The Mobile Web and URLs

One of the issues floating around my head while I enjoy a quiet Sunday afternoon is what to do about a site's url when its mobile baby brother comes along?

Website addresses already cause a lot of confusion (Was it .co.uk; .com or .org...?), but typing on a keyboard means it is fairly quick to try different options, and google usually lends a helping hand if we get it wrong.

What's more, having to type "http://" thankfully died long ago and a lot of sites forgive you for not typing "www.".
So, basically URLs have got quicker and shorter and so much the better.

Not so it seems with the mobile web: a few I've accessed require the http://www. and produce an error without it! Not great when typing on a mobile. Furthermore, if you type the usual url you may have to endure error messages, over-sized text and images and extreme levels of scrolling unless the site has been adapted for mobile access.
If there is a mobile web version, you may not get redirected automatically or even offered that alternative as you enter the site.

Furthermore, it seems there are already a number of variations at large in regard to the url for mobile versions: some web addresses end in .mobi, others in .mobile, some begin with an m. and some stay the same. Terrific.

So, imagine you've just been given a new mobile, internet enabled and subscription included, and you want to start surfing. You want to check your email and the news and maybe the odd music video.
What would you type?!

Let's look at the pros and cons of each one from the perspective of a mobile user.

.mobi
Pros:

• It's short and sweet and dodges the whole .com, .es, .org confusion.
• It's pronounceable

Cons:

• It's not a proper word, and what's to stop people trying .mob, or .mobile?

.mobile
Pros:

• It's a proper word so easy to spell AND pronounceable

Cons:

• It's longer than average (com, net etc) so takes longer to type, -but at least predictive text could guess it.
• Maybe Americans would want to type .cell and native speakers of every other language their own cultural or linguistic equivalent.

www.m.
Pros:

• It's slick and sexy, very web 2.0.
• It's short
  

Cons:

• It adds another full stop to the url, which can be a pain to type (did I type a full stop or a comma? where was the punctuation button again?)
• It can also increase cognitive load and confusion: Do I need to type the www. like in the old days? Did the "m" go before or after the "www."?
  

Same url for desktop and mobile sites
Pros:

• The computer does the hard work. You connect from a mobile device, the page adapts accordingly.
• No extra memorising required on the part of the user.
• Greater confidence and security that the site really is the site in question, reduced concerns about phishing.

Cons:

• Doubts about whether the page you're viewing has been adapted for mobile device. Is all the content here?
• There may be a delay in detecting the correct version (language, device etc)
• Takes away choice from the user; it's likely that the user will sometimes want to read something they saw earlier that day at work for example.
  

.com/mobile
Pros:

• Intuitive, matches the model of pretty urls considered best practice, although it's not strictly the same (it's more of a microsite than a page)
  

Cons:

• The length
• Still have to remember the site's domain
• Another forward slash
  

I would personally vote for being offered the option of going to the mobile version when I try to access a site from a mobile (I might not know it exists), and for .mobi or /mobile for being the clearest domains.
That along with punctuating being made easier on mobile devices, and of course for not having to type http://www!

Time will tell which one(s) take!

W3C's Mobile Web Best Practices Course

Having finished the W3C's online course: An Introduction to Mobile Web Best Practices, I have been reflecting a little over the things I have learnt about the mobile (and not so mobile) web.

One of the tasks was to try out 3 of the sites we often use from a desktop computer using either a mobile phone or an emulator. The aim was to discover what works well and what doesn't. Many major sites have serious issues and many cannot even be accessed or viewed properly.

For the experiment I was using mobile emulators rather than real a mobile, which may have effected the conclusions to some degree. Anyway, below I attach the screenshots with comments.

The sites analyzed were: amazon.co.uk, yahoo.com, guardian.co.uk and tumblr.com. Yahoo.com was the clear winner in terms of usability whereas tumblr.com came last!

Amazon.co.uk
Using the dotMobi Emulator

1. Pages were kept short to avoid endless scrolling, but...

2. there is no visual grouping of the different fields; the question "Do you have an Amazon.co.uk..." looks like it has nothing to do with the email address.

3. What does the bright blue text field mean? Is it disabled or highlighted?

4. The soft key option "More" has nothing to do with what is on screen.


5. It's impossible to know what functionalities and content of the PC version you are going to be able to access until you try.
Although it makes sense to prioritize tasks that can be done on a mobile, it's a little disappointing as a user to not be able to do all the things you would like and are used to doing.









Yahoo.com
I couldn't log in using the dotMobi Emulator, so I switched to the Opera Mini one.

1. The blue highlighting makes it easier to see where the cursor
is.

2. The slightly larger screen and/or smaller text makes it possible to see the whole login form at once.











3. The content was relevant and nicely thought-out.

4. Horizontal scrolling was avoided.

5. In general the yahoo site seemed well-adapted to mobile use.










The Guardian.co.uk
1. Some familiarity with the PC site is useful to get your bearings. If you're looking for something specific, it may be hard to find it from the home page.

2. A lot of content requires you to sign up, though the advantages of doing so are not made clear.

3. The main menu is quite useful to find a section of interest and then browse within that category.

4. Navigating from one column to the next is not the most natural or the easiest way to move around a page.



5. Once zoomed in, the article summaries and headlines are quite easy to read and do not require horizontal scrolling.
















Tumblr.com
The page did not resize to fit the window, making the website extremely difficult if not impossible to use. I had to abandon.















Conclusions:

• Websites designed for desktop computers do not automatically render and function correctly on mobile devices. In many cases it will be necessary to have 2 separate sites or redesign the traditional site for use on mobile devices.
• Excessive vertical scrolling and any horizontal scrolling should be avoided as both are hard work on a mobile.
• Typing should be kept to a minimum as it is also a laborious activity.
  
• Related content should be grouped visually as it would be on a desktop site.
  
• Images should be reduced to a minimum in size and number and more care than ever should be taken to ensure section titles are easy to understand and links are not broken.
• Forward and back navigation make correcting mistakes a lot easier.
• Extensive testing with different mobile devices is needed to make sure content is accessible and the experience satisfying.
• A website optimized for mobile use is likely to be more accessible to users of assistive devices.

It will be quite interesting to see over the next year or so in what ways usability best practices will differ for the mobile web as opposed to the "non-mobile" or PC-based web. I also suspect - or at least hope - that the demand for the mobile web will improve the accessibility of sites in general.

Forgotten password? Try not to panic, you'll only make things worse

An article in the New York Times, Can't open your e-mailbox? Good luck, reports that many users get locked out of their gmail accounts from typing their passwords wrong one too many times.

The question is, how many times is too many?

In favour of "self-service online support" (blogs, forums etc- very useful as a first port of call), Google claim it's down to the users to provide an alternative email address and/or a security question when they sign up for an account.
Failure to do so can mean weeks without email access.

However, if this is such a common occurrence, I wonder if the importance of this information (for the user's benefit) is conveyed on the sign-up page and whether enough is done to reassure the user that this information is not going to be sold on to third parties - if that's the case.

Furthermore, when you mistype your gmail password, there is no indication of how many goes you get before the account gets blocked. Gmail error message "Username and password do not match":
Perhaps a little work on the contextual help would get the message across that it's best not to panic and try 50 combinations in swift succession? (as most of us are inclined to do!).

Part of the Google account sign-up form:

The security question and alternative email address should possibly be marked as "recommended", or one of them be obligatory. A privacy statement next to the secondary email field could also help build trust.

I suspect a bit of qualitative usability testing, privacy reassurance, encouragement and explanations of why a security question could benefit the user, along with some improved contextual information could help reduce the number of users locked out.

For the remainder, human customer service in the form of email support or call centres could reduce stress for users and get them up and running again in no time. Let's face it, the last thing you need is your email account making you feel guilty and stupid.

Postcard from Croatia

So yes, have been on holiday in Croatia, hence the lack of posts for a few weeks now. Anyway, I thought I'd post a few curiosities that I saw on my travels as I ease myself back into the rat race and face the oncoming autumn...!

Intelligence test no. 1: smiley faces on a ferry timetable:

So many numbers on one piece of paper required a process of elimination to separate ferry times from ferries (roman numerals) and what turned out to be the days of the week (1-7). Only then did it dawn on us that the smiley face represented bank holidays!

I guess they were trying to make an international timetable, though maybe a legend or the word "day" somewhere would have helped!

This next one was taken onboard a ferry, the pictures on the side of a door:

I assumed the yellow hinge could have something to do with the arm of the door (not in the shot), but the red question mark got me.

Having been looking at it for several days now I figure it must be a lifejacket. Not a sign that would have been a lot of use to me in an emergency! Also goes to show that context is everything, off a ferry I would think it was some kind of snake!

And finally, a poster with the words "Old is Nice":

Unfortunately the building had closed up for the night so I couldn't find out what it was referring to. Anyhow, nice sentiment!

Camera saga part 2

I have of course now found the cable to the camera I lost just over a month ago!!
Still no sign of the camera though.

I have also bought a new compact digital camera and, happily, one with most of my original feature wish list:

1. Viewfinder - yes
2. Video - yes, but I'm still to try it out
3. Price ideally 100 - 150 euros. - 140 euros, right within budget
4. Good flash for nighttime shots. - pub shots ok so far
5. Standard USB cable would be terrific. - yeah! hallelujah!
6. A resistant screen - it actually comes with a sticker I haven't dared take off yet, a bit of a sore point with me and my MP3 player, but that's another story.
7. Robustness - looks like a sturdy little thing
8. Ideally some consideration for durability and/or recycling components, disposing of batteries etc.
It takes normal batteries, so they are heavier to carry, but easy to replace should they run out when I'm out and about. I can use rechargeable batteries and recycle the dead ones. Furthermore, according to amazon.co.uk, this camera is covered by the WEEE Directive.

In case you were wondering, the camera I got in the end is the Canon Powershot A580, good value for money in my humble opinion:

• It got good reviews worldwide and, because it's a stocky looking thing (compared to say the Canon Ixus 80, which I had my eye on), hopefully it's a bit less thief-attractive too(!). It's definitely the ugly duckling of the Canon compact cameras!
• Furthermore, the 2 cameras essentially have the same features, (both have 8MP) but the Powershot works out at 17.50 euros per megapixel as opposed to 31.80 euros/megapixel for the Ixus.

I still might hope for the Chocolate 12 megapixel Ixus from Santa for Christmas, it does look lovely, and it is a bit slimmer which is ideal for small handbags and pockets.

A trade-off between increased odds of longevity and divine user experience perhaps?!

Disaster! lost camera.

...Disaster 2: trying to buy a new one!

- Bizarrely I lost the cable to connect my camera to the computer a few weeks prior to losing the rest of it. So yep, unfortunately I lost a lot of photos too.

So, life being what it is, I'm now in the market for a new compact, digital camera.

But where to begin?

My feature wish list (based on the good bits and bad bits of previous cameras - one a sturdy, little Olympus which took great shots even at night, and a Nikon which had a much bigger screen; great for reviewing everything you'd taken and deleting the rubbish, blurry pics!):

1. Viewfinder (big screens are great but not in the sun. Seeing as most people use their cameras on holiday, why are there so few with traditional viewfinders?!).
2. Video (I think they all have that)
3. Price ideally 100 - 150 euros. I'm an optimist I know.
4. Good flash for nighttime shots.
   
5. Standard USB cable would be terrific; I'd never have to depend on one cable again!
6. A resistant screen Why should I have to buy a protective sticker?
7. Robustness - I'm good at dropping things, I finished off my last MP3 player that way. And hey, who wants a camera that breaks the first time you take it out the house or shove it in your bag in a hurry anyway?!
   
8. Ideally some consideration for durability and/or recycling components, disposing of batteries etc.

Having that quite clear, you'd think it would be easy to have a quick search online and find one with those features and good reviews.

Turns out it's just about impossible.

• Different descriptions of the same product list opposing features.
• Viewfinders are rarely listed on the product specification and not all photos on all sites have a view of the back of the camera. Considering this is where most of the controls are and a photo would give a clear indication of the screen size, (not everyone works in inches and the difference between 2.5" and 2.7" might not be too much of a problem for most people), it's a mystery to me as to why so little importance is given to the rear view. And bad news for me; a camera with a viewfinder puts the price up by 50 - 70 euros.
  
• I'm also a little bit unsettled by the distinction between ultra compact stylish cameras and easy-to-use or sturdy ones. Surely these shouldn't be mutually exclusive characteristics?!
• And don't get me started on different model names for different regions, I spent half a day trying to figure out when the Canon 770IS would be available in Europe. Turns out it already is, it's just called the Ixus 85.
• Furthermore, most sites let you browse by number of megapixels or price range. The problem I have with this is that surely there are only so many pixels the human eye can appreciate and a few years back, a 3 megapixel camera did the job. Why do I suddenly need 12 megapixels for my holiday snap shots?
• Secondly, basing my decision on these selections is a bit restrictive, I might be prepared to pay 30 euros more or live with one megapixel less if it works out better value for money.
• How about a filter "megapixels per euro", or best deal: picture quality for money?

Lastly, here in "We users are lazy", (in Spanish), Olga Revilla points out that it would be great if cameras saved photos with real names rather than with random numbers such as DSC009123.jpg as it would make uploading, filing, tagging and sharing them a dream.
But I guess that's another story!

Clearly there's a lot of work to be done on camera design, websites that sell cameras and ones that discuss them.
We'd better get prototyping!

Well, grumbling over. Back to it!

Reliability + responsibility + time saving = trust + loyalty

A series of recent incidents with banks, online banking and cash machines have left me feeling inclined to withdraw all my money and stuff it into my mattress.

These events brought to mind the importance of trust in satisfying users whatever the situation, whether online banking, e-commerce, GPS, ATMs or bricks and mortar shopping.

Reliability + responsibility + time saving = trust + loyalty

But

Impolite software + uncertainty + time wasting = unsatisfied customer

Alan Cooper’s comments about software also came to mind:
What’s Wrong with Software?

Software forgets
Software is lazy
Software is parsimonious with information
Software is inflexible
Software blames users
Software won't take responsibility

(Alan Cooper, p65, The Inmates are Running the Asylum, SAMS, 2004)

How is this all related?
Let me explain.

1. E-commerce woes
First off, my credit card was declined when I was trying to book some flights online.

I only use my credit card for occasional purchases, such as flights, car hire and online shopping. Seeing as it's with a British bank, I know they will protect me against online fraud. I trust them and that security makes me more inclined to hit Amazon and lastminute.com from time to time.

Therefore, when the bank declined the purchase, I couldn’t figure out what the problem could be as I’m not the type to max out my limit.

Software is parsimonious with information

It turns out it was declined as a fraud prevention measure. - Good to know they do such things, but fairly infuriating to not be able to rely on my credit card for these rare purchases.

Software won't take responsibility

I should point out I have been with the same bank for more than 10 years and I don't think my spending habits have changed in all that time.
When will their system begin to learn and respect my spending habits?

Software forgets
Software is lazy

A day or so later, an overly-dramatic letter (more suited to a spy agency than a bank) arrives at my home address instructing me to phone them immediately.
So, one international call later and I'm set.

Having said that, there was no apology for having had to phone abroad (my time and money) not to mention for having lost out on the flights I had had my eye on (more of my time and money), but at least it seems I can go back to attempting to book flights online.

2. Online banking mysteries
A slightly more worrying incident also involving my credit card occurred a couple of days later following a trip home.
I logged into my account with the intention of settling the difference on my credit card to avoid paying interest (airport shopping is both genius and dangerous when your flight is delayed by 3 hours!).

Surprise no 2: my credit card no longer appeared on my online statement; that line had just disappeared altogether!

Software forgets

I looked for ways to contact the bank or for some other explanation, - I checked the post, I checked my email, nothing!

Software is, once again, parsimonious with information

I found the option "Add credit card to this account", so I figured I'd give that a go, - partly to save on yet another international call - only to be told that I'm not the title holder of MY card!!

Software is inflexible

My only option was to insist that I am indeed the title holder and the computer promised to look into it within 5 days.

Software is lazy

I crossed my fingers and a few days later I logged back in and there was my credit card statement again. Magic.

3. Communication problems
So now I just needed to pay off the balance. I selected "pay credit card", "whole balance" and this time I got the following error message:

"We are not expecting a payment from you. You either have a zero balance or only need to pay the minimum amount".

Now the system is lying to me!? It plainly says amount spent: 60 pounds.

So yes, you guessed it, yet another international call to sort out my "convenient" online banking system.
This time I get put through to a friendly chap called Bob who tells me to pay no attention to unwieldy error messages and to pay the amount of my choosing.
Hmmm. I also mention that my credit card dropped off the system a few days previously and ask whether I should be concerned. Apparently not, happens all the time(!), the credit card company remove them for no apparent reason and the bank people have to put them back on again.

Terrific, instilled with confidence and suspicious that with such high unemployment there could be a lot of cheap, untrained labour about.

If this had been my first experience of this bank, I would have cancelled the account pretty sharply.


Conclusions

“If the interaction is respectful, generous and helpful, the user will like the software and have a pleasant experience.” Alan Cooper

Alan Cooper was talking about software and an interface, but I think we can extend this to include all aspects of user interaction. In the case of banking, this would mean online services, customer service, whether by telephone or in person, queuing times in branches, ATM interaction and availability as well as the product itself; all of which play a part in the user's or customer’s assessment of their experience.

Build trust to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty
In this case my loyalty is dependent on previous problem-free experience and fear of the unknown, (better the devil you know), rather than on having great confidence in this banking system.
It's no secret that trust and successful e-commerce are very closely related; if users don't trust your company, your employees, your payment system, your privacy policy, your returns policy or just don't get good vibes from the look of your website (expired security certificate, inconsistent graphic design of logo, unexplained changes to the URL etc) they'll probably go elsewhere.

Basic trust building guidelines:
In e-commerce there are certain elements or good practices which encourage trust, for example:

• Transparent privacy policy
• Up-to-date security certificates and content
• Consistent graphic design
• Secure server for transactions
• No hidden costs (delivery, handling fees, suitcases etc)
• Honest, Exclusive, Accurate, Relevant and Timely (H.E.A.R.T) content
• Appropriate behaviour (request for personal details, predictable navigation and interaction)
• Guarantees

I would add to this list the following aspects which are not limited to websites or e-commerce:

• Professionalism
• Competence
• Reasonable behaviour
• Personalized attention
• Excellent customer service
• Easy and quality communication
• Fast responses
• Time-saving
• Accountability and responsibility
  

Let’s add to that Alan Cooper’s polite software descriptions:

Polite software is…

• interested in me
• deferential to me
• forthcoming
• has common sense
• anticipates my needs
• is responsive
• is taciturn about its personal problems
• is well informed
• is perceptive
• is self-confident
• stays focused
• is fudgable
• gives instant gratification
• is trustworthy

Try to fulfil all 3 wish lists with your products and services in combination and the chances of positive customer satisfaction increase.

The aim of any company surely should be to provide great user experience and satisfaction to convert customers into customers for life and natural promoters of your product. Why settle for the minimum possible, particularly when the standards are so low? Customers should be swept off their feet!



Links:
Other tales of the unexpected with ATM machines were shared here recently:
IxDA Studies on Aversions to Making ATM Deposits.

And for a little story about a friend of mine (July has been a bad month for trust and banks), read my previous entry. This time the story takes place in Spain...

Also see:
Good Usability Practices number 1, from usabilitynews.com, Economic Downturn Puts Website Usability into Focus

Outdated information, number 9 of Jakob Nielsen's
Top 10 Mistakes in web design (from 1999)

Books:
Peter Keen, Electronic Commerce Relationships, Trust by Design, Prentice Hall, 1999 See a couple of extracts here.

"Certainty, confidentiality, and privacy”

References:
Alan Cooper, The Inmates are Running the Asylum, SAMS, 2004
Chapter 4, The Dancing Bear, p 65 - 69, What's wrong with software?
Chapter 10, Designing for Power, p161, What makes software polite?