University News Last updated 10 November 2009
Birmingham City University's User-lab is running a free website usability clinic this Thursday (12 November) to celebrate World Usability Day.
Experts at the University's research and development laboratory will be offering free advice to web designers as part of a series of events across the globe intended to tackle the frustrations of dealing with badly-designed products. Visitors can drop in to the lab for an informal chat to go through their websites online or discuss early ideas on paper, hopefully leaving with a better idea of how their site visitors will respond to their design and any changes they might need to make.
Jerome Turner, Design Manager at User-lab, said: "The most useful conversations we have with clients are often the first meetings, taking a quick look at the website before discussing their needs in more detail. From our experience of designing innovative sites, and observing hundreds of people using the web in lab conditions, we can give very useful insight into how people will respond.
"Sometimes these are very big issues - such as why customers don't visit a ‘Buy' page, or trying to find an easier way to present information. Other problems might seem small but can be just as problematic, such as whether a button says ‘Next', ‘OK' or ‘Submit'. It can make all the difference, and we're looking forward to helping as many people as we can on World Usability Day to help make sure we all get the best products we deserve."
User-lab is based at based at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (Gosta Green Campus) in Corporation Street, Birmingham, and will be open for visitors from 12-9pm on Thursday.
As well as meeting people, the researchers will also be ‘live-tweeting' activities and advice from www.twitter.com/User_labWUD and running private consultation chat rooms for any interested parties who can't make it in person. Alternatively, visitors can get in touch by emailing Jerome.Turner@bcu.ac.uk and at http://www.user-lab.com
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Added by on November 10, 2009