Comments on: Postmodern Usability http://www.formfunctionemotion.net/archives/2007/03/19/postmodern-usability.html Usability, design and customer experience Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:13:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: David Hawdale http://www.formfunctionemotion.net/archives/2007/03/19/postmodern-usability.html#comment-8414 Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:25:51 +0000 http://www.formfunctionemotion.net/archives/2007/03/19/postmodern-usability.html#comment-8414 Good point that eyetracking et al does have a place, but not at the start but within a customer experience improvement program. Most clients want to see a ROI. In fact I realise as I write that that I have never come across a client who does not. Quick wins, real user feedback, obvious stuff - <a href="http://www.hawdale-associates.co.uk/newsletter-archive/usability-at-the-checkout-funnel-to-get-sales.html" rel="nofollow">fixes at the checkout probably</a> - is where to start then mix and match pragmatically, postmodern-ly, to get more understanding and more gains. Good point that eyetracking et al does have a place, but not at the start but within a customer experience improvement program.

Most clients want to see a ROI. In fact I realise as I write that that I have never come across a client who does not. Quick wins, real user feedback, obvious stuff - fixes at the checkout probably - is where to start then mix and match pragmatically, postmodern-ly, to get more understanding and more gains.

]]> by: Dr. Pete http://www.formfunctionemotion.net/archives/2007/03/19/postmodern-usability.html#comment-8345 Mon, 19 Mar 2007 20:36:59 +0000 http://www.formfunctionemotion.net/archives/2007/03/19/postmodern-usability.html#comment-8345 I think you're right, and I agree that it's a good thing. We really need to take the message "to the streets" a bit more, and that means getting away from the high-end academic/laboratory side and putting usability principles to work for everyday websites. I could never justify an eye-tracking study for my smaller clients (let alone fMRI and some of the even more outlandish recent stuff); that's not to say that it doesn't have value, but they're much better off with an 80/20 approach. If we can start showing real ROI and start intergrating our work with marketing, search engine optimization, etc., usability is going to get a much better reception from the world at large. I think you’re right, and I agree that it’s a good thing. We really need to take the message “to the streets” a bit more, and that means getting away from the high-end academic/laboratory side and putting usability principles to work for everyday websites. I could never justify an eye-tracking study for my smaller clients (let alone fMRI and some of the even more outlandish recent stuff); that’s not to say that it doesn’t have value, but they’re much better off with an 80/20 approach. If we can start showing real ROI and start intergrating our work with marketing, search engine optimization, etc., usability is going to get a much better reception from the world at large.

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