Discussion Leader Response/Questions for Nielson/Loranger Chap 1-4, 6, 8

Hello,

I must say- some interesting reading. I spend alot of time on the web- either for school, e-shopping and just plain reading, and it is amazing to read about all of the ways companies can either get a user on board, or force me to never want to come back to visit their sites.

I started thinking about what peeves me when I go to a website.

Here’s a quick list, and I encourage you to also consider what keeps you or turns you away as well.

Quick ways to get me to leave a site:

1. Pop-ups

2. No way to verify the truth or authenticity of the site

3. Annoying banners that move, change color or make unecessary noise

4. Small font(alothough this can be changed by me on my end, it is annoying to do when time is of the essence)

5. Using the back button and losing everything- in other words not being able to navigate around as needed- being held hostage.

6. Being forced to create a login just to get around- not cool!

Ok- what keeps me on a site:

1. Clearly defined areas for clicking and perusing

2. Good graphics, but not too overpowering

3. Clear titles, definitions of the site I’m visiting

4. If it’s a shopping site- deals that are clear from the get go on the main page- such as free shipping etc. I want to browse around knowing how much to spend to get the free shipping, not just hoping I get it at the end.

I could go on, but, being that you all have to read this, I’ll stop now.

Okay- for class discussion I’m touching on a mix of questions directly from the reading as well as other more personal tidbit attachments:

Chap 2- pg. 25 What are the levels of user experience, and how do they contribute to the results of the data?

Chap. 3 What are the current usability problems on the Web? Which ones have you experienced? (I listed mine above.)

Chap. 4- What are some of the causes of user failure on a website? What is user failure anyway? (examples.)

Chap. 6- How influential are links on homepages? Which homepage(s) do you use on a regular basis? Why?

Chap.8- What are some of the “rules” of writing for the reader?