I love it when journalists don’t let big companies get away abusing their customer’s experience. Here’s the latest user experience blooper, pointed out by Scott Davis at Forbes Magazine: Any time you mess with the user experience, you’re going to risk backlash. If change is based on a solid understanding of your customers and the… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Marketing Usability
Walmart’s $1.85 billon dollar mistake
Good companies listen to their customers – better customers figure out the appropriate questions to ask BEFORE they ask for feedback from their users! There may be other factors (economic factors, for example) that may be involved, but this case study shows the dangers of poorly designed user research and the inherent dangers of (just)… Continue Reading
Why are User Experience (UX) and User-Centered Design (UCD) getting a bad rap?
There have been a number of recent articles, blog posts and list comments trashing user experience design (UX) as unneeded, misguided and counter-productive to good product design and development. As a long-time user experience practitioner, I was taken aback by these attack from many sides. However, as my partner at Success PragmatiQ, Larry Marine, and I… Continue Reading
Mandel presents to Denver University’s Daniels College of Business on “Golden Rules of Web Design”
Theo Mandel, Ph.D. gives an invited presentation – “Golden Rules of Web Design” – to a Digital Marketing graduate course at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver September 27, 2010 Denver, Colorado… Continue Reading
Mandel presentes “Golden Rules of Usable Web Design” at Direct Marketing Association Conference
Theo Mandel, Ph.D. presented a session at Rocky Mountain Direct Marketing Association’s (RMDMA) Direct Marketing Day conference in Denver on May 19, 2010. The session was titled, “The Golden Rules of Usable Web Design.” Each year, the Rocky Mountain Direct Marketing Association hosts DM DAY, the region’s most comprehensive, best-attended direct-marketing event. The 2010 event… Continue Reading
“Mad Libs” Style Form Increases Conversion 25-40%
UI designers are always looking for new ways to do common tasks better and faster. This new style of filling in forms may prove to be one of those new twists that makes people think, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Luke Wroblewski writes about some new websites that lay out registration forms in a… Continue Reading
UX Problems at American Airlines
Dustin Curtis wrote a blog article about American Airlines’ poor website design. He received an e-mail from an Interaction Designer within the company explaining the corporate culture at American Airlines with regard to the website. The designer was promptly fired by AA. >… Continue Reading
Classic “This is Broken” Seth Godin Video
Seth Godin, bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change in his Gel 2006 video. Why are so many things broken? In this entertaining talk – one of the favorites of Gel 2006 – Seth Godin gives a tour of things poorly designed, the reasons why they are that way, and how to fix them. Watch… Continue Reading
Chicago Company Sues Woman for $50,000 over a Tweet!
The ultimate in bad legal strategies!! Chicago’s Horizon Realty, a property management company, filed a $50,000 libel lawsuit Monday against a former tenant, Amanda Bonnen, over one of her alleged Twitter posts. Horizon argues that Bonnen libeled the company with her May 12th tweet, which read in part ��Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment… Continue Reading
Usability and Emotional Design
For the marketing types…tongue-in-cheek look at usability and marketing. Also a website at www.usability4evil.com Chris Nodder, Nielsen Norman Group chris@usability4evil.com Our knowledge as usability practitioners can be used for evil as well as for good. As evil usability practitioners, our job is to create purposefully designed interfaces which make users emotionally involved in doing something… Continue Reading
Continental Airlines Turns Mobile Phones Into Boarding Passes
More new technology ideas to improve real-world usability! Road-weary travelers (and everyone traveling these days) no longer enjoy the air travel experience. Companies must diligently look for new ways to use technology to improve the user experience of their common tasks. This may be one of those new ideas. View the article… Continue Reading
Starbucks customers stampede website – Be Careful What You Ask For!
Hundreds of coffee-obsessed consumers chimed in moments after Starbucks launched a Web site asking customers to pitch changes the company should make to revive its struggling US business. Be careful what you ask for – You may get overwhelmed by incoming traffic. Or, it may turn out to be a great marketing idea! View the… Continue Reading
The Ultimate Multi-Function Cell Phone (Humor)
You knew it was coming…move over iPhone! Here is a cellular phone that *really* can multitask! The Sumsing Turbo 3000 Xi mobile phone! View the video!… Continue Reading
Designing Usability and User Experience for Consumer Medical Devices
Usability and comsumer experience are not only important for computer hardware and software. Consumer medical devices must not only be usable – they must be visually and physically appealing: “Today, a medical device must be more than functional; it must also look and feel sophisticated. Device designers can use refined touchpoints to influence users… Continue Reading
Wackiest Product Warning Labels
To highlight the wacky side of usability, here’s a CNN/Money article on the wackiest product warning labels. With the stupid things people do and the litigious society we live in, you have to wonder how we came to arrive at this point in time. Toilet brush wins wacky bowl Michigan anti-lawsuit group gives out “awards”… Continue Reading
Why the Geek Squad has become a Technological Necessity
Get Me The Geeks! How Tricky Technology Is Giving Rise To The Geeks CBS News – 60 Minutes January 28, 2007 Ever seen those funky-looking VW bugs driving around town? Have you felt the need to pick up the phone and call the Geek Squad? Well, you are not alone. 60 Minutes reports: “We are… Continue Reading
Perceived vs. Actual Usability – Lexus “Self Park” Feature
Have you seen the TV commercials for the Lexus LS 460 “Park Assist” feature, or more technically named, the “Lexus Advanced Guidance Parking System?” The Lexus demos and commercials show the feature to be incredibly simple and easy to use. However, reviews and videos are being published showing the feature to be unusable. Here’s a… Continue Reading