To kick off the new year in Web Design, I thought it would be best to go through a couple of my tell-tale signs that can help you gauge if and when your website’s design sucks. Obviously, “Website design” in this concept does not only include the graphical elements of the page, but of course the Information architecture, usability, accessibility, etc. So without further ado– Let’s get going with round one of “Your website design sucks because…” with Your website design sucks because users can’t find crap!

1. What the heck are you thinking?!

Whether or not you are running a corporate information site or a 15,000 page e-Commerce store- your content should be easy to find! The biggest problem is people think that you ALWAYS need a search box. Search on a website comes in many flavours, and sure; a search box would be awesome- as long as the results are easy to understand and filter to the right place. Having said that, not all great websites have search boxes or website search for that matter – but most if not all of them [great websites, that is] make the user experience worthwhile by making their content easy to find. Here are a few tips:

• If you are running a blog, make sure there is at least a way for the user to find an archive of all your content. After all, one of the main calling-cards, if you like – of a blog, is the fact that it is a chronological listing of posts or entries. Other important elements that help users searching for content is Tags and Categories. Try to make sure your posts only belong to one parent category. I.e. Not “Sydney Web Design” AND “Web Design” — after all, 99% of the time, one of the two (or more) categories makes the most sense. Tags help users by allowing to search for other posts which they might find interesting based on a common interest; i.e. Usability.
• If you are running a website; other than a web log , make sure that there is a common, geographical structure to your pages. I.e. there should always be the same header and footer on all pages – including any side-navigation or side elements. Doing this makes sure that users learn where things are and helps elevate any problems in looking for things all over your website.

2. Some conventional wisdom

Most webmasters and/or designers usually get search from a UI point of view under control. I mean come on! It’s basically three elements– A label “search for:”, a text box, usually pre-filled with “type query here” or something of the sort, and finally a “go/search/find” submit button… Easy, right? Wrong! Whilst the front-end features of site search are seen as simple, most websites/intranets (even the big players) crash and burn on the search results page.

3. A case study in Search Usability: Australia Post

Ahh, good old Australia Post! I love the fact that they deliver to anywhere in the world and the prices are not too bad — and I haven’t had anything major get lost whilst sending out *so far*. However, one thing that drives me insane about Australia Post is their website; http://www.austpost.com.au — not only is this website in need of a “major” overhaul. Let’s start with the essentials of this particular topic; Search.

The search on AustPost is located at: http://search.auspost.com.au. Nothing wrong with that so far- In fact, it’s smart to have search on either a sub-domain or a sub-folder at search.domain.com or domain.com/search. Moving right along. Oh wait! That domain does not work (Under Construction!!) unless you append the following to it: “/cse/auspost/” making the FULL-URI http://search.auspost.com.au/cse/auspost/ – Tsk, tsk AP!

If you type “test” in the search box and click the search button of the main page you get diverted to a search results page; which is okay so far– However, the diverted results page is a TOTALLY DIFFERENT website (in terms of overall look and feel). Check it out for yourself.

Australia Post Search Box - Main Page

All good so far… Let’s see what happens when we get diverted to the ‘actual’ search page.

Australia Post Search Results Page - Search.austpost.com.au

Oops! Something went completely wrong. Did I, as the user kill the site? Or is it meant to be a completely different site followed by a completely different user experience? [Both valid questions you don't need a visitor to your website, especially your search page asking!].

As Homer Simpson would say in a time of crisis; Doh! Different Logo, Different colour scheme, Different tab system, Different IA… Well, at least the logo is generally in the same place as before. Granted, I don’t know the reasoning behind this– Maybe they are in the process of moving sites across to a newer(?) design – but nonetheless, I think being a government corporation, this is pretty bad usability!
Anyway, let’s move right along… As if that first problem wasn’t bad enough, let’s see the search results form. Below is a screenshot of the “general” search form. By general search form I’m referring to the non-advanced variety!

Search Results Box

Wow, okay — where to start, where to start. Let’s rattle off some of the issues with this search box/form.

1. Why have a “Show search options >>” as well as “‘Advanced Search”. That is not only confusing, but a waste of visual space/real estate. Why not make general search easy to use with no extra-ordinary features, and leave advanced search for those people that need to dig deeper into the data mine. Ahhh, I slowly started to realise why, and you will see why soon!
2. See the “Select All” and “Clear All” check boxes? They only select/deselect one option — and that is the “Australia Post Website” check box. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING AUSTPOST DESIGNERS/DEVELOPERS!!! Give me three good reasons why this is necessary on this page (in its current format) and I will stop using Facebook for a month… Okay, a week! Not only is this stupid from a usability/IA point of view, but it’s NOT needed here. Why?, you ask?
   1. When you actually decide to click on “Search” you really DON’T end up having a choice in the matter, because the “Australia Post Website” check box is auto-ticked when the page has reloaded with the search results! Oh Oh!
   2. It’s a waste of a control to begin with! The same thing could be easily achieved with one button which toggles through the selections. I.e. starts off as “Select all options” then changes to “De-select all options” upon click… However…
   3. There is NO need for the control at all since there is NO other option/area to search from. I.e. If there was “Australia Post Website” and “Australia Post PO Box Search”, etc., then it would make sense — however, there is no other option!
3. The “Exact Phrase” check box control is USELESS in all formats of the word! In theory, the “Exact phrase” should let you search for the term “test” instead of the term test. What this ultimately means is that in reality, “Exact Phrase” should only find the search query if it exists EXACTLY in that format, and not part of other words, or as part of a phrase, etc. The only problem with this is that selecting “Exact Phrase” does NOT change the result set; in essence, returning the SAME number of results as well as in the same order! Yay for happy searching — Not!
4. Clicking “Show search options >>” reveals two fields/controls which are apparently meant to help the user whilst searching but not be enough to warrant the name “Advanced Search”. When you click this link, two new fields pop down; a) Format, and b) Modified. Fair enough, you say. They are letting the user choose what type of file format to search; i.e. PDF, Word, etc. as well as the ‘age’ of the document(s) in question or when they were last updated. So what’s the problem here? Let’s take a peek!
   

   Search Results - Modified drop-down

   Wow! That’s probably the best word to describe this drop-down. Sure, Australia Post must feel great giving thier users so many options to choose from, but on what planet would you be from if you need THAT many options in sorting last modified periods? Surely, a) “Anytime”, b) Past 24 hours, c) Past week, d) Past month, and e) Past year – would suffice? No? Granularity of options is something worth your time as an Information architect or Website designer/developer investing in! The more options you give the user that they don’t necessarily need or will never use, the more they have to think. The experience should not make them think! Just give them results, and quick!

5. Don’t even get me started on the “Advanced Search” link! Let’s just say that it’s a little more advanced than what an “advanced search” needs to be. So much so that a PhD in Comp. Science would definitely help! I mean for Pete’s sake, there is a field called “Custom query” which lets you, quote “Create a query using search operators (and, or, not, near, quotes and parenthesis) and system fields.” unquote! WHAT THA?!?! Sure, I may get it, hell you might even get it as a developer or designer, but your average Joe who might need just that little bit more input into his or her search would most likely freak out! Take it off PLEASE! I’m not searching the CIA Central Repository here, people!

3. In conclusion…

Okay, so I must admit at this point in time that I’m getting a little bit more critical and more importantly a touch “harsher” in my blogging and reviews — but I think it’s important to look at problems like these that normal web browsers would AND DO encounter on a day-to-day basis surfing the Interweb! So hopefully you have picked up a few pointers from this blog post that will help you with your upcoming search page design/re-design. Remember, these are above all just some ideas of what not to do, but the field is huge! Make sure you get people with limited Internet experience to trial all software you create (if possible!) but more importantly, keep in mind some of these ideas for next time and I’m sure your users will thank you!

Thanks for comin’ back guys. Please leave your comments or critisisms below – and be sure to Subscribe to the RSS feed so you can keep up-to-date on all the latest goss and posts from C2.0 Web Design Blog. Till next time, Cheb.

Edit: This article is linked to an article which has recently been posted. Read more about “Facebook redesign: The countdown begins“.

From somewhat of a smallish leak to a full-on development cycle to get it going; Facebook is currently in the process of redesigning the Facebook social network. Whilst it isn’t a full-on re-brand, per say – there will be elements such as the start page, the profile page and feed pages which will change!

Why is Facebook redesigning the site?

Whilst they aren’t necessarily redesigning the entire site; Facebook is changing important sections such as the ‘Profile’ in an attempt to clean up the clutter which is being produced by over 25,000 applications ranging from ‘blood sucking vampires’ to ‘am I hot or not’. We all know how annoying some applications can sometimes be, and in particularly how cluttered up they make our profile look.

Since its creation, Facebook has been a shining ‘beacon’ of “What to do” on a major portal/social network. They got the usability right, the site was easy to use and it even looked simple and clean – the direct opposite of Facebook’s biggest competitor; MySpace. So what happens when developers are allowed to build applications which get in the way of such as mantra of excellent web design? You re-design, of course!

Let’s take a look at some of the proposed changes and what you could stand to lose/gain from them. As always, you can click on the images for a larger-sized view.

The Feed and Wall Tabs

To start off with, as you can see, the proposed change to the main profile page (i.e. when you click on ‘Profile’) is to clear up all that clutter left by all your applications flowing down the left-side gutter of the page as well as in the content area as well.

If Facebook has their way, you will expect to see that sort of change on this page.

The changes to this page include:

1. The status message, e.g. “Cheb is now partying”, or in this case “Holly is at school” is shown directly under the profile photo and not directly under the name, as currently is.
2. There is now somewhat of a secondary menu/navigation which is tab-structured allowing you to jump to different ‘views’ of your/or someone else’s profile.
3. The new view allows you to directly post information such as a link or photo off the sub-section in the secondary nav.
4. The ‘Feed’ view, i.e. the current page – above, will combine both the current feed page as well as the wall. What that means is there is no current way to filter either or – and it also means that the normal view, or the ‘Feed’ view will show both; other people leaving wall posts for you and your updates at the same time.

Secondly, the view to the left shows what would happen when someone clicks on the ‘Wall’ tab.

As you can see, no major changes there except that you will be able to remove the ‘Wall’ tab at anytime but the ‘Feed’ tab has to stay put! This makes sense, considering the Feed tab will show both types of inputs – whilst, for good usability, having another tab for just that type of content, i.e. ‘Wall’ is a great idea and kudos to Facebook for setting it up that way.

The new publishing system

The publishing system will be the centralized spot to add a wall post, post a video or photo, as well as post a link to your feed/profile.

I believe that as a user adds new applications which present more ways to post content, such as ‘send a gift’ or anything of the sort, they should be added to the tabs which currently stand at ‘Wall Post’, ‘Video’ and ‘Post a Link’.

Overall, I think this is a great way to combine content into categorically-linked sections. I am not a huge fan of combining the wall posts with the feed, but the structure and navigation for getting to places as well as ‘publishing’ content is possibly second to none! Let’s just say that we can’t even begin to compare it to MySpace!

The applications view

Ahh, where would we be without our much-loved applications? Well, with a wall and notes, I guess! Anyway, the cool news is that there is no way applications are being eradicated or anything – quite the contrary! They will be given their own tab, or view if Facebook has any say in it! Let’s check out the proposed changes:

Hrrmmm! There’s quite a bit to contemplate on this view. Whilst being a working title, I don’t know what Facebook is thinking calling this page ‘Boxes’! I think it was some insider joke or something of the sort, because the first application in the main content area is ‘Family Tree’ with quite a bit of boxes! [Or was it a publicity stunt?!?] *conspiracy conspiracy*

I quite like the idea of zoning out the applications into their own section – after all, it really is those applications that started to clutter things everywhere on Facebook.

The name ‘Boxes’ has to go! No two buts about it. However, what would be cool is if Facebook allowed users to call this what they liked; for example, ‘My Appz’ or ‘My Stuff’ – however, you could see why this would be a problem when people start calling it ‘Fo Shizzle’ or ‘Crack Pipe’ – which absolutely make no sense whatsoever! [Yes, I can be weird at times!]

I think Facebook will eventually just call this ‘Applications’ or ‘My Applications’ – leaning towards the former.

Conclusion

So there you go guys – another design review/did you know style of post! Hope you liked the review and more importantly enjoyed seeing the changes that Facebook should be implementing very soon.

To have your say on the matter, feel free to send an email to profilespreview@facebook.com with the subject heading: ‘Feedback on the new Profile’ or join the group.

Drop us a comment and let the community know what you think; share this post with a friend and make sure to subscribe to the RSS feed if you haven’t yet for further updates.

In what seems to be another way for Social networking giant Facebook to keep ahead of the trends, Facebook has rolled out the brand spanking new chat toolbar.

Everyone knows that ‘The Wall’ and ‘Inbox’ have been the primary ways to communicate – but what happens when you’re making plans for lunch for example, or you need the answer to question 2(a) on that Physics exam that you just happen to be taking online! Facebook Chat of course.

So how does Facebook chat work?

The premise is simple, when you log in next to your Facebook account, you should notice the new Chat bar at the bottom of your browser – ‘no installation or assembly required’. It is from this very slick, a-la-Facebook style bar that you can view your list of online friends and open conversations with them.

Unlike the Wall or Inbox, the messages are delivered and displayed to your friend as soon as they’re sent – meaning a real-time chat experience.

The cool thing about Facebook Chat is basically what has gotten Facebook as an online giant to where it is today – usability. It acts like a real chat application should! You can close chat windows, hide chat windows, go offline so your boss doesn’t see you and change application settings.

The screen shot below shows that I’m online (green circle on the far right next to my profile silhouette), I have six friends online and one of my friends, whom I was chatting to has now gone offline. The traffic-light colour system can’t go wrong!

Another cool little feature is that your notifications now arrive in the Chat bar, and while chatting you’ll see your friend’s Mini-Feed activity thrown into the conversation – as it happens in real-time! Cool ayh?

Facebook, having dealt with many issues on privacy in the past – Beacon, anyone? says that conversations on Facebook Chat are completely secure and private; and whilst Facebook tracks chat messages across sessions and pages, apparently they don’t log any chats on their servers.

Somethings that I really liked included the title of the page changing to say ‘New message from Friend’ when you receive a message, as well as the bar slightly ‘nudging’ whenever you receive a new message (although I think this is still a little buggy on Firefox 2)

I guess we’ll have to wait and see what else comes off this technology – but one thing’s for certain; Facebook know how to do those little things that keep making their offering special. It certainly keeps people coming back to see what’s new.

Based on the quick ten minute session I had to play around with it – one thing was certain: It’s nothing special in the world of online chat, which has now been around for at east ten years. However, one thing it is – is usable, smart and a perfect extension to the overall look and feel which Facebook is trying to master.
Till next time,

Cheb.

It’s been a fun six months! What started as a small side project to share some of me knowledge and findings with the web world has become a forerunner in terms of an online web resource; for Australia and the world alike!

With 400-500 unique visitors daily, (granted, most like to lurk rather than contribute!), Cheb 2.0 has become an online pit stop for crucial web and Web 2 information, reviews, tutorials and more.

As promised, I have been working hard on a complete re-design of the blog which will eventually address a few usability changes as well as an overhaul of the commenting/contributing system.

click to maximise

As you can see; especially if you have bigger monitors!, the design flows a lot more, and is heavily focused on above the fold – making it easier to find more information as it comes to hand.

Please keep in mind that although we have moved 25 or so posts across – it is going to be a little while longer before everything is 100% perfect and the dust has settled. We will be adding continues functionality in the next week or two including: user-voting system, galleries, voting, competitions, and a lot more!

We simply ask that you be patient whilst everything is going and we will get to where we need to be!

I will update this post with any new information as it comes to hand – but feel free to take a look around and familiarize yourself with the new interface!

PS: We realize there are still a few CSS/style nags on some older browsers and we are working on making sure your viewing experience is by no means comprimsed! However, I hope that the great content Cheb 2.0 has become known for in the web design industry is what keeps you coming back in the first place – above all!

Finally, I would love to thank Mel Forrest, front-end coder/slicer extraordinaire whom I could not have sliced this redesign of the blog without. You rock Melz!! You guys have to keep an eye out for Slicetastic – coming soon! : )

Peace out,

Cheb.