way or another.

How do some e-commerce sites counter the negative feedback of impulse buys?

Psychologist working for retail companies have long been aware of the guilt that burdens shoppers who have undergone impulse buys. This guilt needs to be minimized as it can engender thoughts of returning the product as a defense mechanism. One of the ways e-commerce sites, Apple in particular, counter this negative feedback is to delay the negative feedback loop. With their App Store, Apple decided to not send receipts the moment of purchase. This tactic is simply so as not to instantly remind the user of their purchase as seeing the consequences would be negative feedback. In the case of the App Store this is absolutely understandable. Most apps don’t have a trial version of the full version. This means that for many users forking over cash is the only way to really get their hands on an app. Naturally if it turns out that the app was not all it was cracked out to be then negative feelings out of the impulse buy might brew. Next time you’re about to go on a shopping spree online ask yourself who’s pulling the strings?

Google appears to be slowly ushering in new user interface designs to their web app tools.  Among the most talked about in the blogosphere is the experimental YouTube user interface design dubbed Cosmic Panda. That YouTube is the world’s most popular video site is beyond question but this success has rarely been attributed to the YouTube user interface design. Well at least recently! YouTube’s user interface design has been looking more and more outdated in an era of minimalistic and polished user interface design. Although there have been numerous changes to its user interface design one gets the feeling that the UI design team decided to make sure YouTube is instantly familiar to users who haven’t used the site much since its inception 8 years ago. If the Cosmic Panda user interface design is finally released then this would certainly mark the biggest UI design changes YouTube has yet seen.

The new look and feel of the user interface design  features darker UI design themes and lightbox type elements that make the videos more prominent. Related videos now appear at the bottom like a filmstrip rather than on the right sidebar. The user interface design of Channel pages has also been revamped with larger pictures of videos. This naturally means that less videos are visible at a go but the trade off in user experience is a worthwhile one. An option that I would have liked would have been the ability to watch directly from this list view like one would on Facebook. Most promising of all, however, is the ability to browse and search while watching a video but this feature is currently only available to Chrome users. It must be said that the new user interface design is similar to that of Hulu which is a good thing. Hulu has a characteristically uncluttered and polished user interface design that coupled with YouTube’s market share, higher selection of videos and brand awareness will please users.

What is Computing Transparency?

Computing Transparency is a vital aspect of HCI (human computer interaction) and is connected to issues of clarity and usability in user interface design (UI design). The Merriam Webster Dictionary lists a number of characteristics that show how the term transparency literally refers to the quality or state of being transparent: Fine or sheer enough to see through, free from pretense or deceit, easily detected or seen through, readily understood, characterized by visibility or accessibility of information especially concerning business practices. Transparent hence implies that actions or information are clear, truthful, and easy to understand.  So transparent is a good term to apply to usability or UX design.

In applying the term transparency to Computer Science we encounter the idea of Computing Transparency.  Computing Transparency refers to a system that incorporates user friendliness and alleviates the user of the need to worry about technical details (installation, downloading, updating or device drivers).  For example, this may mean detecting monitor resolution automatically rather than requiring the users to do so themselves and adjust the program manually, thereby easing the system usage for end users.  The term is thus straightforward: systems and programs that are transparent for the user mean that they can operate with ease and with little need for attention to detail.

Why is Computing Transparency important?

Computing Transparency is an important aspect of UI design since systems that are lucid and understandable will ultimately facilitate optimal usability.  The idea of a system or graphical user interface design being transparent means hiding or avoiding its complexities; the less users have to think about what their system is doing or how to make if function more optimally, the more likely they are to use it.  Since usability is the omnipotent force in interface design, Computing Transparency is a powerful principle with regards to usability.

Computing Transparency and Privacy

Another aspect of Computing Transparency is linked to privacy.  Programs and applications that guard or use personal data should be transparent in their method of doing so.  If user interfaces are in unclear about the way they deal with their customer’s private information, the results can be disastrous—as can be seen from the recent Facebook scandals.  When it comes to user privacy the term transparent is crucial.  Just as citizens beg their governments to practice transparent politics, so too do the clients of user interfaces.

For many years now, outsourcing has resounded through the land. But still it is linked in our heads with big companies which give some work away because they either do not have the capacity to carry out the work themselves, or want to save money by using this strategy. However, nowadays it is not only big companies anymore who try to gain from this process, but more and more small businesses and private people.

The advantages of outsourcing

But what are the advantages of outsourcing and how can these be generated? The system is easy. If you as a company – (whether a small or big one) – would like to give previously performed in-house tasks to an external provider, you can simply give the contract to a third-party who you will pay to carry out the task on your behalf. The main advantages include cost savings, being able to focus on your core business, overall being able to improve the quality while increasing flexibility at the same time. Collaborating with external experts allows customers to calculate their business costs more precisely because the costs only occur for a certain period of time.
But how can you find such an external provider, and how do you know if the price you are paying is not too high and if the proposal is really the best you could get? One possibility is: Using global internet platforms which arrange services for you in order to meet your individual needs. One of the biggest in Germany is twago.

Team Work Across Global Offices – twago

twago is a Berlin based company which focuses on outsourcing and offshoring of online services. The overall goal is to achieve the best performance for the best price for the customer. The more precisely you know what specific task you would like to have done, e.g. programming, web design, user interface design, etc., the better it is. You simply post your project with a detailed description on the platform and receive proposals from all over the world from up to 20,000 providers. These service providers can be companies or freelancers. You can find a service provider who best fits to the individual project. Whether you are looking for a service provider from around the corner to meet up face to face or you prefer a freelancer from a specific country, twago offers the possibility to find the right service provider with suitable skills. You choose the one that best fits your needs and preferences. And the best of all: Using twago is easy. You just have to register, post your project and award it to your provider of choice. Should you need any help or special service the kind twago employees are ready to support you. You can try it out at: http://www.twago.com.

Companies today realize the value of providing outlets for communication with their customers.  Blogging is an effective method to do so and has thus given rise to the corporate blog. However, corporate blogging is much different than the traditional personal blog, particularly in its purpose.  Let’s take a look at the main purposes for creating a corporate blog, in addition to pointing out how their purpose often differs from the traditional blogs.

This blog post is the second in a series of two about Affinity Diagrams as a usability and interface design method

How to conduct the Affinity diagramming process

During the planning phase of the Affinity diagramming process, one should first gather a team of four to six people. Preferably, the group should be as eclectic and diverse (but also relevant) as possible so as to ensure the delivery of as wide a group of ideas as possible. As far as time is concerned, it is optimal to set aside at least, preferably, two hours. You should encourage team members to go for their gut reactions and not spend too much time agonizing over sorting. One of the goals of Affinitization is to reach a consensus so that disagreements can be handled simply. If a team member doesn’t like where an idea is grouped, he or she simply moves it. If consensus is not reached then make a duplicate card of the idea and place a copy in each group. Moving ideas at will without talking encourages unconventional thinking while simultaneously discouraging semantic battles. Here below are the steps to follow during the affinitization process:

1.    Generate ideas – This is where the team brainstorms a list of ideas and writes them down on separate post-it-notes (or some other form of cards).

2.    Display ideas – Post the ideas randomly on a wall, board, table, flip chart paper or other surface.

3.    Sort ideas into related groups – Ask the participants to silently sort idea cards into groupings. This can be done by first looking at two ideas that may seem related
in some way and placing them together in a column off to one side. Then other ideas that seem related to those set aside can be added to that group. Other ideas that are related to each other are also placed into a group. This process is repeated until the team has placed all of the ideas in groups. Ideas that don’t fit in any group shouldn’t be forced into a group. They don’t belong but should stand on their own. Create sub-groups where necessary.

4.    Create header cards – Each group needs its own header card, which concisely describes what each group represents. These should be meaningful enough without having to resort to the contents of their group. Create sub-header cards for sub-groups if necessary.

5.    Draw the Affinity Diagram – Place header cards at the top and corresponding ideas below. Draw lines connecting the headers, sub-headers, and groups. Connect groups that are related too. The resulting diagram should look like a typical organizational chart of a firm.

A great practical application of Affinity Diagrams is to help organize notes and data derived from usability testing of wireframe prototypes of a user interface design. This visual tool aids the whole interface design process by making it easier and faster to make sense of the data collected while gathering requirements and conducting usability tests.

This blog post is the first in a series of two about Affinity Diagrams as a usability and interface design method

What is an Affinity Diagram?

The Affinity Diagram is a tool used within project management and other fields such as interface design (for example before creating wireframe prototypes) to sort large amounts of ideas into groups for review and analysis. The affinity diagram methodology was created in the 1960s by Jiro Kawakita and is thus also dubbed the KJ Method. Originally, Affinity Diagrams were intended to help in diagnosing complicated problems through the organization of qualitative data to reveal themes associated with the problems. Affinity Diagramming is related to other user interface design methods like card sorting which also use ideas that are written on cards (or post-it-notes etc.).

What benefits do Affinity Diagrams offer during interface design and wireframing?

Affinity Diagrams can greatly aid interface designers during the conception stages of a project when wireframing and prototype creation are typically used to generate interface design solutions. Affinity Diagrams can help identify what to include into a wireframe prototype by consolidating lots of customer data into meaningful design criteria. The methodology, in effect, can uncover the range of, give boundaries to and uncover similarity among user’s problems and needs. But Affinity Diagrams can also help identify potential areas for future study. Affinity diagramming is advantageous because it facilitates teamwork and collaboration and consequently improves the cohesion of a team. Because the method is straightforward and simple it is also cost-effective. Affinity diagrams can also help identify customer work practices and can therefore be considered a precursor to Contextual Design, another interface design method.

What are drawbacks of Affinity Diagrams and how can this affect wireframing and interface design?

Affinity Diagrams are considered cost-effective but the method can be time-consuming, especially when there are copious amounts of data to be analyzed which can prove to be exhausting for your team as they evaluate all of the data. These drawbacks are due to the time and effort it takes to extract data (which could, and often does, come from a number of sources) and consolidate them into meaningful ‘units of information’. Time is consumed both in completing the affinity diagram project and the subsequent interpretation of the resulting groups and sub-groups. Another problematic situation can arise when there is simply not enough data. As a rule of thumb, if 15 or less items of information have been identified then you may forego the Affinity diagramming process and resort to other user interface design methods.

This blog post is the first in a series of two about contextual design as a usability method

What is Contextual Design?

Contextual Design is a User-Centered Design process that was developed by Hugh Beyer and Karen Holzblatt. It gathers information for the purposes of understanding how users work in order to create user interface designs (or other products) that adequately support users and assist them with accomplishing their goals. According to Beyer and Holzblatt, Contextual Design “uses extensive field data as the foundation for understanding user’s and business’ needs”. It incorporates ethnographic methods for gathering data relevant to the product, field studies, rationalizing workflows, system and human-computer interface designs. The ultimate goal behind Contextual Design could be described as producing user interface designs that are usable for a specific group of target users, a critical factor in achieving product success.

Contextual Design is important to interface design

Just like with many other products and services, contextual design is vitally important to user interface design. Successful UI (user interface) designs are the ones that help users accomplish tasks as easily and quickly as possible, and that requires some work on the UI designer’s part. Contextual design is all about knowing which functions and features and design characteristics are needed to accomplish that. It gives designers the ability to comprehend the context in which users employ a specific user interface.   Taking the time out to conduct research and identify with user contexts is intended to give user interface designers the knowledge required which they can then fashion into wireframes on the road to creating great user interface designs.

But even if screen designs have already been made in some hi-fi graphics software (e.g. Photoshop, pidoco° can add value to the work flows by bringing interactivity to static screens. Adding ‘click areas’ to the finished screenshots enhance the collaboration and interaction capabilities of a former static screenshot. Colleagues, clients and test users can now easily be integrated in the feedback process and online discussions can be held. Just like web conferencing, but with real-time editing never seen before!

When you are into interface design, Rapid Paper Prototyping is an old hat! But ever considered doing interface design on screen?

With pidoco’s web-based prototyping software, screen designers and screen developers can save valuable time, enhance the creative process and build better usability for the internet.

Rapid Paper Prototyping has already been established as THE way to get a web-application started. Rapid Paper Prototyping is about sketching ideas with pen an paper to be discussed within the team. This basic screen concept will then go through an iterative design process by incorporating feedback from other stake holder. This paper-built prototype will finally act as a roadmap for the whole project – from start to finish. Some screen-designers even use these scribbles for running usability tests. Revealing usability issues in an early stage of development can save a lot of time and budget, since later alterations in the so called ‘finished’ web project are minimized.